Replies

1. 
   MarkH128 | Jul 25, 2002 07:20pm | #1

   Some solid deck stains say they hold up to foot traffic but I haven't tried them on a floor. May be an improvement over paint, but you would probably have to sand off the paint first which would be a pita.

2. 
   Mooney | Jul 26, 2002 02:11am | #2

   You were right in your first statement . Paint cannot be walked on in open weather on wood. Those three things make it a no no. Sherwin Williams will back you 100 percent. Better start telling them thats the only thing you will use. Im able to sell what ever paint I say. SW is 75 percent contractor driven and they were the ones that told me. They work for you sir !!!!

   Deck stain is the only option . It does a lot better job and easy to apply a coat every two years. Thats the bottom line.

   Tim Mooney 

3. 
   Piffin | Jul 26, 2002 06:00am | #3

   Your first problem is that you forgot to mention the step of letting the wood dry after washing it! Painting wet wood will gaurantee failure.

   I prefer to sand and scrape if it's to be painted for that reason - no time to allow three days to dry.

   Some Cedar can have extractives that make it hard to hold paint to. Add to that the fact that the wood is not very dense so you can have a paint that is actually harder (once cured ) than the underlying wood is. Wlaking on that means that the wood can flex out from under the paint surface and let it flake away, especially when combined with all the above.

   But I've had some small sucess with the epoxy reinforced deck paints over fir - not enough to brag on mind you but it gets by for a few years. I try to tell folks that any deck should expect routine sealing of some kind every two or three years. Underpromise and over deliver.

   Excellence is its own reward!
4. 
   Qtrmeg | Jul 26, 2002 07:22am | #4

   Your problem is you have the wrong decking for the situation, or the wrong finish. You were cursed from the get go. You tried to build a paint system over just about the weakest product, that had been left to weather. A wash is not proper prep in this case, and you see how it turned out.

   With cedar you have to grind the weathered wood to solid fibers, or you are just painting fluff. Perfect world is 6 side prime, but you can get all of those details from your SW rep, lol.

5. 
   junkhound | Jul 27, 2002 03:28am | #5

   Painted my parents porch (covered, but leaked badly in 98 & 99)  for them in '72 and in 2000, before that I remember it being painted about 1949. Used the same paint all times, was starting to peel after 28 years. Pop is now 82, both times he insisted I use his stock of paint.  Needless to say it is old linseed oil base white lead paint, but boy does that old stuff hold up. Any indications of me being retarded likely due to many childhood hours playing on that porch.

   Have used SW Polane 2 part stuff with excellent results for walking surfaces , even used it to undercoat my '63 GMC.

   Just repainted my deck (fully exposed, Renton, WA) after 15 years with last of my stock of Glidden urethane Florenamel. Paint had held up well, in one place the penta fir rotted out from under a solid film of paint (bottom of second floor deck was painted with latex).

   
   

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   Edited 7/26/2002 8:30:44 PM ET by JUNKHOUND

1. 
   junkhound | Jul 27, 2002 03:37am | #6

   PS: I think Pop got a 55 gal barrel of lead paint just after WWII in trade for salvaged railroad ties. Think he painted his house 5 or six time with it since.

   Got the Glidden and SW Polane stuff surplus for $1 gal which is why I tried it. Guess that's the definition of serendipity. Saw the retail price of Polane once - out of a junkhound's price league.

2. 
   Piffin | Jul 27, 2002 03:49am | #7

   Lead can be a poison to the bugs and bacterias that eat wood, I'll bet!

   Excellence is its own reward!

6. 
   painter02645 | Jul 27, 2002 04:28am | #8

   Live on Nantucket Island 30 miles out in the Atlantic . Have painted many porches here (Very Chic) not too bright because of the traffic.But here is how we do it.New fir is what is the norm here.I prime ,sand #100 ,prime again with 1 day between coats,1 coat Ben Moore porch and deck enamel(oil) sand w/#120 for adhesion ,finish coat same paint.Paint is polyurethane based should be available there.The market I'm in is the extreme high end so they are willing to pay for all this seemingly endless work.good luck.Dave