Home Repairs/HoneyDo List/Advice & Tips/etc.

[THEWOOD]

How long to wait to stain/seal a deck?

 

[jwinslow]

How long to wait to stain/seal a deck?

Use the water drop test. If it sits on top, the wood is still wet and hasn't dried out yet, thus it will not fully accept the coating.

Once the water droplet soaks in during the test, then it is ready for testing. There's no set time because you don't know how long the wood sat there.

 

[muffler dragon]

Use the water drop test. If it sits on top, the wood is still wet and hasn't dried out yet, thus it will not fully accept the coating.

Once the water droplet soaks in during the test, then it is ready for testing. There's no set time because you don't know how long the wood sat there.

That's an interesting test to me. Hadn't read it before.

I realize you didn't ask for this, but figured I'd jump in anyway. Hope you don't mind.

FWIW, I typically recommend that people use solvent borne products on horizontal, exterior surfaces.

If you're intending on staining the wood yourself, Josh, then I further recommend that you get stains that have oxide pigments in them (they come both transparent and relatively opaque). The oxide pigmentation operates as a natural UV inhibitor and may be more prone to lasting longer. The clear system will more than likely need to be re-done on a regular basis. That'll be up to what you determine is the length of time that you want to wait and how long you can handle the appearance degradation.

Lastly, just like finishing fine furniture, the most important step is the substrate preparation. Sanding is critical to how everything will perform immediately and over time. This may be necessary due to two things: 1) whether the decking comes pre-sanding and 2) how long it's been exposed to the elements before coating.

If you do happen to have any coating questions, then hit me up.

 

[jlb1705]

Got out this weekend and ran a tiller thru the back yard, and now I'm sore as hell. The people who lived here before put down landscape fabric through half the damn property and when you run a tiller on it the tines just bounce off it or get tangled in it. Once I got past the fabric and the raised beds of solid clay it wasn't too bad though.

The hardest work we got done in one day - tilling, re-grading along the area with the raised bed, in the area where our tree was removed, and along the foundation of the house.

Also, I tried to fix a drainage problem by cutting a small channel in the yard from the patio roof, along a gentle arc toward a drain on the west side of the house, away from the back foundation wall. I got to observe it while it was raining this morning and it seems to be working well for the most part - just needs a couple small adjustments.

We put down grass seed on the areas we tilled and regraded, on the area where we had removed the old deck, and on bare spots created by the shade of the old tree. All in all, we seeded about half of the square footage of the back yard. I do have a concern about the channel that I cut. I want that channel to be sod rather than gravel or some other fill. The challenge I'm going to have is the seed getting washed away each time it rains or gets watered. I figure I can keep dropping some seed on it every now and then until some of it takes. I figure once something starts growing there it will help keep further seedings from washing away. Does anybody have any tips for this though?

 

[Mac]

Not sure if you did this, but to help kind of keep seed from washing away some, you should rake the seed into the dirt, and/or put about 0.25" of dirt on top of the seed.

It doesn't completely fix the washing away if it downpours, but it helps keep the seed for the most part

 

[jlb1705]

Yep, we raked though out the areas to cover the seed after spreading it. In this channel thought the amount of water that comes off the downspout that feeds it is probably going to carry a good bit away regardless.

 

[Mac]

Not really a whole lot you can do :/

 

[IronBuckI]

...

I do have a concern about the channel that I cut. I want that channel to be sod rather than gravel or some other fill. The challenge I'm going to have is the seed getting washed away each time it rains or gets watered. I figure I can keep dropping some seed on it every now and then until some of it takes. I figure once something starts growing there it will help keep further seedings from washing away. Does anybody have any tips for this though?

You can temporarily use a downspout extension to divert the water away from the trench and your house while the grass gets started. Then remove the extension once you have a good amount of grass growing in the trench.

 

[jlb1705]

You can temporarily use a downspout extension to divert the water away from the trench and your house while the grass gets started. Then remove the extension once you have a good amount of grass growing in the trench.

Good idea - might give that a try.

 

[THEWOOD]

That's an interesting test to me. Hadn't read it before.

I realize you didn't ask for this, but figured I'd jump in anyway. Hope you don't mind.

FWIW, I typically recommend that people use solvent borne products on horizontal, exterior surfaces.

If you're intending on staining the wood yourself, Josh, then I further recommend that you get stains that have oxide pigments in them (they come both transparent and relatively opaque). The oxide pigmentation operates as a natural UV inhibitor and may be more prone to lasting longer. The clear system will more than likely need to be re-done on a regular basis. That'll be up to what you determine is the length of time that you want to wait and how long you can handle the appearance degradation.

Lastly, just like finishing fine furniture, the most important step is the substrate preparation. Sanding is critical to how everything will perform immediately and over time. This may be necessary due to two things: 1) whether the decking comes pre-sanding and 2) how long it's been exposed to the elements before coating.

If you do happen to have any coating questions, then hit me up.

Well the built the deck in October/November of this past year. I am betting its ready because when it rains, water soaks in.

 

[gregorylee]

4. Undermounting - anyone have any experience with these? I'm interested in the CAMO system.

I used something similar about a decade ago from simpson strong-tie mounted like an upside down "T" then hook in the side of the previous board and toenail. Works pretty well, I did although run a row of stainless screws around the perimeter of the deck.

Looks like they have something new working now, some biscuit system, they also have sweet extended coalated screw-gun that I would love to have.

Here's a pdf, the surface connector freestuff is all at the very end. They rest of the pdf isn't a bad little refresher on decking also.

http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/fliers/F-DECKCODE13.pdf

 

[CentralMOBuck]

Good idea - might give that a try.

Do you cover where you seeded with straw after you're done? I think that's done to help the keep the seed from washing or blowing away.

 

[jlb1705]

Do you cover where you seeded with straw after you're done? I think that's done to help the keep the seed from washing or blowing away.

Yep, did that too.

 

[Buck Nasty]

If all else fails, put down sod.

 

[jwinslow]

We are replacing our inherited, rotten PT deck with a PT frame, cedar decking deck. A few details:
- 20x16', 5' elevation. PT framing/rails. cedar decking & handrails.

- 45 degree diagonal cedar deck boards, picture framed.

Anyone have an estimate for how long it would take 2 men (1 experienced carpenter, 1 totally newbie) to frame a deck of this size? It has a straight ledger board (no outcropping), 12" joists and 8 posts (4x4).


Unfortunately, our area requires investigations after digging the holes, after framing and after completion. That means we have to finish all of the framing before work hours end on Friday, thus the need to determine how long framing will take. My dad is helping out but has to drive in from out of state.