Permachink seminar

[johny]

Hello Everybody !

I went to this seminar today because they had hands on training.I wanted to learn something about corn blasting,i know i will need that sooner or later if i run into finish that wont come off.
Guess what they told everybody,cornblast basicly every log house that has failing stain on it.Strippers are going out they said,they cause burns and leaks are bad inside the house.Also use bleach,bleach,bleach ,it there is mold ,mildew.Thats when i wanted to get up and say,bullsh... Strippers work very well.
Also met some people in business that seemed to be very succesful,but they blast every house,nobody likes to mess with strippers.I have seen their work,very rough looking logs,but they think thats the way to remove grey.Oh,well ,best for me,i gave a couple of them this sites address,so i hope they sighn up and learn the right way
Johny

 

[Greg Rentschler]

Johny,

Its not that corn blasting is a bad thing...just another tool in the belt. Corn blasting is an excellent means of removing certain hardened coat finishes. Sikkens is one of them. I would sooner blast a house with cob than to chemically strip it. Why? EVERY log home leaks... and having hydroxides seeping through the walls just doesnt sit well with me. You also have to worry about the windows and doors (shielding them from the stripper) or they may become discolored. Plus the soggy mess you end up creating around the perimeter of the house....and lets not forget chemical exposure to the plants and yourself. We have yet to strip a log home and not have to buff or sand it out so your on equal terms with blasting. I speak of blasting as a tool because it is not an effective means of removing ALL finishes. For instance, whe are stripping Menwood 200 off a log home currently. The problem was the finish never fully absorbed into the wood (over applied and not prep'd correctly) and therefore left 15 mils of sticky goop on the surface..... you could literally leave your thumbprint in the finish. The cob wouldnt do much for this house because the finish was too soft and tacky. Anyway, keep an open mind to cob blasting, you may find it necessary someday. Then again this is just one persons opinion.

 

[johny]

Well,its not that i didnt like the method.What i didnt like was the point of having to blast every house.Also the rough looks of the logs,but i will keep it in mind as a back up.
Log homes do leak,thats why i have somebody in the house,they get paid for it,custumer gets charged for it,as long as i dont have to do it.
Johny

 

[Mike Hughes]

Originally posted by Greg @ GCR
(over applied and not prep'd correctly) and therefore left 15 mils of sticky goop on the surface..... you could literally leave your thumbprint in the finish

15 mils? Sounds like "overapplied" is an understatement.

 

[Greg Rentschler]

Heres some photos of the house mentioned above...

One side has been stripped completely

 

[Greg Rentschler]

The front side as we were preparing to strip the remainder of it.

 

[Mike Hughes]

Nice pics, Greg........thanks for sharing.

I like your little logo down in the corner........good idea.

Mike

 

[Jim Bilyeu]

Hello gentlemen

It's been awhile sence I've been on board, just wanted to jump in on this one.

Perma-Chink and Sascho are both pushing this con cob blasting to the hilt. Why, because they their strippers arn't worth a hill of beans and they have to have some way to remove their finish. If they had their way, every log home and cedar home would be corn cob blasted.

Let's look at the facts: #1. Corn blasting is basicly the same as sand blasting, it tears up your wood and can rupture the internal structural cells. Check the specs on hardness of different blasting medias. #2. Log homes leak, if they leak water from power washing, they'll also leak in dust and grim from blasting. The dust and grime will get into every drawer and it'll filter down from the purlons for a month afterwards. #3. They tell you there's no clean up, just rake the used media into the lawn and it decomposes. Have you ever smelled rotten corn? The home owner loves that.

There are several law suits going on right now over corn cob blasting of log homes. People pay good money for the hand hewn look of their logs, corn cob blasting takes it off in a heart beat.

Corn cob blasting to me is the last resort. In all the years I've been in this business, I've only had to corn blast two homes. If I had the chemicals then that I have today I wouldn't have blasted them.

In short, I'd much rather take care of the water infiltration at the time of power washing and get it over with than to leave my clients eating dust and grit for a month or two.

It's not as much the corn cob blasting that I disagree on as it is the missleading information being put out that says it's the best thing that ever happened for the industry. It's a bunch of crock.

Jim Bilyeu
Exterior Woodcare

 

[johny]

Thanks Jim for backing me up,
you said it all.
There is no need or reason to blast every home ,but thats exatcly what they were telling people to do,i let it go over my head but other 100 might have not.Many people were new to this business rest of them dont ever strip nothing ,just slap stain on top of old.So what are they gonna do,they will blast and screw it up,because they wont know any better.They showed a slide of their stripper bucket,said they all dont work,sort of like that is old technology ,dangerous and thats was it,maybe 20 seconds,so how many of them will buy stripper???
Permachink is water base ,how hard is to remove that??Around here, most will even blast that.One man told me he still finds corn after a year in his house,whenever it gets windy outside.
Johny

 

[TCross]

I second Jims post. Corn cob blasting is the last resort. We restore and treat over 40 log homes a year and maybe use corn cob blasting on 1 (and that would be the worst finish you have ever seen) How many professionals on this board are using stains, sealers, etc.. from the companies that are pushing blasting? That answers my concerns!