This deck is killing me

[HoseHead]

Yea, I'm new. Yea, I'm trying to learn. But mostly by my screw-ups. Stained about 800 sq. ft. the other evening. That night blew in a frog-strangler that
even the weather men did'nt know was coming. Everyone was caught off guard by it. By the time I could get there next day, water was all beaded
up, but looks like some patches are water stained(darker). Dried it off best I
could with a squeegee and a mop. Any way to save this mess? I'm considering
another coat of the oil-based semi-transparent but thought I might consult
the experts to see if that would do more harm than good. Other option is to
discount the job to the customer. Also, like a fool, I neglected to notice that
the floor of this deck(which has been treated a couple of times before)is NOT
pressure treated. It's just plain yellow pine. I did'nt even know they made 5/4
boards that were'nt pressure treated. I don't really like the way any of this
has turned out(even where there's no apparent water stains), and am wondering if that might be part of the problem. The whole thing just looks
crappy to me. Any advice or beatings appreciated.

 

[PressurePros]

Ultimately you answer to your own standards of performance and moral character. I would say if it looks bad, strip it off and start again. You have the perfect excuse to use. The customer will think you are a hero.

 

[Tim Lynch]

I would not put more oil on the deck, whats down now is sealed adding more will just float and end up sticky. You should just redo the deck and take it as stuff happens. The home owner wanted a complete job you now need to finish it. The weather is not the customer problem it is yours.

 

[Jon Fife]

.....I think the variable here is how "bad" the deck looks now. You may be ultra-picky. Perhaps the customer thinks it looks fine, and most would as well. Also, re-stripping fresh stain is TOUGH, and the result may not be that great, possibly even looking worse than it does now.

Being said, if they are reasonably pleased with the job, and you think it isn't bad, I'd offer them a discount. If the job was $1000, offer it for $600. I think that would be fair to both parties, ASSUMING the deck isn't just a total disaster.

jf

 

[HoseHead]

As my customer will not return from vacation until this evening, and taking
all of your replies/advice into consideration, I believe I will meet with him this
week and make a decision based on his response to the looks of things. His
grown son stopped by yesterday while I was finishing up the last bit of it, and
commented that he thought it looked great. And in fact it does look a lot better than when I started, but to my eyes, it's not what I was aiming for.
I have been accused of being a perfectionist, and am wondering if that will
serve me well or not in the pressure washing business. I am always my own
harshest critic. 2 questions that I haven't been able to answer using the
search function here. 1)A deck built of untreated lumber. Special considerations? Will it take a stain evenly? 2)Can freshly applied oil-base
stain/sealer be stripped or not? Several posts have indicated not, but I don't
know. Thanks

 

[PressurePros]

New lumber, especially ACQ pine, will take stain unevenly. You indicated in your first post that this decking had been sealed several times before. I am also curious as to how you ascertained that the wood was not PTP and is instead plain old pine?

 

[HoseHead]

Ken,
When I moved his beer tap storage unit, I found that the lumber underneath
had'nt been touched by stain or sealer. And it was as white as a new snow.
Also, the knots on the floor were absolutely gaping....something I don't "think"
you normally see on PTP. Knots yes, but these are raw looking. Then I crawled underneath and looked up. Again, the boards were too light in color
to be pressure treated. Finally, his son gave it up yesterday. Said they built
the deck themselves with a little help from friends, and they did'nt use treated lumber. I'm a bit peeved at myself that I did'nt catch this right off.
thanks

 

[PressurePros]

Keep in mind that a penetrating oil based sealer will continue to change as it curres within the wood. It can take a couple of weeks beofre you get the final color and appearance that the deck will take on. Perfectionism is a tough one in our business. I don't think its neccessarily a bad thing but you have to be certain your pricing matches the level of performance you will be offering.

What product are you using to seal the deck?

 

[HoseHead]

Did'nt know if I could mention the name of the sealer here. It's Porter semi-
transparent. They requested it, presumably because they had a full
5 gal bucket of it in the garage. Around here that brand is like the holy grail
for anything that needs to be covered. They do make good paint and I could'nt find anything negative about the stain/sealer on this site. I am painfully aware that I need to bone up on my stripper/sealer/stain knowledge.

 

[PressurePros]

Another thing to keep in mind is the freshness of the product. How long was the sealer sitting? Did it go through extreme temperature cycling? Using old sealer may not appear bad at first but it will fail very quickly.

Your best bet is to take some pictures to post and have others give you unbiased opinions as to your results.

 

[Jon Fife]

Hose,

..I am very familiar with PorterPaint,...you said Semi-trans....that sounds like their "siding" stain. Their deck product is called "porterdeck", and then they have a heavily-bodied semi-trans as a siding stain. Problem is, don't think it is recommended as a deck stain. This could work for/against you. Bad thing is that it is a product not to be used on decks....but they gave it to you and told you to. Good thing is, it would be really easy to re-coat and never know the difference.

 

[HoseHead]

Well now, all I can go by is what the customer told me. I actually thought to
ask where the stain had been stored. They assured me in the attached garage which is heated, so the likelihood of temperature extremes is slim.
Jon, the can is'nt labeled PorterDeck, but the label/usage inst do indicate that
it is for decks, and says nothing about siding. It was an unopened can, so I'm
sure nothing was mixed. Ken, the picture idea is great. Of course I'm an idiot
with digital cameras, but I might con my boy into helping me out. Thanks for
the suggestion. I'll try to get pictures and post for some honest criticism.
hose

 

[Tim Lynch]

What was the verdict?

 

[HoseHead]

Well, the verdict was surprisingly anti-climactic. The customer called me
on the 4th of July....they extended their vacation a couple more days. He
thanked me for taking care of things so quickly and indicated that he was
reasonably satisfied with the work. Apparently a couple more days of 90 degree plus weather may have lessened any water stains? He said if there were any there, he thought they were very minor. His take on the whole thing
was that it looked awful when he left, good(to his eyes)when he got home.
Another job off his honey-do list and he's fine with the results. I'm no boy-scout, but I did knock 200.00 off the bid price, so he was happy enough with
that, and I still made out well. Maybe I'm too picky....I don't know. Looks like
it may lead to a house wash and window cleaning job though, and he gave a
handful of cards out to his co-workers. I think I learned another lesson in this
business too....don't panic. Thanks to all for your advice. Most decent of
you.

 

[Jon Fife]

Good work Hosehead---and a good result. May I offer one last suggestion?? This sort of thing happens to all of us--screw ups. Sometimes for bad customers, sometimes for good ones. I'd suggest rather than discounting the price, to offer something else.

"Oh, by the way, I'm glad you were pleased, but frankly---I give the job a 'B' due to the water spots. But trying to solve that is this point would only make things worse. I hope you don't mind, we felt like we owed you a little more because of this unfortunate event, and we've gone ahead and washed your driveway, and cleaned you mailbox post and stained it as well. It needed it, and we wanted to go a little further to make sure you are happy."

1) He probably feels guilty for taking money out of your pocket, if he's a good customer.

2) Better to give away service than money.

3) Allows you to be seen/add a referral/etc.

Obviously too late, but it will happen again. I am happy things turned out well for you,

 

[HoseHead]

Good advice I should think, Jon. A good PR builder without taking money
out of my pocket. And also a sneaky way to showcase some of our other
services. Thanks for the tip.