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Deck, wood, and cedar staining and sealing

Product Review: DeckScapes Revive

Within the last decade, cedar shake became a popular building material for high end homes.  Cedar is a beautiful wood, however; it does have some drawbacks.  The most noticeable is it’s high tannin content.

From a practical and chemical standpoint, cedar tannin are beneficial.  Tannin protects the wood from water, UV light, and even insects.  From an aesthetic standpoint, tannin causes ugly stains.  You can read about this in more detail in our “How to clean and stain cedar.” article.

This article is a review for Sherwin Williams’ DeckScapes Revive product.  We have used Revive on several jobs this year with fantastic results.

Revive is an oxalic acid solution.  It is easy to apply and relatively non-toxic when compared to other acids.

When applied per the manufacturer specifications and pressure washed off, Revive will remove even the most stubborn tannin stains in cedar, redwood and any other type of wood.

Revive costs between $20-$30/gallon and covers approximately 150 ft2 depending upon the wood’s roughness and porosity.  If you have an entire home that needs treatment, this can get expensive.  However, there are no alternative options as effective as oxalic acid for this application.

DeckScapes Revive is an excellent product for preparing wood prior to staining.  I recommend this product.

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What is Mud Cracking

Have you ever done painting or drywall repair work and everything looked good when you were done, but upon returning the next day you were greeted with cracks (like in the picture above)?

This is called mud cracking.  It gets this name because it so closely resembles the cracking mud in a desert or dry river bed.  Ironically, the scientific cause is the same for both occurrences.

The cause for mud cracking is applying to thick a coat of paint, drywall mud, etc.  When you apply a coating at a milage rate that is thicker than for what it was designed, it causes problems as it dries.  Drying is the simple process of moisture leaving the coating.  When a coat is too thick, the outside layer that is exposed to air begins to harden as moisture is still trying to escape from the inside.  The escaping moisture causes the outside layer to expand and crack.  When the moisture get out, this outside layer contracts back to its original size, but the cracking can’t be undone.

Mud cracking is more prevalent in coatings that dry hard with little flexibility like drywall mud and enamels.

How do you avoid mud cracking?

Preventing mud cracking is the easiest strategy.  Be patient.  If the paint isn’t changing the wall color with one “normal” coat, then you are going to have to do another coat.  Trying to pile it on the wall so heavy isn’t going to magically help the paint’s hide.  It will only leave a sloppy, uneven, finish with a high probability for mud cracking.  The same goes for trying to use drywall mud to fix large, deep holes.

I know that us men don’t like reading instructions, but being a real man includes knowing when you don’t know stuff.  It’s like the old cliche` of asking for directions.  I’d rather stop, ask for help, save my time, gas, and stress instead of proving that I’m a “real man” by driving around like a moron for hours.  Also guys, I don’t care if you painted when you were in college 30 years ago.  Just like computers, phones, and cars, technology has also changed paint products.  Read the directions!

How do you fix mud cracking?

Okay.  So someone didn’t follow directions and the mud cracking has already happened.  Here’s how you fix it.

Sand it smooth and touch up where necessary.  This can be more difficult than it sounds.  Drywall mud is pretty easy because it is made to be sanded, however, if you are using an industrial enamel that is designed to be hard as metal, get your power sander ready.  Also, wear safety glasses and dust masks when you sand this stuff.  Breathing all of that crap is bad for you.

I hope that this has answered any questions you have about mud cracking.  Feel free to email us if you need any help.

By 

President of GreenWave Solutions, Atlanta painting company and Dunwoody house painters.  GreenWave Solutions offers painter services in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Brookhaven, Duluth, Grant Park, Inman Park, Buckhead,Milton, Midtown, and more!

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How to Choose a Roller

I was helping my cousin do some interior painting this weekend and realized how little the average person knows about proper painting techniques.  Oftentimes I struggle to think of topics about which to write because I can’t think of anything that people don’t know.  I guess I have been over thinking it.  I’m going back to the basics for my readers.

How to choose a roller

When choosing a roller, there are three factors that you must define:  nap composition, roller quality, and nap length.

Nap Composition

Nap refers to the fur on the roller.  Composition refers to what the nap is made of.  When choosing what type of roller to use, you need to know what kind of coating you are using.  Alkyds, acrylics, polyurethanes, and lacquers all require a different roller nap.  You use specific rollers for some coatings because the stronger chemicals can cause the nap to melt.  Also, using a roller designed for the coating causes the paint to load and release better, which yields a better finished product.

Manufacturers label the packaging to specify for which coatings are compatible with the roller.  A sure fire way to choose the correct roller composition is to choose your paint first and then choose a roller that works with it.

Roller Quality

Not all rollers are created equal.  Like with most things, the adage “you get what you pay for” applies to rollers.  The difference between cheap and expensive rollers boils down to two characteristics.  Cheap rollers tend to lose more hair while painting.  These hairs end up on whatever you are painting and dry in film.  This is ugly and unprofessional.  In addition to this, the nap on cheap rollers typically doesn’t offer good release which renders a less smooth finish.  The only time I recommend using the cheapest roller available is when you are painting something where quality is not a factor – like a dog house.

Professional painters Trick of the Trade:  Before using any roller, put the roller on the frame and wrap it with painter tape.  Remove the tape before you start painting.  This pulls out the loose hairs and prevents them from ending up on your substrate.

Nap Length

Nap length is the last factor you must determine when choosing a roller.  Nap length is measured in inches and range from foam, mohair, 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″ and more more.  What determines the length of the roller nap is how rough of a substrate you are painting.  If you are painting something super smooth like glass, then you should use a foam roller.  If you are painting something very rough like stucco, use the longer 1″ nap.  By using the right size nap, you ensure that you apply an adequate film of paint and get the smoothest possible finish.

I hope that this answers any questions about how to choose a roller.

By

President of GreenWave Solutions, Atlanta painting company and house painters.  GreenWave Solutions offers the best painter services in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Dunwoody, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Brookhaven, Duluth, Grant Park, Inman Park, Buckhead,Milton, Midtown, and more!

GreenWave Solutions is the best painting contractor in Atlanta.