Archive for January, 2010
Many homeowners like to tackle projects they feel like they can do on their own. And many homeowners like to stain their own deck. But most of the time, it can become a real nuisance and very time consuming. Many homeowners we have spoken to in the St. Louis area hate staining spindles. Well, by the time you read this article, we will have made staining spindles a breeze for most homeowners.
The very first thing you need to do is to make sure your deck is prepped and ready for another staining. Make sure everything is clean, the wood is dry, and there is no debris. Hopefully you will have an oil based deck stain on your deck and you are just applying a maintenance coat. The best situation is to have no stain on there at all and to be starting fresh. If you have peeling or flaking deck stain, we highly suggest you call a professional deck staining St. Louis Company to come evaluate your deck.
The first tip to speeding up your process is to go to the local paint store and buy paint sponges. These sponges look to be about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Also buy some paint sticks, some paint pads, and paint pad holders. You can buy a brush but we don’t think you will need it. The paint pads should be 9 inches wide.
When staining, always work in four to six foot sections at a time. The first thing is to use the paint sponge and from inside of the deck, lean over and get the backside of the top rail where the spindles meet the top rail. While you are there, pad down about a foot or so on each spindle as well. Next, put your pad on a handle and lean over the top rail and pad the outside surface of each spindle. Usually you can do two at a time. Once that is done, come to the inside of the spindles and repeat with your pad coating the inside of the spindles. Now go back to your sponge and sponge the inner parts of the spindles where they face each other. While you are kneeling down, make sure you get the bottom board on the outside of the deck where the spindles are nailed too, just like when you did the top. Then you can stain the bottom board facing you. Don’t forget to reach under and do the underside that is facing the floor if you have an elevated deck. Stand up and stain the top rail. We can stain a six to eight foot section in about ten to twelve minutes.
The second tip to speeding your process up is to not tape off your vinyl siding. Just have a cloth and a can of mineral spirits with you when you are deck staining. Chances are the cloth by itself will take care of any stain you get on the vinyl. But if you need to, put some mineral spirits on your towel and wipe off the siding. Make sure you take care of the problem right away.
The third tip is to use the nine inch pad to stain the deck floor. Using the holder with the paint stick attached, begin staining your deck going with the grain of the wood. To keep your pad intact, always keep it moist. Don’t try and get every little bit of stain out of the pad before you go back and re-dip your pad into the pan. You will be wasting time, and money because of pad replacements. Buy two pads at the store just in case one comes apart on you during this process.
We are certain you will find these three tips about deck staining helpful. Even though this process takes a little longer than spraying a deck, there are a lot less mess to clean up and very few issues that could arise while you are deck staining.
There are many pressure washing MI services available to the southern Michigan region. Cities like Niles, Buchanan, Three Oaks, Edwardsburg, Galien, and Berrien Springs can all benefit from professional pressure washing Michigan services. Sprucing up the deck, house, roof, and driveway can be a great way to increase your home’s curb appeal and resale value. Cleaning up these surfaces on a regular basis is also a great way to stop the damaging effects of dirt, mildew, mold, and algae. These contaminants can cause rot and decay to Michigan homes and lessen the longevity of building materials causing costly future repairs and renovations. Michigan homeowners pay thousands of dollars a year in premature remodels and replacements due to neglect. A simple regular cleaning maintenance plan can actually put money back into your pocket. Pressure washing Michigan services are a great investment and are one of the best bangs for your buck when it comes to home improvement projects. Homeowners will be glad to know that professional pressure washing MI companies can use the latest low pressure methods to eradicate the risk of damage that can occur when washing surfaces with excessive pressure. Wooden decks, vinyl siding, roofs, and even older concrete can be damage by inexperienced operators using too much water pressure. Updated methods include low pressure coupled with the right pressure washing chemicals to give the best results possible. Find a reputable pressure washing company in your Michigan area to see if they can help you with your cleaning needs. Find a company that has been in business for a few years and be cautious of fly by night pressure washing companies and weekend warrior type contractors. Ask for testimonials and references from their past clients and be sure you are dealing with a pressure washing Michigan company.
For homeowners seeking professional pressure washing services, the key is to find the right company. Most people are not going to trust their home to just anybody. With so many fly by night companies out there it can be confusing as to which one to hire. How do you know if they are a reputable company that is going to give you the quality results you expect? You can do a search online for a pressure washing company. Find a high ranking company with a professional looking website. For example, if you live in St Louis, do a search for pressure washing St Louis and see which companies come up. Be cautions of companies only showing up in the local search results, anyone can get their name to show up there with little effort and with no budget. This is the first place new start up and weekend warrior type companies will show up. If they do not have a website to accompany that local listing then they are either not very established or don’t do well enough to afford a website and you may not want a company like that working on your largest investment. A professional looking website is a good sign of a well established pressure washing company. The website should list all of their services and have a place where you can submit an estimate request. More importantly, take note of how long it takes for them to make contact with you after you request an estimate or whether or not they answer the phone in a professional manner if you call them. A day or two to get back in touch with you is not a sign of them being busy, it is a sign of non-professionalism. Reputable companies that know it is all about customer services and giving quality results will be anxious to get in touch with new leads. If you look hard enough, there are all kinds of signs of how a company operates, good or bad. Even after calling a company, pay attention to the estimate and the sales presentation. A quality pressure washing company will be in a lettered professional looking vehicle. The contractor will be clean shaven and have a logo-ed shirt. Their estimate sheet should look professional not just a piece of paper or a sticky note with a price on it. Pay attention to every aspect of every company you contact and it will help you to make your decision in finding the best pressure washing services available.
One of the best ways to relax and wind down from a long day is to crawl into a rope hammock in your backyard or anywhere peaceful. Having a hammock in an outdoor place that is away from the everyday grind can give you peace and serenity when you need it most. Too many people get caught up in life’s everyday problems and forget to let them go once in a while and just enjoy life. Between two trees, under a pergola, on a deck, or between two posts in a garden outdoor hammocks are the symbol of relaxation. They are known as one of the most relaxing places for anyone needing to get away. Hammocks have long been used as a symbol of vacationing or ultimate relaxation and there is good reason for that. The way hammocks are made applies pressure evenly across the body and gives the user a floating on a cloud like feel that can help to open the mind for new ideas and thoughts to flow freely. They can come in many different sizes and shapes from hanging ones to hammock chairs for placing anywhere like on a deck or patio surface. Some of them even have a special coating in the material that is UV resistant so that when they are left out in the sun they are not harmed. They come in many different designs so you can match your outdoor decor. Quality hammocks that are made of silk spun fibers and have oak or other quality woods for the base can give the owner years of relaxation. For the maximum type of enjoyment right in your own backyard or on your patio or deck, find a quality hammock made to last. For reading a book, sleeping, sunning, drinking, relaxing or whatever it is you enjoy doing outdoors, you can now do more of it.
For homeowners living in Valparaiso it is not always easy to find a reputable deck cleaning contractor that you can trust. With jobs at an all time low there are more start up companies than ever before. Many of them end up being fly by night companies that cut corners in order to make a profit. They leave a wake of unhappy customers in their paths and their unethical services eventually end up being their demise. Deck cleaning is a skill that takes experience and knowledge along with the proper equipment, methods, and cleaners. When homeowners need a professional deck cleaning Valparaiso contractor they can ask around or do a search to choose a deck cleaning company that is established and provides deck cleaning services full time. This way homeowners know they will get the best results possible. Wood deck cleaning is not easy for the do it yourself homeowner but finding the right deck cleaning contractor can be. Decks add curb appeal and value to your home. Having them properly maintained will ensure their beauty and longevity and will give you years of enjoyment. On the other hand, deck cleaning that is done incorrectly or a deck that has been neglected will decrease the value of your home by being an eyesore. Neglected decks will crack and splinter and can be unsafe for pets and children. It is not any fun entertaining guests on a greyed out neglected wood deck. Wood that is subjected to the elements needs to be protected with wood sealer. Every day moisture and sun rays can damage unprotected wood in less than a year. This threatens the decks integrity and could jeopardize your home’s value. If you live in Valparaiso, IN find a professional deck cleaning Valparaiso company in your area to help you with your deck cleaning needs.
A great way to relief stress and to wash away the troubles of the day is by relaxing in a peaceful outdoor area that you have created yourself. A tranquil outdoor space can be so relaxing and serene that it can actually improve the quality of your life. Your thoughts become clearer and ideas can pour out of you more easily when you are clam and relaxed. The sounds of nature are supposed to be soothing and make people feel good so the more of that you can bring into your outdoor living space the better it is for everyone. A terrific way to create this type of space is to add any type of garden fountain. Garden fountains will bring the calming sounds of a creek or stream into your backyard to help you wind down from a stressful fast paced day. Waterfall fountains are particularly nice if you really enjoy the sounds of water spilling over imitating a waterfall. Fountains come in many different types and sizes and can be powered several ways. Electric pumps are the most common type of water fountain but recently becoming increasingly popular are the solar type of fountains. They are very effective and run solely off of the sun’s energy therefore you are also doing your part by being environmental conscious. A really neat and super unique addition to any home is to install an indoor fountain. Indoor fountains basically work the same way but obviously by their name, are for indoor use. This is a great way to extent the outdoors into a foyer or coat room as you enter a home. Outdoor fountains will attract birds looking for a quick bath in the heat of the day buy yet because of the water movement you do not have to worry about mosquitoes breeding in your garden. Fountains are a terrific addition to any garden, landscape, or even indoor area of your home.
Trying to figure out which pressure washing unit is best for professional washing can be difficult but here are a few key guidelines to ponder. The biggest misconception with washing professionally or as a do it yourselfer is that the pressure does the cleaning. This is somewhat true but it’s not as important as the flow of the pressure washer. Pressure is measured in pounds per square inch (PSI) and can definitely make a difference on concrete and other surfaces that you can get aggressive with. The flow is measured in gallons per minute (GPM). The GPM of a pressure washer is the biggest factor as to how fast or efficient it will clean. For example, if the pressures are identical, an 8 GPM pressure washer will clean twice as fast as a smaller 4 GPM unit. Professional contractors and anyone who is experienced in washing will turn down the pressure on vinyl siding, wood, and other surfaces that are easily damaged. So it takes the pressure out of the picture completely. The set back is that the more GPM a unit is the more expensive it is. Rarely does a pressure washing unit exceed 4000-5000 PSI with 3000 being average. Even smaller consumer grade pressure washers will be 2000 PSI and up so the pressure is really not the concern when cleaning and especially cleaning for a living, it’s the flow or gallons per minute where you will find all your efficiency. It’s the same concept if you only turn your sink faucet on half way to rinse a dinner plate. It can take a while and when you turn it all the way on it rinses much faster despite that the pressure is relatively the same. The more flow the better for cleaning. When coupled with the right cleaners to break down and emulsify dirt, mold, and mildew it is a hard combination to beat. It will always work better than high pressure and just water. But because it’s called a “pressure washer” so many people fall into the trap of thinking it’s all about blasting the heck out of stuff. Bottom line is that method will risk damage to the surface and won’t be as effective as more flow and chemicals.
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