! ! ! See Author's Notes at Bottom of Column ! ! !

Start the presses! The raw data from the latest Earlham University study about wood sealer performance has just been received! The final report will take a few weeks to be generated but the visual findings tell the tale. The actual findings were just released to me several months ago on May 2, 2001.

Why are these test results so important? It just so happens that outdoor wood cleaning and sealing is one of the most important topics I have ever covered. I have discovered that homeowners like you are disgusted with the poor performance of the heavily advertised brands you see on TV and those that clutter the shelves of many of the big box home centers that dot the fruited plain.

It takes a lot of work to clean a deck or wood siding and then seal it. It is no wonder that you get upset when the deck or siding turns black, gray or green after six to nine months! Imagine a wood sealer that lasts two to three years! It is possible to get results like that if you choose wisely.

Cleaning First

Before you apply any wood sealer - preferably a penetrating water repellent - the wood needs to be clean. This is a common sense issue. Each and every spring I am amazed at how much disinformation there is out there about this process. Each spring I see magazine and newspaper articles promoting the use of chlorine bleach-based products.

Chlorine bleach is a wonderful sanitizer. If you want to kill germs, use it. If you want to kill the trees and plants around your house, use it. If you want to take the color out of your deck lumber, use it. If you want to accelerate the corrosion of the nails, screws and structural hardware that holds your deck together, use it.

If you want to avoid all of the above problems, use Oxygen bleach to clean your deck! See below for details about oxygen bleach.

The Cleaning Process

I wish I could share with you all the handwritten letters and emails I have received about decks that have been ruined by power washing. This method of cleaning decks is simply a huge mistake in my opinion. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that wood is soft and can be easily eroded with a high pressure stream. I get calls from professional cleaners all the time telling me I am wrong. They say if you hold the wand just right there is no damage. They are wrong. There is damage, it just may not be visible unless you look closely. What's more, the damage is cumulative. Wash your deck with a power washer year after year and I guarantee that you will see erosion of the light colored areas of the lumber.

I have written a step-by-step deck cleaning tutorial . The photos at this section are not enhanced! Wait till you see the before and after shots. I did the entire thing with oxygen bleach and it is so easy to use. We were working above a valuable rose garden and the rose bushes were not harmed in the least by the oxygen bleach cleaner.

Really Easy

I get reviews every week from people who have used my Stain Solver Oxygen bleach. I started selling oxygen bleach many years ago, when I saw how well it performed. Within the past two weeks, I received test data that shows that my oxygen bleach product works even better than pure oxygen bleach. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. Mark U. is a satisfied user and told me this:

"Tim, your Stain Solver exceeded our expectations! The deck looks superb! The product was easier to work with than you said it would be."

It is indeed easy. You simply pour the oxygen bleach powder into some warm water, let is dissolve, apply it, let it sit, lightly scrub and rinse!

The trick to cleaning decks with oxygen bleach is to work in the cooler part of the day and to keep the surface of the wood wet with the solution for 15 to 20 minutes. It will foam and bubble and the oxygen is working, not you. Lightly scrub to remove loose and UV damaged wood fibers and rinse with a garden hose. It is that simple! I URGE you to go to my website to view the tutorial!

Author's Notes:

Read Sheryl's comments about using a pressure washer on her deck.

Tim,

"I am going to order some of your Oxygen bleach to clean my wooden deck that is on "the list" this summer. I sure wish I had known about this product before I power washed it two years ago - as I wondered why the wood looked messed up afterwards."

- Sheryl W., State Park, SC

Column B378

! Oxygen Bleach !

Now, here is one of the best kept secrets out there about oxygen bleach. Go to stores and the clerks and managers look at you like you are crazy! Why? Because it takes years and tens/hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising to build brand awareness of a product.

If you watch TV, you have undoubtedly seen commercials and infomercials about some oxygen bleach products. The trouble with what you see on TV is that the commercials and infomercials are very sensational. There is some smoke and mirrors going on, trust me. Oxygen bleach does all of those things you see and more, but it doesn't do it in seconds like they show you! What's more, the products that are advertised on TV contain a significant amount of filler. In addition, some of the TV products contain the active ingredient oxygen bleach that is NOT made in the USA. The purity and quality of this oxygen bleach may be suspect. If you buy products whose ingredients are NOT made in the USA, you very likely are not getting the best buy for your money.

Just after I published the column about cleaning wood siding, I learned that the most powerful Oxygen bleach available is one that is blended with a precise amount of soda ash. The soda ash boosts the alkalinity of the solution but surprisingly does not raise the pH. This means it is safe to work with and yields the best cleaning results. I now sell Oxygen bleach that is blended to achieve this high standard. I call my product Stain Solver. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only company in the USA that blends it to this precise concentration. What's more, the ingredients in Stain Solver are all made right here in the USA. I have had tens of thousands of people buy it over the years and they are all satisfied.

Better Buy???

I have also seen some of my competitors products for sale in grocery stores, warehouse membership clubs and national chain discount stores. They are Oxi-Clean, Oxygen 8, Wolman's Deck Brightener and a product called Timberwash. BUT, do the math before you buy! By the time you calculate the amount of actual oxygen bleach you are getting, your cost to drive to pick it up, your wait in the checkout line and all of the other hassles, you just might be better off buying an oxygen bleach product that has the highest concentration of active ingredient. Most of the competitors have only 70 percent active ingredient. Others have only 65 percent and one of the above has, I am told, just 50 percent!

How Much Do I Need?

People want to know how much to buy. Two pounds of my Oxygen bleach needs to be mixed with 5 gallons of water to get the best wood cleaning results. If you buy another brand, you will need to add more to get similar results.

I find that 5 gallons of oxygen bleach solution will clean 300 to 500 square feet of surface area. People often underestimate the amount of square footage in deck railings. The average railing on a deck contains four square feet of surface area for each linear foot of railing. It sounds unbelievable, but it is true. The bottom line is that the average sized deck that may be 15 feet by 20 feet needs at least 5 pounds of Stain Solver. Most people order 9 pounds just to be on the safe side. Cleaning the wood siding on a house may easily take 18 pounds or more.

You can call us at 513-407-8727 to order if you like, or go to www.stainsolver.com.

Column B378

The Latest Independent Wood Finish Test Results as of 11/2000

NOTE FROM TIM CARTER - Founder of AsktheBuilder.com - posted October, 2016: I no longer would apply Defy deck sealer to any exterior wood that I own at my own home.

The information below is very dated and what's more, just about all deck sealers will look good after six months. In 2012, I began an extensive test of my own on many popular deck sealers. CLICK HERE to read about this test. TC

# # #

On November 1, 2000, the Earlham Analytical Testing Labs located in Richmond, Indiana started a weathering test of 30 penetrating wood finishes. To make sure apples were being compared with apples, only penetrating semi-transparent finishes were tested. This is important! In other words, clear finishes that contain little UV protecting pigments were not included in the study.

It is not uncommon for the testing procedure to look at the samples after six months and then continue on with the testing until certain products begin to fail. Preliminary results of this ongoing, independent testing on penetrating semi-transparent wood finishes indicates that the products listed below are ranked in the top five, based on performance in ASTM water repellency testing and six months of outdoor exposure. The five products listed in alphabetical order are:

• DEFY Penetrating Water Repellent Wood Finish manufactured by SaverSystems is a water-based, synthetic resin formula. Defy comes in a range of colors which are illustrated on their web site.
• F & P Premium Wood Finish manufactured by Wolman Wood Care Products is an oil-based formula.
• Sikkens Cetol SRD manufactured by AKZO Nobel Coating, Inc. is an oil-based formula.
• Storm Stain Linseed Oil Alkyd Decking Stain manufactured by California Products Corp. is an oil-based formula.
• TWP Total Wood Preservative manufactured by Gemini Coatings, Inc. is an oil- based formula.

These are the six months preliminary results as of 2001. For an update on this topic, read my column on Clear Epoxy Deck Cleaner.

Synthetic Resins vs. Natural Oils

Only one of the top five performers is a synthetic resin based product. Natural oil products often become food for mildew and algae once the mildewcides and fungicides in the finishes are damaged by sunlight and/or dissolved away by repeated rainfall or snow melt. This may be the biggest reason your past deck finishes have turned black or green. The mildew and algae were actually eating your deck finish. This is often not a problem with synthetic resin finishes.

No matter what product you choose to use, read the directions and follow them closely. I have personally used Defy on my wood porches over the years and have had great success. Many, many past readers of my columns and bulletins have also had huge success with Defy. I get phone calls, emails and letters with photos on a regular basis from homeowners just like you that love the performance of Defy. Remember, follow directions of any of the above products to get long lasting results.

Column B378

Several months ago, I was contacted by a public relations firm about a new vinyl siding product. At first, I simply couldn't get too interested in the product. After all, vinyl siding is vinyl siding, right? Chris, the account manager at the firm continued to make timely and patient calls to see if I had reviewed the sample board and the printed materials. My answer was always the same, "I am going to do it soon!"

The Invitation

One month ago, I got a call from Chris and he invited me to tour the vinyl siding manufacturing plant and meet face to face with the team of people who made this revolutionary product. I needed a break from the office, the plant was only a two hour drive so I said, "Yes."

Little did I know that I was about to uncover a very intriguing building material. In fact, it turns out that the product is so unique it has caused an overwhelming response for this Builder Bulletin. Every now and then, I stumble across a product that really hits the hot spot with consumers. This is one.

Guaranteed Winner

One of the new betting games is to bet on the loser of a game. When I visited the siding plant four weeks ago and toured several model homes that had this new siding product, I knew instantly that the company had a guaranteed winner.

This revolutionary vinyl siding solved several problems that traditional vinyl could not seem to escape from. First, the solid core siding is surprisingly realistic. It simply looks like wood siding. The company achieved this by removing the characteristic bow or curl you often see in vinyl siding. They also increased the depth of the product so the shadow line of the overlaps look deeper.

The solid core nature of the product also solves the flimsy or rattle problem. Touch or push against any other hollow vinyl siding and you think of the little pig who built with straw in the Three Little Pigs fable.

The solid foam core, by default, solved the energy issue. No other vinyl siding could ever say it saved energy. This new product, with its integral foam core, has an R-value of 4.0. It is indeed in a class all by itself.

Quit Teasing Me Tim!

Okay, so now I have you all hot and bothered and you are tired of waiting to see who makes it. Would it be a surprise if I told you that the company that makes this siding was the original manufacturer of vinyl siding? It is made by Crane Plastics Inc. based in Columbus, Ohio. They have renamed the product and have removed the word vinyl from its name. They prefer to call it: CraneBoard.

An interesting fact is that for many years the folks at Crane made siding for other companies. They were a jobber in my opinion. They just cranked out siding and pretty much kept to themselves. As soon as they had the idea for this product, someone in the company figured out that they better keep this to themselves and sell it exclusively. It was a brilliant decision.

Not Far Behind

This new product hit the market in the spring of 2001. It didn't take long for other competitors to see what the Crane folks had seen 18 months before when they developed it. The other vinyl siding manufacturers are scrambling to bring a knock off product to the market. This is good! Why? Because it will cause all of the players to further refine the product. The first company that has produced a knock off is Norandex. They call their new siding Polar Wall Plus.

Related Column: The Next Generation Of Vinyl Siding - Solid Core

Column B383

Vinyl siding installation - This is classic double-lap vinyl siding being installed. A small crew of workers can completely cover a house in a day or two if nothing is in their way. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"Wind can cause the vinyl siding to rattle. The sun and heat can cause the vinyl siding to grow or expand."

Vinyl Siding Installation Checklist

• Vinyl siding is affordable
• Dark colors can fade
• Never nail the siding tight to the wall
• Water barrier must be installed behind the siding

How Popular is Vinyl Siding?

Vinyl siding is just about the most popular exterior building material in use today. It's used in vast quantities in the remodeling market as people replace old aluminum siding or cover wood siding maintenance nightmares. Over two billion square feet of vinyl siding is produced each year in the USA.

This number is expected to rise significantly because of the arrival of the new solid core siding product. People who were previously turned off by the look of vinyl may be attracted to this product. Rising energy costs will undoubtedly cause more builders to use this siding to make their homes more energy efficient.

Related Links

Painting Ugly Vinyl Siding - SECRET Information - Please Do NOT Share

How To Clean Vinyl Siding

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local vinyl siding contractors.

Is it Hard to Install Vinyl Siding?

Vinyl siding is not too hard to install but it takes a little skill, proper equipment to get you and the product up in the air, and some layout skills. You need to be able to look forward and above you to see how you are going to deal with certain details on the home.

You must always be aware of drainage paths and protection of the framing lumber. Water can get behind vinyl siding and it must not be allowed to touch any wood!

What is the #1 Problem with Vinyl Siding Installation?

Guess what? The number one problem with vinyl siding is improper installation by the installer! Over 99 percent of all problems can be traced to installers.

Unfortunately, many installers use unskilled laborers to install the product. Or, some builders allow untrained individuals to attach it to walls and gable ends. While it is not a hard product to install, there are many things you need to know if you want a professional installation. Here are several of the most important aspects of installing vinyl siding:

What Tools are Required?

Vinyl siding requires some very basic tools. Here is a list of tools that will help you complete the job:

• hammer
• level
• tape measure
• chalk line with blue chalk
• circular saw with a fine blade
• utility knife
• tin snips
• framing square
• caulk & gun
• drill (optional)
• cutting/sawing table
• ladders
• misc. other staging equipment

Here are a few specialty tools that can come in handy:

• snaplock punch
• nail slot punch
• zip unlock tool

How Smooth Should the House Be?

The surface to which the siding will be applied must be as smooth as possible and solid. Now is the time to seal energy leaks. Caulk all cracks around windows and doors at this time.

If you want to increase the energy efficiency, you may want to install foil faced foam sheathing at this time. This is especially true if you are installing vinyl over an existing brick or wood sided house. If you are installing vinyl on a new home, be sure you have instructed your builder to install foil faced foam sheathing AND an air/water infiltration barrier.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local vinyl siding contractors.

When are Vinyl Accessories Installed?

Corner posts, J channels, light blocks, dryer vent accessories, front door cornices, arches, etc. are all installed first. The vinyl siding is actually the last thing that is installed.

The corner posts, J channels, and other trim pieces have a channel into which the ends of the siding rests. This hides the cut end of siding from view. Why? Vinyl siding is not solid. If you were to look at it sideways, it would be quite unattractive.

Is Vinyl Easy to Work With in Warm Weather?

Vinyl siding and trim is very pliable in warm weather. It will cut readily with tin snips. Vinyl siding may crack and chip if you work with it when temperatures drop below 20 F.

What is Vinyl Siding J Channel?

J channel is the trim piece that is used to surround windows and doors on many occasions. It is available in a standard width and often an extra wide width. The extra wide material looks more like real wood trim. I suggest you consider it. There are special ways that the trim must be cut and nailed. Each manufacturer publishes a handy installation guidebook with easy to understand language and illustrations. You must follow the instructions so that rain water does not get behind the siding and trim!

How Does Vinyl Siding Install?

Vinyl siding pieces interlock with one another. You install vinyl siding from the bottom of the structure and finish at the top. The material is blind nailed through slots found at the top of the siding.

How Do You Install the First Piece of Siding?

You install a pre-bent piece of the aluminum starter strip. It must be installed level or parallel with the line you wish to follow as the siding goes up.

Remember, the first piece of siding is pulled up tight to the starter strip. Each successive piece of siding is pulled tight to the one below. So, if you goof up the starter strip, all the rest of the siding will be crooked!

How Much Does Vinyl Siding Expand?

Vinyl siding and trim expands and contracts with changes in temperature. A standard 12-foot piece of vinyl siding can expand just over 1/2 inch from what it measures in the dead of winter to a blistering-hot summer day.

Vinyl siding is plastic. If it gets up over 200F, it can melt and distort. This damage was caused by windows on another house that reflected and concentrated the sun's rays. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

How Are Corner Posts Installed?

The corner posts must be installed 1/4 inch away from the soffit or another horizontal stop point at the top of each corner. Plumb each corner post and drive the first nail in the top of the nailing slots.

All nails must be nailed in the top of the slots so that the corner posts 'hang' from the nails. Keep the nail head 1/32 inch away from the vinyl. This will allow the vinyl room to expand and contract.

If you need to splice two lengths of corner post together, the upper piece overlaps the lower piece. This allows rainwater to shed off just like a shingle roof.

Should I Study a Piece of Vinyl Siding?

Look at a full panel of siding before you install it. Note the upper and lower corners on the front and back.

There are factory-made notches. These notches are important. You may find yourself replicating them on a cut piece. These notches allow you to overlap pieces of siding. The siding pieces can move sideways independent of one another because of the notching.

Why Does Vinyl Siding Rattle?

Wind can cause the vinyl siding to rattle. The sun and heat can cause the vinyl siding to grow or expand. For these reasons, it's VITALLY important that vinyl siding is nailed properly!

If you nail too loosely, the vinyl siding will rattle and flap as the wind blows. If you nail it too tightly, then it will bubble and bow on a hot day. The proper nailing is somewhat easy.

How Do You Nail Vinyl Siding?

The vinyl siding flange must be tight against the sheathing. The head of the nail must stop within 1/32 inch before touching the vinyl siding. This space is just less than the thickness of a dime! Make sure you and/or your installer does this part correctly!

How Do you Make Angle Cuts?

How do you find these angles? Easy! Slide a full piece of siding so the top corner just touches the angle. Lay a scrap piece of siding against the gable end angle.

Trace along the bottom of the siding a line which is parallel to the roof line. This is the line you need to cut to produce the gable end angle. If, after cutting, the piece fits (it should!), then save the outfall and use it as a template for all future cuts.

Should I Read the Installation Booklet?

Get the booklet from the manufacturer! It will be a great aid to you.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local vinyl siding contractors.

Column B383