# Cedar shake mix



## CustomDesignCoatings (Jun 2, 2011)

HO is looking to have the home re-stained. Home was built in 2005/06 and shakes were pre-finished from outside source. They were originally done using Cabot Semi-Trans in "driftwood gray". My thought is our go to mix of bleach, TSP, and warm water ( 1qt : 1/3 cup : 1 gallon) however, this is more worse for wear then we are use to and I don't want to have to do two washings. Any thoughts or mixes would be great. 







































Respectfully,
Brian


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Needs to be stripped and brightened.


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## Shakey0818 (Feb 1, 2012)

Just spray on full strength bleach and power wash.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Shakey0818 said:


> Just spray on full strength bleach and power wash.


Um,.. I'm not sure spraying straight bleach on a wood substrate is ever a good idea.


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## Lambrecht (Feb 8, 2010)

Sodium percarbanate. Same stuff that oxyclean is. It will remove stain and brighten. It is what wood brighteners use in there ingredients. Buy some oxyclean and try it on a small section. Spray it on let sit for 15min., keep wet, then rinse with low pressure. You may need to use a soft bristle scrub brush to assist in stain removal.


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## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

Cabot's should be ashamed. That house is not that old and looks terrible.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

premierpainter said:


> Cabot's should be ashamed. That house is not that old and looks terrible.


Siding stained with the transparents needs to be redone every 3-5 years. Better to maintain than be in the spot the HO's are in now. I understand this isn't always possible, but as the contractors (and store employees) its our job to educate the HO on proper maintenance. A rinse and recoat is less expensive than a strip and refinish, and also less damaging to the wood. It'll last longer and look better. These products need to be recoated before they visually look degraded. Sell maintenance contracts and follow up with these jobs at the 3yr mark.


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## CustomDesignCoatings (Jun 2, 2011)

We did a test area yesterday. Started with the mix described above and a stiff bristle brush and were able to remove 97-100% of all stain and 100% of mold/debris. 

Then we tried misting the shakes with water and just scribed with our bare hands and were able to remove 75% of stain.....scary! 

It should be noted that the pictures above are of the south side and the rest if the home although past due is no where near as bad (only removed 10-15% of stain on other sides with mix and scrub). 

My thought is to strip the south side and brighten and then hit remaining home with bleach mix and brightener and see how it looks. I'm going to suggest the use of semi-solid for the re-staining.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

There is no need to strip and brighten if you are using the same product. Make sure there is no mold (by using bleach), rinse well, let it dry and stain it. You start stripping and you'll have a major mess, possible damage to oxidized windows/capping, and probably furred wood you would have sand. I always ask if the customer was happy with the original finish.. if they are, don't overthink the process. Clean and recoat. My cost nearly quadruples when we get into a full strip.


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## CustomDesignCoatings (Jun 2, 2011)

Ken,

Thoughts on a better mix? I'm in a smaller area so chems would need to be ordered online. Good sites? Thanks

Respectfully,
Brian.


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## CustomDesignCoatings (Jun 2, 2011)

Stopped back this morning to look at my test areas. I agree with Ken. A GOOD cleaning and 2 coats of semi-solid and we should have this home looking great.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

You are effectively stripping that coating if you clean it all like in those pics. For chems I order from the here. EFC 38 is their percarb cleaner.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

CustomDesignCoatings said:


> Ken,
> 
> Thoughts on a better mix? I'm in a smaller area so chems would need to be ordered online. Good sites? Thanks
> 
> ...


If you are using the same color, a bleach clean like you first mentioned would be fine. A little TSP and surfactant soap (dish liquid) would be the best bet.

Here's my take.. When I first started in wood restoration 12-13 years ago I had the elitist stance of never putting bleach on wood. Then I met a couple of guys from different areas that swore by it. One was in business 23 years in New England, the other served thousands of customers near the Gulf Coast. Both have pictures of outstanding work. Both have long term repeat customers. Lo and behold, I started using bleach on real moldy decks/siding and shakes and the results were great. No premature failure.


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