Tag Archives: Colorado

Longevity of Your Stain Project

This home in Blue River, Colorado was originally weathered , dark and damaged and in need of TLC. The homeowner was concerned that the wood could be brought back to its near-original state. The fascia boards were dry cracked and almost black due to the oxidation of the wood.

The selection of products is one of the most important factors in getting a good stain job with longevity and less future maintenence costs. The 300 plus days of sun at an altitude of 10,000 feet will tear down the finish on exterior wood in as little as a few years. One way to lengthen your woods finish is to use a high quality solid water- born stain on your fascias and decks. This surfaces are always the first to show wear and tear. The pigments in water based stains are more reflective of the UV light than the natural solvent based pigments.

Preparing and washing the wood effectively is another important factor. Transparent stains will show the flaws and weathered surfaces of damaged woods, so it is very important to clean and brighten the cedar siding with the right products and with care, as to not damage the wood.

The fascia on this home should last 5-7 years. Re-coating the horizontal surfaces of the decks every other year will allow the solid based stains to keep the wood smooth and fresh for years to come.

Wood Fogging and Dying – Part 1 (samples)

This sample section of tongue and groove wood walls was conducted to determine an appropriate tone and color for a large residential remodel project.

The original oak wood was too light for the design team and we were contracted to solve the problem of darkening all the trim, doors, tongue and groove and windows in this 5000 square foot home. A daunting task to say the least. Stripping the wood was not cost effective nor was gel staining this large volume of wood.

Consulting with a master cabinet finisher and numerous experts, we concluded that fogging the wood with shellac based alcohol dyes was the answer. Our samples we sprayed were surprisingly versitile in tones and of higher quality than expected.

Our first issue was determining which solvent to clean the wood effectively and the second issue was the concentration of various solvents in the shellac dye. It took about 3 days of trial and error to come up with the right variables to achieve a new brilliant wood finish. The design team ended up going with the 7th sample (left to right).  We were confinced our finishing system would work on the large scale. Fogging wood, toning wood and glazing cabinets on a small scale was one thing, this was another.

 

 The outcome after numerous hours of work impressed our team and we were contracted to move forward. This job would take some 170 hours of cleaning the wood along with 3 weeks of a spraying by our master finisher and a helper to complete some 31 windows, 62 doors (jambs and casings) and 5000 + square feet of base and tongue and groove. Once all the kinks were worked out (which there were a handful) we moved along at a normal pace.

Interior Painting – Residential – Safety

Re-painting interiors can pose several potential risks, especially when working at heights with difficult ceiling angles. This residence in Breckenridge Colorado allowed us to focus on safety and accesibility to the surfaces that needed painting.

Before starting a job we review all safety issues and assure that our equipment is adequate to reach surfaces safely. We used a 40  ft. ladder with safety stabilizers to access the walls above this tounge and groove ceiling and joists. A worker was spotting our climber at all times and assuring the footing of the ladder remained stable. We also used a double sided sticky product to keep the ladder feet from moving or sliding.

We take extra precautions to assure safety at all times.

We are proud of our safety record.