Month: May 2020

Categories
Home Renovations

Semi-Transparent vs. Semi-Solid Deck Stain

For staining your deck, there are many colours and opacities to choose from. Before staining, you should decide on the look you want for the deck. Solid colours will completely hide the grain of the wood, while transparent or semi-transparent colours allow the grain to show-up. The higher the opacity of the colour you choose, the less grain will be shown.

Many colors and stains are available that can be added to your deck. You should choose the stain based on the type of wood used for a deck. Then most common colours used are natural wood colours, redwoods, and darker browns. The opacity depends on the colour chosen. Low opacity stain allows the wood’s natural colour to show through while higher opacity will hide the colour of the wood. Solid stain offers more protection from UV rays than a clear stain.

The Opacity levels of Deck are categorized as

  • Semi-Transparent Stains
  • Semi-Solid Stains
  • Solid or Opaque Stains

Semi-Transparent Stains

A see-through protective layer is formed when a semi-transparent stain is used on your deck. With semi-transparent stains, the pigment colour varies with the wood used for the deck. The colour of the stain is only a general idea because the wood’s natural colour will affect the overall look of the deck stain. It is very easy to maintain semi-transparent stains on your deck. The dirt can be cleaned with a deck cleaner. While re-coating, there is no need for sanding or stripping.

Advantages of Semi-Transparent Stains
  • Never chips or peels
  • Some products can be applied directly on a damp surface
  • Semi-transparent stains give little more protection than toners
  • Recommended for Decks less than ten years old.
Disadvantages of Semi-Transparent Stains
  • Stain settles very quickly, so it is difficult to apply the stain evenly.
  • Cannot be applied over decks that had semi-solid or opaque stains
  • It cannot be applied over uneven decks or decks over 15 years.

Semi-solid Stains

Semi-solid stains offer better protection and coverage than a semi-transparent stain. Some grain of the wood is visible but not much as a transparent stain. If you want to see some hint of the natural grain of the wood, a semi-solid is the most pigment you can have before having an opaque finish like a solid stain or paint.

Advantages of Semi-solid Stains
  • The stain will not peel
  • The best protection from UV rays
  • Can be brushed or sprayed
  • Comes in a variety of colours
Disadvantages of Semi-solid Stains
  • Looks like Solid stain after 2-3 applications
  • Vertical surfaces can look glossy after application
  • Semi-solid stains cannot fill the cracks in the deck
  • Stain can be applied only on decks having moisture below 16%.

Conclusion

Deck staining might be easy, but it can be more time consuming and complicated. Staining must be chosen based on the type of wood used for decks. Want your deck to look great, and our professionals are there to help you. The staining process should be done regularly for the exterior decks. For inspirations, ideas, and Professional Painting & Home Improvement Works, contact Executive Touch Painters in Toronto or Call at (416) 410-0164 Today.

Categories
Home Renovations

How Long For Deck To Dry Before Staining?

Spending time on deck with family is the coolest thing to do for many during summer. But your wood deck requires maintenance to keep it protected from foreign elements and look great every time. Planning to stain your deck on weekends might help as no one will use it. You need to control the traffic on the deck after staining, ensure the drying process is completed, and also your children or pet animals did not run on it.

So, How Long You Should Make the Deck Dry Before You Stain

The key to long-lasting finish for deck restoration is to clean and prepare the wood. The stain penetrates fully into the wood that is perfectly cleaned.

So how to check that the deck is dry enough for the stain to be applied? There are several measures to check the moisture content of your wooden deck.

1. Use a moisture meter to check the moisture levels before staining. The moisture levels should be between 12-15% or less to start staining. If the levels are higher, you need to wait for the wood to dry for more days.

2. Checking for climate after cleaning: Depending on the exposure to sunlight, type, and age of wood, it takes about 1-2 days for the deck to completely dry. To make the staining more natural and safe, let the deck dry for more days.

How Long Does Deck Stain Need to Dry?

Most wood stains take about four hours per 100 square feet to dry. It is recommended a full day for drying. Deck stain needs curing time. You will need to wait even longer in cooler weather or during periods of high humidity. If you need to walk on your deck and are not sure if it is quite ready, clean your feet and go barefoot. This reduces the chances of leaving footprints.

When Can I Put Furniture On a Stained Deck?

After staining the deck, you might be eager to move furniture back. It is not safe to put furniture until the stain dries up. You might have to wait for a week or more. Putting potting plants directly on decks might lead to rotting as water cannot escape. If you are putting back potting plants, be sure that put them on risers so that water can escape properly.

Conclusion

Decks are often subjected to lots of pressure and traffic from people. So they must be maintained correctly from time to time. The staining process should be done regularly for the exterior decks. For inspirations, ideas and Professional Painting & Home Improvement Works, contact Executive Touch Painters in Toronto or Call at (416) 410-0164 Today.

Categories
Exterior Painting Home Renovations

How Often Do You Stain Your Deck?

Staining or sealing of a deck is often considered as the most confusing task as there are many stains available to use. Confusion also arises on when and how often to stain the deck to make it beautiful. A well-maintained deck not only looks great but also lasts longer. Staining or sealing of deck depends on many factors like the type of deck material, the current condition of wood used, and many others.

Staining New Decks

New decks of your home should dry for at least 30 before staining. Although stain can be applied immediately after construction, dry conditions will cure wood faster than moist conditions.

Here are some of the wood types used for decks and their curating time.

1. Pressure Treated Lumber: Should be allowed to dry for at least six months before any stain or paint is applied.

2. Kiln Dried Lumber: Should be allowed to dry for 2 to 3 months before staining.

3. Green Lumber: Fresh cut wood is referred to as green lumber. This is not the best material for decks and needs anti-rot treatment before using it. Green lumber should be dried for at least one year before usage or staining.

Staining Older Decks

To keep the deck look great for many years and prolong the life of wood, the deck should be stained for every two to three years. Here are some of the signs that show that your deck needs to be stained

  • Colour of stain is fading
  • Build of mould or mildew on the surface
  • Water is soaking into the deck with no longer beads.

For any deck, it isn’t easy to maintain the colour uniformity. The stain may be wearing faster in some areas of a deck. When you observe that stain is wearing, it is better to retreat the whole deck at once.

Essential Factors to Consider for Staining

Check Your Deck

Before staining, you need to check whether the deck is protected or not. Splash water on the surface of the deck; if the water remains on the surface, the deck is protected. If the water soaks into deck, you need to realize that your deck is in danger of rotting, splitting, and twisting. In this case, you need to stain your deck immediately.

Weather Condition

Decks present in shady and humid areas are subjected to more wear and tear. The humidity begins to wash away the stain and allow fungus and mould to penetrate the wood. Those decks exposed to year-round sun or year-round moisture will need to be stained and sealed more often to keep up with the weathering process.

Usage of Deck

Heavy usage of the deck will wear away the stain and sealer faster and may cause you to restain your deck much more often than usual. If your house is near to the beach, then your deck has to restain much more, and with every step from the sand of the beach, the valuable sealer and stain get worn away.

Professional Deck Maintenance and Staining

Deck staining may be an easy and simple task, but it can be more time consuming and complicated. Staining requires should be accompanied by other processes like cleaning, preparing, and application. All the process should be done carefully to ensure a smooth and even finish for your deck. If you want your deck to look great, our professionals at Executive Touch Painters & Renovations Ltd are there to help you. We provide all the necessary services like cleaning and repairing. Call us or schedule a free online estimate today.

Categories
Home Renovations

Office Renovation Toronto

Established as a general contractor in Toronto, Executive Touch Painters has over 30 years of knowledge and experience in the renovation of commercial and residential spaces. The firm is committed to satisfying every customer with a high level of focus on every project, whether it is small or large. We serve all the corporate clients in the Toronto area and offer a wide range of renovation and upgrading services for large scale, medium, and small offices.

Our Mission is to provide top quality and unparalleled services to all our customers. We pledge to serve our clients and gain their respect and trust.

Services We Provide

At Executive Touch Painters, we believe that you should know more about your business before starting the renovation process. We like to know all your goals and requirements to build or renovate your business space. Our team will design the ideas or happy to listen to your ideas about your passions and taste of the new office building. We provide the following renovation services for new and old offices in Toronto.

Why Choose Us?

In this busy world, time is money, so every job should be completed on time. The work should also be done efficiently and quickly. Our professionals are experienced in renovations, and we have happy clients all over Toronto.

Our Advantages

  • No Hidden Charges
  • Vast Experience in the Renovation Industry
  • Having Unique Designs
  • Clear Communication with attention to details
  • Quality Craftsmanship
  • 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed

Conclusion

Our crew’s ultimate goal is to come up with a renovation design for your office that completely fits your business. Extra care is taken to ensure that the work is done perfectly for the first time itself and make you happy with our results for the years to come.

If you are looking for Office Remodeling Services in Toronto, you can always count on us to complete the project within the precise specifications. Our services will always help your business achieve its goals. Call or Contact Executive Touch Painters for a free, no-obligation consultation today.