Wood Articles

11 Keys to Stain Your Deck Like a Pro
Having spent my entire adult life working with paints and stains, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that homeowners  who stain their own decks, for the most part, end up at the conclusion of their project, dissatisfied.  Dissatisfied, after staining their deck, that their deck didn’t turn out looking as good as they thought that it would. After all of their hard work, painstaking labor, the stain doesn’t hold up and, almost over night, their beautiful project again begins to weather from nature’s elements. The solution however, is not all that difficult… View this report

Exterior Finishes for Log Homes
The unique characteristics of wood make it suitable for a variety of applications in the building industry: log or timber homes, decks, rough-sawn siding, fences, and shingles. Without protection from sun and moisture, wood "weathers" and deteriorates. Finishes are used to enhance appearance and dimensional stability, and to prevent deterioration. Weathering of wood is a combination of chemical, mechanical, biological, and sunlight-induced processes that change the appearance and structure of wood.View this report

Maintaining Your Wood's Appearance
Congratulations! You've just added years of life to your wood. Besides protecting your investment and ensuring your wood's beauty and value, you have chosen the easiest wood care system to maintain. Although the wood finish is only a small percentage of the cost of a wood structure, it is one of the most critical elements in its construction... View this report

Masonry Articles

Brick Patios…Do they really need to be sealed?
Brick patios create a wonderful area of the home for relaxation and entertainment and, unlike wooden decks; they are considered to be maintenance free…but are they really? The simple answer is…no they are not! Though brick patios don’t require the annual regiment of cleaning and staining that a wooden deck often does, left uncared for patios can easily turn in to an unattractive area, becoming uneven, faded out and consumed by weeds. The reason for the change is simple and the remedy to prevent it quite easy...View this report

Efflorescence and Masonry
Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of water-soluble salts (usually white) on the surface of masonry. All masonry materials are susceptible to efflorescence. Water-soluble salts that appear in chemical analysis in only a few tenths of one percent are sufficient to cause efflorescence on a masonry surface. The amount of salts and character of the deposits can vary widely, according to the nature of the soluble materials present and atmospheric conditions. Temperature, humidity, and wind affect efflorescence. In the summer, even after long rainy periods, moisture evaporates quickly and small amounts of salt or efflorescence are brought to the surface.... View this article

Chimney Articles

Fireplace Safety: Avoiding The Hidden Dangers of Creosote Buildup
Fuel oil and natural gas prices have soared and with them so has the popularity of alternative fuels.  Wood stove, pellet stove and fireplace use are all on the rise, and with each of these comes a hidden danger that every dedicated “wood burner” needs to keep in mind…burning wood creates creosote and if left untreated it can cause fires. When a wood fire burns, it releases unburned gases.  These unburned gases condensate on the walls of the chimney liner or flue tile and form a tarry or glazed substance...creosote....View this report

Roof Cleaning Articles

Asphalt Roof Cleaning & Stain Prevention
My wife and I were returning from a week long trip about 6 years ago. She happened to notice the roof. "What are those ugly black streaks on our roof?" she asked. "Can you do something about that or should we have our roof replaced?" Since our roof was only about 8 years old at the time, I hoped there was a way to safely clean it. It's funny how neither one of us had noticed those horrible looking black streaks that had seemingly appeared during the week we were gone and attacked our roof. If these same stains were on our cedar siding we would not have put up with them for a moment. I soon noticed that it was not just our home that was plagued...View this report

Other Articles

Clean Air Regs...The Air Is Cleaner,
But Regulations Are Driving VOCs Still Lower
There's good news where air quality is concerned: U.S. skies are clearing all across the country, even in urban areas once thought to have high levels of toxic air pollutants. Recent emission estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that air pollution has dramatically decreased in the last 25 years and particularly in the last 15, as a result of the combined efforts of government, industry and... View this report