Why Behr makes us and all reputable Deck Contractors CRINGE!

Picture of a deck with Behr Stain after weathering from http://www.diychatroom.com/f4/why-you-dont-use-latex-deck-stain-73415/

Ryan can spot a Behr Deck a mile away, in fact it has caught many customers off guard and they are impressed.  We hear it time and time again "I had some one come out and do my deck last year but they must have done it wrong because it is peeling off and chipping."  The only thing that was done wrong was that the wrong product was used...Behr, about 90% of the time and Olympic, the other 10%.  When interviewing potential deck contractors you can easily "weed out" the true experts from the ones who think this is a quick way to make a few bucks.  Experts in Deck refinishing and maintenance will NEVER recommend Behr or Olympic...EVER!  

Consumer Reports consistently rates Behr as a great stain, so why do contractors with true knowledge and expertise in the area of Deck Refinishing and Maintenance curl into the fetal position at the mention of Behr?  Consumer Reports tests their deck stain products in an accelerated test on one board.  They do not use real world testing.  Behrs Acrylic formula leads to chipping, peeling, cracking on decks, we have seen this occur often in decks that have been done in as little as a year ago.  Beyond the appearance problems of Behr, their formula is not good for wood. It smothers the wood not allowing it to adequately breathe.  Once it starts cracking, peeling and chipping it allows for moisture to seep in under the stain and into the wood with no way to dry out in a timely manor, leading to rotting.  

Once a consumer realizes the lack of quality they received with Behr, the process in order to remove the product is time consuming and can be expensive.  In order to remove most Behr finishes it often takes an extremely harsh paint stripper and/or extensive sanding.  After removing the finish, damage is sometimes discovered, resulting in having to replace joists, headers, floorboards and railings.  

The overall cost of using Behr, in the long run, is almost tragic!  We want all deck owners to have the best and we know that some people love to get out and stain their deck themselves.  Our professional advice to every deck owner is to steer clear of Behr and Olympic.  Choose an oil based Transparent or Semi-Transparent Stain.  We use TWP, which receives the highest ratings from professional deck contractors, and Armstrong Clark for Hardwood decks.  We also would recommend the use of Ready Seal (must purchase online) and Super Deck (Available at Ace and Kwal stores in Denver).

For Deck Stain Reviews by contractors in real world settings, please see the link below!

http://www.deckstainhelp.com/behr-premium-semi-transparent-wood-stain-review-2013/

Dry Rot Explained

Here is a great article from our friends at Home Advisor on Dry Rot. Our stain is a great stain to help preserve exterior wood and seal out moisture to prevent Dry Rot.

http://www.homeadvisor.com/article.show.Protect-Your-Deck-from-Dry-Rot.8570.html

Our Back Yard Retreat

As many of you read in a previous blog post The Armstrong house has been working out our outdoor space spruce up this spring!  I wanted to share with you all the relaxing retreat that is as close to done as it is going to get for now :)!  I am an ongoing project person so no project is ever fully complete, just complete for now...there are always new ideas to try, right!  Both Ryan and I have so many ideas and thoughts of what we want to do with our outdoor space I am not sure we will ever be fully done.

I am ashamed to share with you how this space looked as the spring began, but in order to truly appreciate how this looks now you must see where it began.  Our deck was in desperate need of some TLC, and this spring it got it.

With the deck not only defining our space but it being the back drop and "bones" of our space it needed a face lift.  We took our deck through the same process we use on all of our clients' decks.  With the trend in dark wood tones I decided the Mahogany color would give us the look and feel we wanted for our outdoor room.

Once the deck refinishing was complete it was time for my favorite part...the decorating!  There are so many great products in stores for outdoor spaces now.  Being "Martha Jr." there are so many great things you can make as well!  Our space is filled with things that have been made over the years and purchased.  With the goal of putting them all together to create a cozy, inviting and relaxing space where we can spend many summer evenings.

When setting up our space, I worked to try to create intimate seating areas that flow together into one space.  We live in your average track home suburban neighborhood, so space is not abundant.

The heart of our space is our dining area under the pergola; this is the first part of the space you enter from the house so it has to be welcoming and very inviting.  I originally planted two grape vines years ago to cover the top of the pergola not only for appearance but for shade as well.  Our deck has southern exposure so adding curtains to the pergola not only add to the feeling of the space but provide some extra shade from both morning and afternoon sun.  We updated our curtains this year with some wonderful ones that were purchased from Ikea.  Hanging a candelabra chandelier and some lanterns we had originally purchased for our wedding from the top of the pergola provide interest and a wonderful warm glow in the evenings.

In addition to the candle light, the specially designed outdoor lamp in the corning not only makes this feel like another room of the house but adds additional light to the space as well in the evenings.  Ryan wants me to point out the Red Smoker in the back of the picture!  Let's face it digging into a big pile of smoked ribs is the perfect way to enjoy the deck!

Setting up a two person seating area across from the grill and right by the new fountain (more on that in a moment!) provides not only an intimate conversation area but a place for people to sit and chat with the grill master as we cook up some delicious grub!

When Ryan and I met we instantly bonded over a mutual love of Estes Park.  This year I decided to bring the sound of the brook that runs by our favorite place to stay to our backyard by creating this fountain.  I purchased a large urn, went to my favorite home improvement store to buy a fountain pump and used an over abundance of river rock by the side of our house to create a fountain in an afternoon and for only $42.

After removing and old and dilapidated hot tub we were left with a cement slab that we have transformed into a small patio and area for our chiminea. With two zero gravity recliners, aka Lazy Boys for the outside, a small side table, planters of petunias for pops of color and a small beach umbrella for a little shade this place is perfect to kick back and relax!  The two lanterns hung from the umbrella not only give the area more interest but are quite nice in the evening!

With a fire burning, the sound of the fountain, the warm glow of the candles and my patio containers and hanging baskets of flowers, and a beautifully refinished deck this is our favorite place to relax and unwind.  Heck since I work from home and now that everything is wireless I may just make this my new office this summer!

The Outdoor Space Remodel

There really is something about Spring, just watching the earth come alive again reinvigorates the soul.  For my husband and I this means it is getting closer to evening meals on the deck, lounging after a long day in our matching zero gravity outdoor recliners by the outdoor fireplace and hopefully some wonderful Family gatherings.  That being said in order to get to that point...we even need to make a few upgrades :)!

We have fully embraced the trend of outdoor living spaces!  Why not after all, what else can you do to your home that adds instant square footage without a 6 month building project.  Having just "retired" from a 16 year real estate career, I saw home buyers gobble up homes with outdoor living space.  This IS Colorado after all, we do have an average of 300 sunny days a year.  Many people are just like us and jumped right in to designing their outdoor living space years ago and just like us they too brushed off Winter's dust, started looking at their space and thought "hmmm this is starting to look a little shabby, I think we need to remodel".  That brings me to our household's latest project...the outdoor living space spruce up :)! 

Our own deck has just gone through a face lift, let's face it...it was looking a little saggy :).  Now I am looking to spruce up some of the the things that make our deck and patio our Summertime retreat.  This is not a "Yard Crashers" makeover, but just a few things to help make the space pop.  Yesterday we made our first trip to Ikea and purchased new curtains for our Pergola, today I found this picture on one of my favorite sites, Marthastewart.com, and I just HAD to share.



Ryan and I LOVE lanterns!  The warm light, the outdoorsy and sometimes rustic feel.  We even love them when the candles start to melt and drip all over our guests during our wedding!  We have quite a few lanterns left from said wedding that will be gracing our newly refinished Pergola this year (with glass votive holders inside now :)).  If you are looking for a great way to add a little something extra to your space this year, maybe try setting your sights a little higher and hang a few lanterns!  I have seen some great ones at many local retailers lately!