I have a contract to refinish a vacation home that is about 4 yrs old. It had cabot stain on it . The owner wants what the neighbors have. That would be Sikkens cetol 1,and cetol 23 top coats. I prepped the house by following the reccomendations of manf(sikkens.) TSP and bleach solution soak, scrub, pressure wash. Looks real clean. Still some cabot on but not enough to change color.
My Question:Does anyone have experience with this product?
Do I need the base coat since it was previously stained. Will I have problems ifin i use the base coat(cetol 1.)
I want the best quality job possible.
Larry
Replies
Hi Larry,
I've used both products(Cabbot and Sikkens) several times with equal good success. I'm still wondering where in the world one might find the weather conditions which would allow you to follow exactly the Sikkens recommendations. I've lived in Europe (250 days or rain) and here in Colorado with over 300 days of sunshine and still cannot live up to the required drying time and so on. You definetely will need the Nr.1 as a primer coat otherwise the Nr.23 will not penetrate deep enough. I did a log house in the mountains 5 years ago with Sikkens and it still looks good. I did a stain job with Cabbot 7 years ago on a mountain home with ceder overlapping boards and this year I will restain the south side. In both cases I went back every year and recaulked new knot openings with Big Stretch clear and/or colored caulk. There is no paint or stain job which will last 5-9 years without yearly (very minimal) maintenance. And that's how I sell my jobs - with maintenance. Make sure your customer understands the Sikkens product has quite a glossy finish compared to Cabbot.
Good luck
Rolf
Thank you both for the much useful info . I can now narrow my options and proceed with more confidence. My HO is not as fussy as I am. Also out of town. We have rain scheduled all week. I will try to get base coat today as this is day 4 and our last dry forcast.
Larry
Sikkens Cetol 1/23 is the product of choice for clear staining of exterior wood. There is no product I know of that will give a higher quality or longer lasting finish. It is especially appropriate for log homes, or 'log-cabin' siding. It is easy to work with and very dependable.
Most of the colour in this two-step finish is in the first coat, the Cetol 1. It is a semi-penetrating, transparent stain. I don't know what kind of Cabot stain you had on there before; if it was a solid-colour stain you might have a problem with show-through. A lot depends on the colour difference, too. If the Cabot was darker than the choice of Sikkens, that will change the final colour. If you don't use the Cetol 1, the 23 will probably still adhere quite well as there should be no issues with chemical interaction between the old Cabot finish and the Cetol 23--the volatile elements in the Cabot have been completely evaporated long since. There is some colour in the Cetol 23; more in the darker colours and less in the lighter ones. You won't know what the final colour will be until you try it over the actual surface you'll be painting.
You might suggest to your client doing some tests in an inconspicuous area before committing to a decision as to a particular colour of Sikkens, or before deciding to use the base coat or not. If you have the feeling your customer is going to go ballistic if the place doesn't match the neighbor's exactly, I'd suggest you get her to sign off on the tests to protect yourself. The chances it will match exactly are almost zero--for one thing, you have the Cabot to deal with; for another the neighbor's house wasn't stained last week and you don't know whether the Sikkens there was put on over new wood, or old stain. And for sure it will have faded some since it was done in any case....
Take individual photos of each test, write the product numbers and the number of coats on the back, and make her sign the photo she chooses. Nothing worse than an unhappy client who told you what to do but can see a way to squiggle out of the responsibility. I have found that paint/stain jobs are particularly subject to this phenomenon....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.