Sorting through conflicting advice on outdoor wood finishing
Plus: how to fix a loose tub surround
Q: What should I do about conflicting advice I’m getting about deck finishing ? I just built a new staircase out of cedar and the measured moisture content of the wood is less than 10 per cent. Some brands of deck stain recommend letting new wood weather 4-12 months, then use a cleaner and brightener before applying a finish. Other brands say it’s okay to sand and apply stain whenever the wood is below 17 per cent moisture content. One brand of stain says to stain all six sides of each board while building, which I can’t do now. Have I messed up?
A: One reason for the conflicting advice is that manufacturers can’t always trust people to know the moisture content of the wood of their new decks. Waiting for a year, then prepping the deck, is a foolproof way to ensure people don’t apply deck stain to wood that has a lot of internal moisture. In your case, if you’ve measured the moisture content in the middle of a board with a meter and found it to be drier than 15 per cent, you’re A-okay for finishing.
As for finishing on six sides, I’ve never found it to be crucial. In my experience you don’t get significantly longer finish life on the surface of the boards with all sides finished. Even if you did, that benefit wouldn’t last long because you can never strip and refinish all six sides of each board once a deck is built. Sooner or later you’ll only able to refinish the top of each board, and maybe an exposed end or edge. That’s what’ll happen in 2 or 3 years when it comes time to strip your stairs and refinish them.
FIXING A LOOSE TUB SURROUND
Q: How can I secure the loose edges of the tub surround in my bathroom? Could we use a small nail to keep the edges in place?
A: There are no nails or mechanical fasteners you can use to secure the loose edges of the surround, but I’ve had good luck with jobs like this using a syringe with a big needle to inject glue into tight places. I buy syringes from my local farm supply store (they’re used to medicate animals), but Lee Valley Tools also sells various styles as “glue syringes.”
Pull the edge of the tub surround away from the wall a little, then inject a little glue into the space. A spot of glue every three or four inches up and down the edge will do the trick.
As for an adhesive, I recommend polyurethane glue. It’s liquid enough to be injectable, it’s waterproof and cures in the presence of water. After you inject the glue, cut some wooden props to length to jam into the shower area against an opposing wall to hold the edge of the surround tight.
Do one side of the loose corner first, let it dry, then glue the opposing side.
The only drawback with polyurethane glue is that it expands as it hardens. This means some might come foaming out of the joint while it cures. Just let it harden completely (don’t wipe it while it’s wet), then scrape the hardened foam off.
After securing the edges of the surround, you’ll need to re-establish a waterproof seal along the edges with caulking.
Remove all the existing caulking using a solvent, clean the area perfectly, then run a line of masking tape down each side of the joint, about 4 mm from the point of the corner. Run a bead of bathroom-grade silicone caulking down the joint, then wet your finger with a solution of dishwashing liquid and water before smoothening the caulking. Remove the masking tape as soon as you’re done and you’ll have perfect results.