The graying is caused by the weather and ultraviolet light damaging the woods fibers. It will easily clean off with DEFY Wood Cleaner. Use DEFY Wood Brightener afterwards and the wood should look brand new again.

To look it's best you should. Old stain left on will show through the new stain, leaving blotchy dark spots in the finish.

We recommend always maintaining a fresh coat of stain on your deck. It not only keeps the deck looking good but protects the wood from the harmful effects of the sun and rain.

You may never be able to eliminate mold and mildew completely if you have a shady area with a lot of moisture present. You can improve your chances though by using a synthetic stain, such as DEFY Extreme Wood Stain, instead of an oil based product. Oils are a huge food source that the mold and mildew will feed on.

Use a diluted bleach solution to clean it off. Mix DEFY Wood Cleaner about 5:1 with water, spray it on, let it set for 5 or 10 minutes and rinse it off. The mildew should die off in the process.

Due to the PH levels in Redwood it can often times darken during cleaning. Don't worry...simply treat it with DEFY Wood Brightener and it will return the redwood to it's natural beauty.

Sure! Most clear finishes aren't really clear, they are amber and they darken the wood when applied. DEFY UV-Resistant Clear Finish will protect the wood while causing little, if any, change in the woods appearance.

Yes! New wood can have "mill scale" which is a crushing of the grain that occurs during the milling process. When you clean it, you not only remove this "mill scale", you also clean off contaminants, such as dirt, mold and mildew that the lumber can pick up during the building process.

Simply use DEFY Wood Cleaner. It's safe to use, bio-degradable, won't harm your plant life and vegetation, and it will make your composite look brand new again.

Yes...DEFY Wood Cleaner. It's a safe and effective bio-degradable product that is extremely effective at cleaning weathered wood and removing weathered semi-transparent stains.

Sure, it makes cleaning a lot easier and faster. Just limit your pressure to no more than 1,000 or 1,200 p.s.i. and use caution to work with the grain and never against it as it will damage the wood if you do.

That's easy...just clean the deck off with some DEFY Wood Brightener and apply a light maintenance coat of the original stain that was used.

Cedar can sometimes be difficult to stain...it has a lot of natural oils, or tannins, in it. We recommend using a product that is especially formulated for use on cedar...DEFY Deck Stain for Hardwoods. It also works well on redwood and mahogany decks.

If the pressure treated lumber is brand new...let it weather for six months, or so to dry out, clean it and then treat it with DEFY Deck Stain for Hardwoods. If it is older and weathered, it will be much more porous. In that case, after properly cleaning it, treat it with DEFY Extreme Wood Stain.

The best way is always going to be to use a brush. Spraying the stain on first will certainly speed the job up but brushing the stain as well helps to work it deep into the pores of the wood and makes your project last longer. Click here to view a video on the best way to apply stain to your deck.

Not really. Rollers were developed more with paint in mind. Using a roller will often times simply push the stain around on the surface and not force it into the pores. It can also leave a stipple effect in the finish when the stain has dried.

If you are using an oil-based stain...definitely. You can use DEFY stains, which are water-based products, even when the surface is slightly damp.

If using a semi-transparent stain, apply only as much stain as the wood can easily absorb and take care to brush out any puddles that may form. If you put enough stain on to form a gloss on the surface, it has been over applied and will, more than likely, in time, peel.

The Spring and Fall certainly offer the easiest conditions to work in. The key is to stay out of direct sunlight, as it can make any stain dry to quickly, and to try stain when the temperatures are below 80 degrees or so.

Yes, DEFY® Deck Stain for Hardwoods, works well on most composite wood surfaces. Just follow all of the directions in the same way that you would if you were staining regular wood and the results should turn out great!

What you're seeing is deterioration in the concrete that is caused by the road salts that are used during winter. To prevent further damage, clean the surface off with Safer Masonry Cleaner and treat it with All-Purpose Water Repellent. The water repellent will prevent future damage from the salts by not allowing them to penetrate into the concrete.

First do a water test by dribbling a few drops of water on the surface of the concrete. If it is easily absorbed, whatever was applied is gone and you can use All-Purpose Heavy Duty Water Repellent. If the water doesn't absorb quite so easily use Solvent Based Water Repellent.

The easiest, and luckiest solution, would be that the rain is simply blowing in to the exposed block, between the ground and where the siding on the house begins. It can run down to the basement through the center of the block and seep in. Try waterproofing these blocks with All-Purpose Heavy Duty Water Repellent first...maybe you'll get lucky. If that doesn't work...call a contractor.

It is efflorescence...minerals and salts that occur naturally in the environment that are being deposited on the surface of the brick by water. The fix is fairly easy...wire brush them off and treat the surface with All-Purpose Heavy Duty Water Repellent.

Yes, you can paint it and it will look like new aluminum siding when you're done. Wash it well first with a cleaner, such as TSP. If there is still powdery chalk on the surface, apply a bonding primer, such as Acrylic Waterproofing Sealer. Once the primer has dried, paint the siding with a good acrylic paint, making sure to follow the manufacturers label directions

Yes. We offer a product called Paver Sealer that will harden or "stabilize" the sand, making it nearly impossible to wash out. By doing this, it also helps to reduce the growth of weeds between the pavers as well as ants colonizing through the sand.

Just as there are a lot of different types of substrates...brick, block, split-face block, etc. There are also several different types of water repellents available to treat them and each has their own benefits. Match the one that's right for your project under the masonry waterproofing products category.

There are three steps to the process...first, clean the patio with Safer Masonry Cleaner. Second, re-sand the joints to replace the sand that has been washed out. Third, apply two coats of Paver Sealer. The result will be a patio that looks like new and has a beautiful, rich "wet look".

Water repellents are available in two basic categories...film formers and penetrants. If you stay with penetrants, or products that do not form a film on the surface, the result is little, if any, change to the appearance of the building. All-Purpose Heavy Duty Water Repellent is an excellent choice.

The paint folks are correct...it is essential that you etch the floor prior to painting to insure good adhesion of the paint. Skip the muriatic acid though, there's a product called Safer Masonry Cleaner that will do everything that muriatic acid does without the harmful fumes and it won't burn your skin.

A question with many answers...start at the top...inspect the chimney crown for cracks, look for cracks and separation in the roof flashings, inspect for severely cracked mortar joints, and lastly, but most likely, pour some water directly on the brick and notice how quickly it's absorbed. There may be several factors at play and a certified chimney sweep could help you figure it out.

If you caught it early, it's easy. Assuming that the cap is still basically sound, minor cracking can be repaired by brushing on a coat of ChimneyRx Brushable Crown Repair. For more severely deteriorated chimney caps you can use a trowelable grade product called Trowelable Crown Repair. Both are incredibly durable elastomers that will provide years of care-free service.

Sure...quit using inexpensive tar based sealers. Though they are affordable, their tar based resins become brittle when cold and they tend to crack and separate from the surface. Try an elastomeric based product, like ChimneyRx Elastomeric Flashing Sealant...they cost a little more but will last a whole lot longer.

Caulks or cement patches leave an unsightly repair that can really take away from the appearance of your building. ChimneyRx Crack & Joint Sealant is a highly durable elastomeric that, when brushed in to the cracks, leaves a nearly invisible repair.

First...make sure to have the chimney swept annually by a certified chimney sweep. Second, pick up a bottle of Chimney RX Creosote Remover, and shoot a few sprays in the fireplace every time you have a fire. It will convert the creosote to a brittle form that is easily swept off the surface of the chimney liner.

Yes...the fancy name is Gloeocapsa Magma...its algae. Typically it grows on the north side of the house where it is shady. It can be easily removed by treating it with DEFY Roof Cleaner.

Yes it will. Not only is chlorine harmful to the plant life, it is tough on the shingles as well. DEFY Roof Cleaner is safe to use, biodegradable, and it won't harm plant life or vegetation.

Sure. Cleaning the roof is only half the battle. Treat it with DEFY Stain Blocker and you will double or triple the reward from your efforts. The Stain Blocker contains safe chemicals, that when applied to the roof, will continue to block the stains from coming back.

Not really. You can use one if you're careful, but often times those harsh pressures can do more harm than good. A better option would be to use a power broom, such as the DEFY Roof Rinsing Tool. It will effectively remove the algae without damage to the shingles.