We chose three different small projects-in-one.

1. Chris Schaerer’s (one of our sales reps; suppliers—give her a call, you know you want to!) deck on the back of her two story house might look like it’s “just a floor,” but as the contractor pointed out, it has several interesting features such as built-in benches, lattice and wooden poles.

2. There was old stain on there plus a couple years of dog and parties and a bit of bird-poop that had to come off. There wasn’t much of a mold problem on this deck.

Chris also had some concrete walkways with a peeling coat of old gray-ish paint. She slapped it on a couple summers ago but wasn’t exactly pleased with the color or the adhesion.

The concrete itself had been intermixed with a yellowish colored coating, so there was some concern that any stain put over it would be influenced by

the yellow color. It couldn’t be power-washed out, since it was part of the concrete.Some contractors bidding the job insisted that the concrete couldn’t be stained at all. (Beware of these guys!)

A rep from St. Louis-based Convenience Products, the supplier of the Seal-Krete coating we used, came out to investigate, and assured us we could apply it without worry. So rule #1, always get a second opinion. It might save you a job.

4. Managing Editor Jerry Rabushka’s brother Sanford lives in a different part of the city from Chris. His deck was chosen because it was a manageable size and full of “guy stuff:” barbecue, outdoor furniture, and friends smoking. Also it had a lot of interesting features—stairs, railing, a hot tub, various types of wood.

5. If the wood isn’t black, it’s green! Note the plant life that’s made a home on the edge of the deck.