Q. "Deckscapes" cedar toner. The decks were properly prepared, but I find they are not holding up well, even after only one year. I have had a Sickens product recommended to me. It retails for over 60 bucks a gallon. I can buy it for about $40. I don't mind spending the extra money if I can find a quality product. Any thoughts?

A. The best deck sealer is called cuprinol, and it has been used in the marine industry to seal boats for over 100 years. It is not a common product through the usual sources, but you can find it easily with a web search by the same name for closer to $30 per gallon. It is always best to seal with a pigmented stain, because the pigment acts as a sun block, and sunlight is the stain/sealer's worst enemy. The farthest you can go from a clear stain, the longer the wood will resist sunlight damage.

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Q. General Contractor, Kitsap County, Bremerton, Washington, Framing, Sheetrock, Remodels, Repairs, Laminate, Tile, Sheetrock, Decks, Windows, Doors, Trim, Cabinets.

A. Www.ShulerConstruction.com

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Q. Some outdoor decks here are made of fiberglass resin and matting with a gelcoat on top. When these crack, they are rough sanded and the residue flies everywhere. My neighbor is doing this repair and there is white "sawdust" type particles from it all over, including on my fruits, berries, herbs and my koi pond. And it can potentially be inhaled. This is different from fiberglass "wool", but what are the dangers here?

A. If u stand next to him with a hose and suck the dust into your lungs I'm sure there would be harmful effects if hes spending a few days repairing his deck im quite sure the unborn children in the neighborhood will not be born deformed so when hes all done hose down your fruit trees sleep well knowing you ll wake up in the morning

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Q.

A. You're so lucky to live in Peninsula. It's a beautiful area. I was just there a couple weeks ago & had lunch at Fisher's. If you see any decks around town that you really like, just ask the homeowner who built it for them. Most folks are willing to share information like that, especially if you compliment them on their beautiful deck.

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Q. Looking at maybe building decks. fences, etc.... where I can work for myself. One possibility is to work for Lowe's as an installer. Lowe's requires general commercial insurance. Example; ------------------------------------------ I. Commercial General Liability (A) Minimum Limits: $300,000 per Each Occurrence $300,000 General Aggregate Annual (can include umbrella liability limits) $300,000 Products - Completed/Operations Aggregate Minimum Limits for Gas and Generator Installers are $1,000,000/$2,000,000/2,000,000 & Roofing Installers $1,000,000/$1,000,000/$1,000,000 ----------------------- So my questions would be; 1) Where do I get commercial insurance from in Mississippi? 2) Were, how, and do I need to get a business license? 3) What other additional information should I know? I may decide to expand and take on employees at a later time,

A. Go to HTTP://www.score.org/ and in the upper left hand corner, enter your zip code. On the next screen, you will get information on the nearest SCORE chapter. Call them and arrange for a free meeting with a volunteer SCORE counselor. They will guide you through the process. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide and is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.

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Q. We completely remodeled our living room, new paint on the walls, new carpet and ceramic tile in the entry way. Well, before the guys came out and installed the carpet, my husband put a little bit of a water sealer down over the wood because we have an indoor cat that had used certain spots on our old carpet and the lumber store told us we better seal those areas so the smell is no longer there. Well, the sealer they recommended is supposed to be outdoor use only, like for decks and patios, but my husband put it in a few spots on the hard floor inside. I mean, there is padding and carpet over those spots now and to be honest if I hadn't seen the can sitting there and read the labels on it, I would have never known otherwise...but now I'm concerned about my 8 month old crawling on the carpet...I called the number on the can and they said it is intended for outdoor use only and really couldn't tell me anything else other than it contains some harsh chemical....the gentlemen recommended possibly trying to sand it out or getting a paint stripper, but my husband said it would be fine, he barely used any, like maybe an 1/8th of a cup. I'm just really nervous...it was also supposed to dry for 24 hrs and it was only on there about 6 hours before the carpet installers showed up. What do you think?? Would you be really worried and concerned? I even called poison control and the woman there was very nice and said that unless the baby actually drank some of it, there is nothing to worry about once it's dry.....especially since she'll never have direct contact with it. By the way, it was Thompson's Water Seal that he used...

A. It's underneath the carpet which means your child isn't even touching the chemical. the smell of the chemical is no longer there which means it's not getting to the lungs. I wouldn't worry about it in the least.

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Q. I had a gazebo and wood deck installed in my backyard in May 2009. This week (April 2011) I noticed that both edges of one section of the roof are very noticeably pulling away from the main structure. I had first noticed it nearly a year ago, but it very minor and I thought the wind had simply pulled 2-3 shingles loose and I pushed them back down. But now, upon closer inspection I see that both both corners of that particular wood panel are warping up. I'm now scared that the shingles are going to blow off in the next big wind storm. I've also noticed that 2-3 of the planks used on the deck are starting to crack/split in the middle. This is a very nice gazebo and deck; I paid extra to have the wood for both the deck and structure weather-stained before construction to help protect my investment. I realize that this sort of thing eventually happens due to it being outdoors and all. But for what I paid for the gazebo, deck and weather staining, I expected the wood to last a bit longer. I knew that I would eventually have to treat the wood, but was also told that it would be at least 2 years before I had to do.. Is it uncommon for wood to warp/crack like so soon? I've called/emailed the company that installed it but haven't heard back from them yet. Since it's been nearly two years I'm not sure if I have a leg on which to stand when asking for warranty repairs. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks...

A. The lumber they use for decks often has a range of wetness and if some of the lumber was wet when installed, the stain applied at the same time it was installed wouldn't have protected it very well. So it dries out and warps and cracks. As you expected, the wood does need protection regularly. It sounds like you might want to just remove the warped wood, replace it and add a coat of protectant to the whole deck except the new wood. Let that dry one year and then stain and protect as the rest. As far as the roof, the panel warping suggests its not well attached, or the design depends on the plywood to hold its shape without a framing member to hold it there. Same answer, applied wet, dried out in the sun and warped. Here you'll need to decide if its worth the trouble to take up the shingles on that section, replace the wood, and reshingle, or if you want to add some framing to screw the plywood back into place. perhaps the framing is already there and you just need to refasten the plywood. You can bend the shingle back in warm weather enough to get a screw or ring nail or two under the shingle and let it fall back in place. it will lay flat again after a day or so in the sun. if not, put a little black jack or tar under the tab.

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Q. I'd like to get a new fence, a new deck, and a new patio. I am not handy and do not want to attempt any of these projects myself. Is it cheaper to hire one company to do all three projects, or to hire a company that does just fences, just does decks, etc? I already priced out fences, but I'm wondering if I should just hire a local landscaping contractor for either all three projects or just the patio and deck together. What do you guys think? Also... does anyone want to venture a guess as to how much 14x14 patio and a 5x16 foot deck would cost in York County, Pennsylvania?

A. Dealing with one company is easier than dealing with three companies. It also eliminates the chance that one company will try to finish ahead of the others and cause the rest to have to work around a finished product that might get damaged in the process. Pricing will be determined by several factors; the cost of material in your area, the cost of labor in your area, the ease or difficulty of the work, even the location of the work within the property. That is one of the many things you need to discuss with your contractor(s). Also, check their references, insurance and licenses before you sign a contract with them. If they don't have a license or have insufficient insurance the project could end up costing much more than the contract amount. The quality of their work will be easily established by their references; if they have a reputation of doing quality work they will provide as many contacts as they can. Shoddy companies usually pick a couple who were satisfied and give only those references to check. Good luck and enjoy!

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