Exterior Wood: Recession Proof Your Investment
Now more than ever, with the uncertain economy and struggling housing markets it is of the utmost importance to protect your homes exterior wood surfaces from the elements. Today, completely replacing the average wood deck or cedar shake roof can easily cost $20,000-$30,000. Log repair or replacement can cost as much or more. That’s why it makes dollars and sense to protect your investment in quality exterior wood.
Wood decks, cedar roofs, natural wood siding and log exteriors add dramatically to the beauty and value of your home. However, if they are left untreated or improperly treated they will rot, weather and deteriorate, requiring costly replacement. Professional wood deck, log home, or cedar shake roof care will far out way the cost of replacement. In general, having your exterior wood surfaces treated by a professional will cost 5%–15% the cost of replacement.
Log Home Care:
We can all attest to a log home’s beauty. But like no other homes built today they are susceptible to the elements. And when a log home is neglected or improperly cared for the outcome can be devastating. Caulking, chinking, borate treatments, stains, sealers backer rod, buffing, sanding, re-facing, checks, cracks, splits — a lot of knowledge is needed to care for a log home. Not unlike other exterior wood surfaces protection is the key.
Pro WoodCare addresses log homes individually to determine if the current finish is failing and in need of stripping, or maybe just in need of a maintenance coat. If a log home requires stripping there are two routes that can be taken, abrasive removal (corn cob blasting) or chemical stripping. The style of home and the finish itself are what dictate the best way to remove the finish.
If you are enjoying log home living then do yourself a favor and make sure that you are giving your home the care it deserves.
Wood Deck Care:
Everyone knows that a wood deck needs to be cared for, but many spend hours cleaning and sealing their deck with poor results. The list of finishes for your deck, are endless. Paints, stains, sealers - which one is best? Pro WoodCare recommends using an EPA registered wood preservative. Given the fact that your deck is completely exposed to all that mother nature has to offer as well as foot traffic it’s no wonder that many finishes crack, peel, and fail within a short period of time. Pro WoodCare has developed an unsurpassed restoration and preservation process for your wood deck. These are the steps you should take to properly care for your wood deck.
Pro WoodCare’s Wood Deck Restoration & Preservation Process:
- Protection of surrounding vegetation
- Stripping of failing finish
- Application of restorative detergent
- Low pressure cleaning
- Brightening
- Sanding
- Preservation/Staining (choose a penetrating finish that's an HPA registered wood preservative)
- This process will renew your deck’s appearance, protect it from the elements and insure that it will last a lifetime.
Cedar Roof Care:
The average lifespan of today’s cedar roof is 20 years. But if you have your roof cleaned, repaired and treated periodically that lifespan can be doubled or even tripled. Working on a roof is dangerous and not something that most homeowners will tackle on their own. The following are the steps that need to be taken to restore and treat your cedar roof.
Pro WoodCare’s Cedar Roof Restoration & Preservation Process:
- Inspection
- Protection of surrounding landscaping
- Application of a restorative detergent to loosen fungus, dead wood fibers and impurities
- Low pressure cleaning to remove fungus, dead wood fibers and impurities
- Repair or replacement of deteriorated shakes or shingles
- Flashing, skylight & valley caulking and painting
- “Preservation,” a penetrating EPA registered wood preservative is applied to the cedar roof to retard fungus, create water repellence and protect the surface from photo-degradation
- Debris is picked up and hauled away
Once properly restored and treated a mild detergent cleaning and preservative treat re-application is all that is needed every 3–5 years to insure your roof will last a lifetime. The sooner you treat your cedar roof the longer it will last. Pro WoodCare can only double or triple the remaining service life of your roof.
