# Cedar deck and Mill Glaze



## Faron79 (Jul 16, 2008)

You'll have to scrub it clean now, since 3 months of dirt are there.

Use a good deck cleaner, scrub it in, and let dry....THAT may take a week!!

You COULD use a pole-sander or palm-sander (NOT a belt-sander!!!) to scuff-off the mill-glaze effect. Vacuum/sweep/blow/wipe all dust from finish and start staining! I'd wipe the whole thing down with some paint-thinner too. You'll be shocked how much more dust comes off!

NOW you're ready to stain...potentially the same day as sanding. No waiting DAYS to dry if you sand!

Both Sikkens SRD and Superdeck are very good stains. Prep/sanding is THE MOST important factor though....

Faron


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

there is no such thing as ''mill glaze''your deck should be treated as soon as possible to avoid u.v degradation


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

A deck should be sealed as soon as possible. You should use a per carbonate to clean followed by a brightner. A lot of deck cleaners contain bleach, bleach has long term effects on wood. I like using Wolmans deck brite, it is a per carbonate that removes mold, mildew, dead wood fibers, mill glaze, and tannin, as it also brightens and opens the wood pors up all in one step. Use a pressure washer 500-800psi. I would stain with a semi-transparent such as Sikkens Srd Semi-Transparent, they have about 60 colors to choose from.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

tomstruble said:


> there is no such thing as ''mill glaze''your deck should be treated as soon as possible to avoid u.v degradation


I know there is controversy as to what causes mill glaze, but I didn't know there was one as to it's existence. Something on the surface of planed wood causes coating failure, what is your thought on that Tom? 

BTW, does Prospect Park mean anything to you? I went to school with a Kathy Struble.


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## turbomangt (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm no expert, but I have been doing some research on this because I spent a ton of cash on this deck. On rough cut cedar like my fence it was a no brainer, I sealed that long ago when the fence was first installed and had no issues, however on flat surfaces, it's a whole new ball game. I may not be handy, but I can move a brush around my deck. The key is using the right products, and doing the right prep. I decided to call some pros out, that seal decks for a living. Now you would think these guys would want to come over seal and take my money right away, however three said I should wait 5-6 months, one said wait till next year, they explained it in a way that made sense. The wood has to be ready to accept the stain, and they also said a penatrating sealer is best, one guy said the first initial coat is most important, because the first coat must penetrate into the wood. I do not want to hae to deal with flaking and peeling, so monday I'm getting a quote. I did ask about the negative effects on the wood by waiting, her assured me that after they clean the deck and wood would be ready to seal. For the record even the tech support at Sikkens said to wait 6 months.


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

as pertaining to wr cedar ''glazing'' could not be achieved even intentionally

http://www.wrcea.org/cedar-products/cedar_outdoor/finishing_outdoor_cedar/surface_preparation.htm


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

turbomangt said:


> I'm no expert, but I have been doing some research on this because I spent a ton of cash on this deck. On rough cut cedar like my fence it was a no brainer, I sealed that long ago when the fence was first installed and had no issues, however on flat surfaces, it's a whole new ball game. I may not be handy, but I can move a brush around my deck. The key is using the right products, and doing the right prep. I decided to call some pros out, that seal decks for a living. Now you would think these guys would want to come over seal and take my money right away, however three said I should wait 5-6 months, one said wait till next year, they explained it in a way that made sense. The wood has to be ready to accept the stain, and they also said a penatrating sealer is best, one guy said the first initial coat is most important, because the first coat must penetrate into the wood. I do not want to hae to deal with flaking and peeling, so monday I'm getting a quote. I did ask about the negative effects on the wood by waiting, her assured me that after they clean the deck and wood would be ready to seal. For the record even the tech support at Sikkens said to wait 6 months.


There is a lot of misconception. Wood should be sealed as soon as possible. The wood fibers start to break down from the UV rays within a couple of days, causing dead wood fibers, warping, splintering, and cracking. The wood will be ready to accept stain when its cleaned properly, the pors will be open to stain. Perform a moisture test. You are not sealing up all 6 sides of the board, so moisture can still escape. I am a Sikkens Certified Contractor and also Certified through Wolman Stain Company. We do numerous decks a year and we have never had a deck stain job fail. The sun will cause more damage to the wood the longer it is left un treated.


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

jsheridan said:


> I know there is controversy as to what causes mill glaze, but I didn't know there was one as to it's existence. Something on the surface of planed wood causes coating failure, what is your thought on that Tom?
> 
> BTW, does Prospect Park mean anything to you? I went to school with a Kathy Struble
> .


Mill glazing is caused during the milling process and sometimes during kiln drying. It creates a coat on the wood almost like a varnish. You can check for mill glazing by putting a little water on the surface, if it beads up then chances are there is mill glazing present, if its absorbed in the wood then there is no mill glazing.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

tomstruble said:


> as pertaining to wr cedar ''glazing'' could not be achieved even intentionally
> 
> http://www.wrcea.org/cedar-products/cedar_outdoor/finishing_outdoor_cedar/surface_preparation.htm


Tom, 
I read some similar articles a while back, was only really being facetious about the controversy as to its existence. I do know that most all deck coating failure is attributable to human error, even if it's just from a lack of knowledge about process and materials. However, there have been times where I've seen and could feel a glaze-like surface on some decking surfaces, mostly spindles, and not just a spot here or there. The theory of heat development during planing does make some sense though. I do think I remember reading a forest products lab paper that said that though they couldn't reproduce it, they couldn't say it doesn't exist. Which also makes sense when you consider the millions of board feet that go through thousands of planes/saws under a myriad of conditions, who can say. I don't know what to think about it honestly, but I think I'm slowly being drawn to the doesn't exist side. It's almost like the question of the existence of God. 
You didn't answer the question at the end of my last post.


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

there are actually a couple of Kathy Strubles,not familiar with one from Prospect Park


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

thing is they haven't been able to reproduce it on one piece of wood,what are the chances of an entire deck having it?


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