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Shoutout to the contractor who told me my deck stain job looked rushed

I was staining my deck last summer and thought two coats was plenty. A contractor friend came over and said, 'You're leaving gaps that will let water in and rot the wood in a year.' He showed me how to really work the stain into the grain with a brush, not just roll it on. I redid the whole thing with three thin coats, taking my time. Has anyone else had a pro point out a basic mistake that saved a project?

3 comments

3 Comments

troyknight8d ago

Honestly, the worst is when you don't even know it's a mistake. My uncle watched me grout a bathroom floor and just said "you're mixing it too wet." I had no clue that would make it weak and crack later. He didn't make a big deal, just pointed at the bucket. It's those tiny bits of know-how they don't put on the package. Saved me from having to chip it all out in six months.

hannahcraig8d ago

Totally feel this. My dad does the same thing with car stuff, just quietly points at the oil dipstick. Those little corrections are worth more than any manual. We're all out here missing that whole layer of common knowledge now. Makes you realize how much got lost when people stopped doing things side by side.

theajohnson8d ago

Yeah it's like that with so many stuff now. Like cooking, the box says "add water" but doesn't tell you the dough should feel a certain way. Or putting together furniture, the manual shows the steps but not the trick to keep the drawer from sticking. We're missing all the little tips that used to get passed down, so we just have to figure it out when it breaks later.