I have a customer for whom I cleaned and sealed a large deck. Last fall he had his house resided with cedar shake. Recently I received an email asking if I would consider staining/sealing this for him. It's a pretty big job and would like to do this for him. Here is where I could use some assistance.

1. I'm not sure what to charge for doing vertical surfaces and wonder what others see the market paying. Would you charge the same as cleaning a deck? This job has a great deal of ladder work, maybe scaffolding.

2. This customer is pretty set on having a clear coat, likely Cabots, because he and his wife truly love the natural appearance. I'm not a fan of any clear coat because they seem to grey too soon. Would you push back and suggest a semi-trans or semi-solid? Any experience out there with a clear that has a great UV resistance?

3. Typically, when I do decks I use a pump up sprayer and back-brush. In this case I'm not what the best technique is. I have a concern about over-spray and dripping. I'd like to know what others have done.

I truly appreciate any assistance you guys (and gals) can provide.

We use products from Extreme Solutions (Wood Tux & Wood Rich Brands) with good success. The natural look is easy to achieve and keep. There is a gallery on the site so that you can see how coloring looks

Carolina ProWash

I have noticed that your business has been a loyal fan of these products. Since the customer prefers a natural look to their red cedar shake, which product would you recommend and (based upon your experience with the products) what can I tell my customer is the protective life expectancy.

Additionally, if you have applied this to cedar shake siding what is your preferred method of application? I'm not one to spray on a product unless I back brush to create a nice balanced coating. Being unfamiliar with Wood Tux / Woodrich any assistance here would be absolutely super!!!!