One of my springtime rituals
used to be repairing the
exterior of a client's 20-
year-old vacation cottage. The trim,
siding, doors, and exterior decking
had all been coated with an opaque
stain, then recoated after perhaps a
decade. By the time I arrived on the
scene, the grain on just about everything
had long since separated.
Every exterior door had swelled and
warped, while the trim and siding
had cupped and cracked. Each
April, I'd get the inevitable call
informing me that a few more pieces
needed repair.
My clients had stained everything
because they wanted the
house to look rustic and informal.
The problem was that they also
expected the stain to last as long as
a good exterior