Pete Marentay
Distinguished Professors
A lot of things are happening in the labs of sealer manufacturers this time of year. This is when changes are made in sealer formulas to be ready for the new season.
What happens when a sealer changes formulas? Frequently, the new product behaves differently than the old formula. There may be differences in drying time, coverage rates, durability, and more. In some extreme cases, products that were oils in the past have been changed to water-based sealers now – even though the manufacturer uses the same brand name and packaging.
Deck guys who have experienced these changes have lots of horror stories to share.
The worst part about these changes – which are made for all of the right reasons, mind you – is that you never know about the changes until you experience problems.
The best companies tell their dealers when changes are coming. As the front-line support structure for these products, dealers have to know whatever questions will be coming at them from their customers. One major manufacturer, for example, recently told us that their well-known products will have significantly reduced VOCs in their new formula for 2009. This is great for the environment, and probably means that the product won’t have to change again for a long time, but it can be a serious problem for contractors (who will have to adjust to a completely “new” product). How these changes in the product (as far as application, durability, etc.) will affect the typical deck restoration contractor cannot yet be fully understood.
Because of these changes, we are considering dropping this brand from our line-up. Just to avoid rumors, I will confirm that Ready Seal is not changing and has not changed over the last dozen years.
I would love to see a few stories posted here about some of the problems you have had in the past with changed formulations.
What happens when a sealer changes formulas? Frequently, the new product behaves differently than the old formula. There may be differences in drying time, coverage rates, durability, and more. In some extreme cases, products that were oils in the past have been changed to water-based sealers now – even though the manufacturer uses the same brand name and packaging.
Deck guys who have experienced these changes have lots of horror stories to share.
The worst part about these changes – which are made for all of the right reasons, mind you – is that you never know about the changes until you experience problems.
The best companies tell their dealers when changes are coming. As the front-line support structure for these products, dealers have to know whatever questions will be coming at them from their customers. One major manufacturer, for example, recently told us that their well-known products will have significantly reduced VOCs in their new formula for 2009. This is great for the environment, and probably means that the product won’t have to change again for a long time, but it can be a serious problem for contractors (who will have to adjust to a completely “new” product). How these changes in the product (as far as application, durability, etc.) will affect the typical deck restoration contractor cannot yet be fully understood.
Because of these changes, we are considering dropping this brand from our line-up. Just to avoid rumors, I will confirm that Ready Seal is not changing and has not changed over the last dozen years.
I would love to see a few stories posted here about some of the problems you have had in the past with changed formulations.
