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Not the most poetic title, but it does get to the point and one of the more common concerns of those purchasing Prowell's Garden Gates and Fence Panels, as well as the host of other products. But how do we govern our claims with anything beyond silvery rhetoric? We can look to the logic of how it's built and the experience of what was brought to the table in developing the products themselves. The obvious assumptions of anything assembled with the proper joinery being ultimately more stable and more structurally sound. Or the selection of the materials specified from the mill far above what is available in a retail lumber yard and drawn again from experience that teaches us how older trees are more stable and less reactive and vertical grain is more predictable, and how a moisture level of between 4% to 9% is absolutely necessary to anything relying on joinery. But in the end, it's just rhetoric. What to the layman or homeowner can be confusing and conflicting and for those without the time or acumen to research the data to the level of a professional knowledge really know? The novelist John Irving was once asked regarding the release of the film version of his best selling Garp if he was concerned the film might not represent the novel in the best light. In other words, if the film was a bad film and the associations would trickle down to damage the standing of the book. His answer is a truism to so many: "Settle on the right director and move on." So how do we find such a director? How do we know that what he tells us is true? Finding a good dentist when we know little to nothing between good dentistry and poor dentistry? A good attorney, or accountant, and on and on. Do we move solely on the price of their services and assume the more costly practitioners are the better practitioners? Do we network and act on the referrals and advise of our neighbors, friends and acquaintances? Perhaps the most straightforward approach, beyond the corroborating evidence presented throughout the 800 pages of this web site can be found in the following examples, cpmparing the photograp[s taekn during installation and then again, many years later: The earliest proving grounds were within the Bay Area, as well as the most accessible for follow up visits. ** In 1995, Prowell Woodworks was hired to provide a series of fence panels and gate for a residence on Yulupa St in Santa Rosa, CA. A rare local commission, by a wonderful couple who have long ago sold their home and moved on. Recently, Charles was returning from the golf course and crossed Yulupa and recalled a vague memory of the commission. He explored the street by car and couldn't find the site. he returned again months later on a bike and canvassed the circular stretch of the same street and eventually found the site in an almost unrecognizable state; the trees and hedges had fully matured and established themselves such that the property appeared greatly changed. But the fence and gate remained. On foot, he approached the work, now some 21 years after the installation, to support the same findings whenever he happens onto a site drawn from a distant memory of an earlier commission.
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The original Cabot's semi-transparent stain is long gone, and yet illustrating how when the finishing maintenance schedule is ignored, the worst case scenario with absorbing finishes is a pleasant weathered graying of the cedar, and further illustrating how the finish itself does nothing whatsoever to prolong the life of the cedar, or the fence. |
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Had the fence and gate been finished with a paint or solid-body stain, or any varnish-like application featuring the luster of a top coat--think wooden boats--and the maintenance ignored, the present-day appearance would be a less appealing aesthetic. The fence and gate themselves would be fine, but the peeling and cracking finish itself would upstage the fence the same way it would a house that has been ignored. Paints and Solid-Body stains will provide an 8 yr +_ timeline and require that that timeline not be ignored. Exterior varnishes, such as Marine Spar Varnish, or any two-part application such as Sikkens, will provide 2-3 years if not subject to the direct sunlight and much less if exposed to the direct sunlight . . . and if ignored, a ghastly result of initial checking and flaking, followed by peeling, with the end result requiring scraping and sanding prep prior to re-finishing. A WoodRX 'Ultra' finish--our preferred product--discussed under the Pre-Finish Options, will provide a 7-8 yr timeline. Two sprayed coats for a slightly waxy, low sheen, wipeable result. If ignored, it will simply weather gradually to a consistent gray. To reiterate: Those host of products that mention Urethane, Varathane, Spar Varnish, Oil, Teak Oil are for those of you willing to summon the same TLC for your fence as those who own a fully restored Chris Craft motor boat. A lifetime commitment. Clear water repellent finishes are quite truthfully a complete waste of time. They last less than a year and serve no purpose whatsoever.
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Sonoma, CA The homeowner had added a long, wooden pull handle, but therwise, the same gate delivered 17 years earlier. |
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Sonoma, CA To point out the number of improvements and structural developments the gates have undergone since 2003 would become a treatise. |
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Highland, NY |
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Oakland, CA
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Mr Chihuahua on the prowl. |
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San Francisco
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There was never a finish applied to the gates or panels on this property. |
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San Anselmo, CA |
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