Q. "Deckscapes" cedar toner. The decks were properly prepared, but I find they are not holding up well, even after only one year. I have had a Sickens product recommended to me. It retails for over 60 bucks a gallon. I can buy it for about $40. I don't mind spending the extra money if I can find a quality product. Any thoughts?

A. The best deck sealer is called cuprinol, and it has been used in the marine industry to seal boats for over 100 years. It is not a common product through the usual sources, but you can find it easily with a web search by the same name for closer to $30 per gallon. It is always best to seal with a pigmented stain, because the pigment acts as a sun block, and sunlight is the stain/sealer's worst enemy. The farthest you can go from a clear stain, the longer the wood will resist sunlight damage.

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Q. Me and my father want to start a small business installing decks and fences. He has extensive work in the construction field as he has been doing it for about 30 years. But we are unsure if we would need to obtain a contracting license to do non-structural exterior work. We know that you need permits for each job. Any help would be great. We are in Canada.

A. I would contact someone at the local level of government to see what is required. In some locations, a license is required in order to obtain the permit for construction on the job.

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Q. Do I need a builders license to build a deck?

A. If you're building a deck for yourself you do not need a license but you may need a building permit. Check with your local building department; they can tell you what is needed. If you are building decks as a business for other people you likely need a contractor's license, a business license, and a building permit. Again, the local authorities can help you determine what you need to comply with local laws.

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Q. General Contractor, Kitsap County, Bremerton, Washington, Framing, Sheetrock, Remodels, Repairs, Laminate, Tile, Sheetrock, Decks, Windows, Doors, Trim, Cabinets.

A. Www.ShulerConstruction.com

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Q. Some outdoor decks here are made of fiberglass resin and matting with a gelcoat on top. When these crack, they are rough sanded and the residue flies everywhere. My neighbor is doing this repair and there is white "sawdust" type particles from it all over, including on my fruits, berries, herbs and my koi pond. And it can potentially be inhaled. This is different from fiberglass "wool", but what are the dangers here?

A. If u stand next to him with a hose and suck the dust into your lungs I'm sure there would be harmful effects if hes spending a few days repairing his deck im quite sure the unborn children in the neighborhood will not be born deformed so when hes all done hose down your fruit trees sleep well knowing you ll wake up in the morning

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Q.

A. You're so lucky to live in Peninsula. It's a beautiful area. I was just there a couple weeks ago & had lunch at Fisher's. If you see any decks around town that you really like, just ask the homeowner who built it for them. Most folks are willing to share information like that, especially if you compliment them on their beautiful deck.

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Q. Looking at maybe building decks. fences, etc.... where I can work for myself. One possibility is to work for Lowe's as an installer. Lowe's requires general commercial insurance. Example; ------------------------------------------ I. Commercial General Liability (A) Minimum Limits: $300,000 per Each Occurrence $300,000 General Aggregate Annual (can include umbrella liability limits) $300,000 Products - Completed/Operations Aggregate Minimum Limits for Gas and Generator Installers are $1,000,000/$2,000,000/2,000,000 & Roofing Installers $1,000,000/$1,000,000/$1,000,000 ----------------------- So my questions would be; 1) Where do I get commercial insurance from in Mississippi? 2) Were, how, and do I need to get a business license? 3) What other additional information should I know? I may decide to expand and take on employees at a later time,

A. Go to HTTP://www.score.org/ and in the upper left hand corner, enter your zip code. On the next screen, you will get information on the nearest SCORE chapter. Call them and arrange for a free meeting with a volunteer SCORE counselor. They will guide you through the process. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide and is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.

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Q. We completely remodeled our living room, new paint on the walls, new carpet and ceramic tile in the entry way. Well, before the guys came out and installed the carpet, my husband put a little bit of a water sealer down over the wood because we have an indoor cat that had used certain spots on our old carpet and the lumber store told us we better seal those areas so the smell is no longer there. Well, the sealer they recommended is supposed to be outdoor use only, like for decks and patios, but my husband put it in a few spots on the hard floor inside. I mean, there is padding and carpet over those spots now and to be honest if I hadn't seen the can sitting there and read the labels on it, I would have never known otherwise...but now I'm concerned about my 8 month old crawling on the carpet...I called the number on the can and they said it is intended for outdoor use only and really couldn't tell me anything else other than it contains some harsh chemical....the gentlemen recommended possibly trying to sand it out or getting a paint stripper, but my husband said it would be fine, he barely used any, like maybe an 1/8th of a cup. I'm just really nervous...it was also supposed to dry for 24 hrs and it was only on there about 6 hours before the carpet installers showed up. What do you think?? Would you be really worried and concerned? I even called poison control and the woman there was very nice and said that unless the baby actually drank some of it, there is nothing to worry about once it's dry.....especially since she'll never have direct contact with it. By the way, it was Thompson's Water Seal that he used...

A. It's underneath the carpet which means your child isn't even touching the chemical. the smell of the chemical is no longer there which means it's not getting to the lungs. I wouldn't worry about it in the least.

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