Tim Smith

For all you wood experts & whoever else has an opinion..... I seal a deck about a year ago with ready seal (cedar deck). Looked great when finish and looked great a year later. Then we had a hail storm. The hail didn't damage the wood at all, but left spots on the flat surfaces. You can see circles (light spots) all over the floor, steps, and top of rails - where the hail sit on the deck. My questions: Anybody ever had this happen? Whats in the hail that will basically strip the sealant? How would you fix it?

I charge the same for vinyl or alum siding....all depends on the amount of dirt and mold.

Two gallons of bleach, cup of soap, cup of wax and three gallons of water........works great-I've washed over 100 homes with this mixture. Cost about $3.50 for a 5 gallon bucket...........

I sealed this deck two years ago. Except for recent hail damage - the deck looks great (just a little mold). The customer has been very happy. We had a hail storm. The hail did not dent the wood, but everywhere the hail was laying (Floor, top of rail, & top of steps) - the stain lightnen up. You can see round circles all over the horizontal surfaces. Is there something in hail (other than water - haha) the can break down sealant (Ready Seal or any other)? I plan to do a light cleaning and seal it again. I've never resealed a deck again with Ready Seal. Do you think this will work? Since Ready Seal is a penetrating sealant - I would think that it would blend. Any suggestions or past experiences? Thanks a lot.

Vinyl tile has never been wax - the tile is only 6 months old. It has a rough texture to it - suppose to look like sandstone. I used a orange vinyl degreaser - it worked great, if I cleaned by hand, but did not work to good scrubbing with a mop. Do you guys use a buffer on vinyl floors?

I have a commercial account with an asphalt parking lot. The vinyl tile has a blackest color on the high traffic area - from people tracking in the oil from the asphalt parking lot with their shoes. Any recommendations on what to do? This is very expensive tile - the manufacter is Halsted International.

I use good chemicals and light pressure - be very careful.

5gal bucket = 2gal of bleach + cup of dawn + cup of liquid (Zep) truck wax. works great.

I would send her to a collection agency. If they collect, you normally pay $50 or so, if they do not, you pay nothing. You can only get penality fees, etc if its in writing. You basically have a verbal contract. This will hold-up in court. A signed contract is so much better. If you have before and after pictures, that would be nice. Basically, you have to proof that the job you accomplished is satisfactory compared to the others in the same field. Bottom Line - its cost you more to take her to small claims court than to not collect a penny. Add up your time and all the heartburn. Most people will pay, when it comes to their credit.

Sodium Percarbonate cleaner & neutralize with an oxalic or citric acid.

I would remove the marks and if need be - wash the entire drive. Its just good business and leaves a lasting impression on the customer.

I would charge approx. $1200.00

This past summer, I replaced a lot of spindles on this old cedar deck. I kept some of the spindles and did the following: The first 1/3 of the spindle - I left all grey and old looking. The second 1/3 (middle section) - I washed and brighten. The third 1/3 - I restored (Washed, Brighten, Sealed). I keep one in the truck and use it as part of my sales pitch - It shows before and after - as well as three steps of our wood restoration process. Its a powerful tool. I've also done the same thing to cedar shakes and boards. I've created a display board (2ft by 2ft) with different types of wood using different tints of sealant. Customers really seem to enjoy it. I plan to do three trade shows next year - so I have been working on props over a year now. I've found that these props work well in getting bids also.

I use pump-up sprayer and sometimes use a surflow set-up that I designed. A disadvantage to a pump-up is that it takes so much longer and you use a lot more sealant. The last 3 or 4 decks that I did - I brushed and rolled - Used half the amount of sealant as normal. Takes longer -- its the old "Labor Cost vs Chemical Cost". I plan to start using air to apply my stain to log homes, but not decks. As of putting two decks side by side - one stain with a air and one stain with a pump sprayer. If you use the same chemicals and same sealant (being craftmanship is the same) - I don't see how you can tell. Is there a different look to a deck sealed with a air vs pump sprayer? I wouldn't think so? The sealant that I use - Is dummy proof and I love it. Back brushing is a word that I never use.

Ronnie You have a book right here in this board - Go to the Search Engine and read away.