RPetry

Yaz, Yeah, I'm not too sure either. When I first started, I used HD-80 and a few other strippers. Switched to F-18 a few years ago, and this past year have been using 760, a private label NaOH stripper from Tom Vogel at ACR. Have an unopened 50 lb. bucket so I guess I'll be using the 760 for a while! I think my perceived differences in various strippers may be due to experience. Over time, you just learn concentrations, dwell times, and most importantly water pressure applied to the wood. After all, they are all sodium hydroxide based, with probably little true performance or material differences between them. I have no idea of downstreaming, x-jets, hot water systems, etc. I only work on exterior wood. But for wood, a dual lance wand is in my opinion the most valuable tool for pressure washing wood.

Yaz, Wow. Terrific job! Stripping a solid stain off of cedar is a real challenge and quite an accomplishment. Something I have yet to tackle, and I'm quite happy to wait... Notice anything different with the Rip It? I used a sample this summer on a PT job, and it mixed and performed well, kind of reminded me of F-18. Seemed to be "buffered", that is it did not seem quite as harsh or less "firring" on the wood compared to most other NaOH strippers. RS light brown on cedar looks amazing. See if you can sell the customer on a very light cleaning and additional oiling this summer. That cedar will look even richer in color. Had a good season with year to year growth, but no where near what the business could be. Have to start making some efforts in marketing instead of relying on organic growth. A good part of August was slow, and the constant rain here in the Northeast for nearly two weeks in late June and early July hurt a bit. Looking forward to the 2007 wood season.

Scott, Congratulations! This is one Christmas that you will never forget!

Roger, Best over the pond wishes to you and your family for the holiday season. Glad us Yanks have been of help over the past year to our British cousins.

I only work on exterior wood, so here in NJ the season ends late Oct. and starts up again late March to early April. Never seem to get bored, always something to do. In the past have done some interior painting for wood customers, done some low voltage electrical and ethernet work, installed a new ipe' deck and interior wood floors throughout my own home, renovated a condo that we own and lease out, and a bunch of "honey do's". Just got back from Down'east Maine from starting to build a house for a friend. Got the foundation in and the first floor framed and capped. Even if I get the dreaded "cabin fever", I'm not working in Maine in the winter! Currently installing the latest Fedora Core 64 bit Linux operating system on my server. Got 4 other versions of Linux and Windoz. along with 2 laptops, to take care of. Might code a web site for the business this winter. Just always seems to be too much to do, learn, and experience with not enough time. Of course by February, I'll be chompin' at the bit to get back to restoring exterior wood!

Because I like and have an affinity for wood.

Neil, I've finished locust but no where near the size of a deck. Never heard of, let alone seen a locust deck. Replaced my Weber grill wood years ago with locust and just refinished with exterior poly this spring. Sanded and finished, locust is a very attractive wood. Straight linseed is going to be a boatload of mold/mildew trouble. I would think any premium oil based exterior stains such as WTW or RS would be ok.

John, I have a Decker 5'er with the PumpTec pump that I also use for stain. In the three years that I have owned it, the pump has never pushed anything except Ready Seal. To winterize, I only use mineral spirits. Run the pump for maybe 10 minutes, and switch to bypass at some point. This will both flush out the pump internals and also the feed hose and gun. I also soak the quick connects and gun tip for awhile and then scrub off any old dry stain residue. This seems to work fine as I have had no maintenance issues or repairs for the past three years.

Ken, You may want to consider having numerous Zep or other bottles of NaOH strippers at different strength concentratations. I also carry small quantities of specialized strippers for latex and acrylic stains. Pictures of finished jobs in various color stains can also be effective.

Not sure if this is true bartering, but took a chunk out of a bill for restoring a mahogany deck in exchange for a business logo from a customer who is a graphics artist.

Ken, You are in the wrong business, get a move on to Hollywood. The first half of that video montage was the scariest movie clip I have ever seen. 5000 ft. of acrylic removal is a true nightmare. Congrats on making this planet a little better place for future generations. Slowly, with Herculean effort, we will beat back this foul plague.

Jim, So true. I've got to write that down and work it into the sales pitch. Says a whole lot with few words.

Do not remember the source but was told 12% will lose between 1 and 1.5% per month of storage. I think you are suppose to keep it in a cool place and tightly capped. What puzzles me is how do you know you're getting 12% from the supplier? Unless they turn over their inventory quickly or have some way of storing to prevent loss of potency, it may not be 12% when you purchase it.

Jnoden, This project consisted of all vertical western red cedar, no horiz. wood involved. We all approach and run our businesses differently. I'll try and explain why I turned the job down. Virtually all my business is with homeowners. I do not pursue commercial or property management co. type of work. A good 75% of my jobs come from referrals. I'm now working on "3rd generation" referrals. In other words, did a job, was referred and did that job (1st generation). After completing that job, was referred by that homeowner to someone else who hired me and completed that job (2nd generation). Same thing again, making for a 3rd generation of referrals. Its a geometric type of marketing and takes time to establish. But referral business is in my experience the best business. You and your service are presold before you walk in the door. At least in my area, to build and maintain this type of marketing, a reputation for reliable, honest, and quality work is paramount. With the job in question, even though the contract was with the PM company, in my mind every resident in the community was my customer. Through maintenance fees, they are paying for the work. Who is going to be held responsible when their cedar looks bad in 12 or 18 months? Think they're going to be happy spending another big chunk of change so soon for maintenance? Logically, the PM company is responsible, but realistically, the contractor will take a large part of the blame. These 50 or so residents are local business owners, professionals, etc., its a very high priced, exclusive community. They have many friends, families, associates, etc. in the area. It would be a bonanza if Windsor WoodCare provided an exceptional service, referrals from that outcome would be significant. The opposite outcome may not be disasterous, but it goes against what I have tried to accomplish and build over the years. Certainly not worth it for my business.

Ken, My argument is not about perfection, after all we're often working on literally thousands of sq. ft. of exterior wood. Its not like refinshing some King Louie antique side table. But that doesn't mean shoddy, incomplete, or inferior work is acceptable. I think most would agree that it takes little extra effort and time to do a superb, quality job. Its more a question of attitude. In any endeavor there is little satisfaction if you do not try your best. Customers and employees recognise this inately and in the long term I believe it pays big dividends for a small, specialized business.

Carlos, There are firms, may be one near you, that specialize in data recovery. A "corrupt" hard drive could be due to many things, but is often the result of a bad FAT or partition table. In all likelyhood, a good tech at a qualified company can completely restore all data and save the old hard drive. Dependent on the drive condition, the service can get expensive. But six yrs. of business data cannot be replaced.

Frost for the past three mornings. Finished up a "restoration" that should have been tear down and rebuild, this morning. Got a app of RS on an old customer's new ACQ extension this afternoon. Took the battery out of the Delmhorst for the winter. Wood season here in NJ is over. Got a referral call for a cedar job this morning. No go. Will do the estimate for work in the spring tomorrow, but for me, wood season is now closed.

Matt, Unfortunately no. I'll be outside of Bangor, Maine building a house for a friend. Hate to miss it, Tom and Barb's get togethers are both fun and educational. Should make the Spring one.

Oh sweet lord, I did not mean it. Really. It was a human mistake. Now they are ganging up on me, with that Satan "A" word. Please, if there is any mercy now or in the hereafter, make them stop. I can deal with Behr, CWF, and Aussie Oil but not the dreaded "A". Oh no, I'm beginning to shake all over. My mind is going ballistic. Ha, I know. BFSII to the rescue. But who's going to pay for it?

Dan, When I say untreated, I mean there is no solid stain already in/on the wood. In other words, bare wood or wood that has a semi trans stain that I can remove. As you already stated, I'm spoiled. I hate using my airless. I hate having to mix thinner to solid oils. I hate having to clean equipment and brushes with paint thinner. I hate the look of a solid stain on wood. I just do not care to do this kind of work. I've never used clear RS straight on any wood. I keep a little in inventory to mix with other colors. As far as I know, it contains no pigment. It is not designed to use as is, only as a supplement to "tone down" other colors. So if I use some other "clear" oil stain, which I would probably consider inferior, say maybe 18 months. Not enough. If you prep cedar correctly and apply enough pigmented paraffinic oil to the wood when the wood is dry, the stain should last at minimum 3 to 4 years before needing replenishment. I'm speaking of vertcal cedar, of whch the 11K job was, except for top end grain. Its not that business is real good. I had a very bad August. But its that I believe in good business. I specialize and want to be known as a company that does superior work. I want customers that appreciate and are willing to pay for quality materials and work. I want to be known and viewed as a craftsman. Any schlep can get a PW, blast wood, and throw down some stain. I want to differentiate from that. I want to give customers the best quality products and work, at a fair and honest price. I want customers to be amazed and totally pleased when I am done, and feel they have spent their dollars wisely. I want customers to tell their neighbors and friends what an honest, reliable, and great job that Windsor WoodCare did for their exterior wood. I want customers to call over and over again to continue maintaining their wood. I want customers to care about me and my little business, as much as I care about them. I want their wood to last forever, and look great. I want to be King of Exterior Wood in my market, and deserve the title. I honestly care and truly value each and every one of my customers. Its a symbiotic relationship, and in my small mind a key to any small business. Especially if you offer craftsmanship quality work.

Dan, I have never claimed to be a good businessman! One of my many faults is being stubborn, or what I prefer to think of as determined. That may very well be true. I have the luxury of turning down jobs if they do not meet my criteria. I will not apply a solid oil stain to untreated exterior wood. And unless it is a strong referral, and the price is right, I will not apply a maintenance solid oil stain at all. Why? I don't like them and its an irreversible decision. I take no pride and get no satisfaction applying solid stains. Forgive me but they look like paint. I like and appreciate the appearance and qualities of wood. I've started and owned a few small businesses in my life and have found that a large part of success is measured in self satisfaction, bottom line is only a part of the whole. But in all honesty, in the vast majority of my initial estimates, customers are looking for solutions, not demanding a certain product. I patiently explain why I use RS, the long term benefits of a quality paraffinic oil stain, and the ease and lower costs of periodic maintenance. I truly believe in what I present, and most customers seem to appreciate the effort and honesty. Maybe its my presentation and attitude but in 5 yrs, the last 3 using RS almost exclusively, I have never had a potential customer ask me to use another stain. I close on ~ 65% of my estimates, but ~75% of my estimates come from referrals. I do not clean concrete, wash houses, do gutters, or exterior painting. I restore exterior wood. At least from the perspective of my customers, I'm the expert. I know what is best. And I always have, and will continue to refuse a job if it is not up to my standards. I will not do inferior work for any price. I can give a whole barrel load of reasons for turning down the 11K job. Certainly not concerned with the PM company, but having ~50 lawyers, doctors, and other professional residents seeing their wood fade out to gray after a year or so is not worth a few bucks. Who is responsible for spending all this $ on a fleeting improvement? You can bet the name Windsor WoodCare would be at the top of the list. A reputation for honest and quality work is priceless in my market. Not this company. Ever.

I'm 100% with Shane on this. Customers should be hiring you for your expertise. Most know next to nothing about different stains and maintaining exterior wood. With the exception of a few Cabot solid oil jobs, and a single WTW job last Nov., I only use RS stains. The reasons are many but the point is my co. is being hired to perform the best service possible, and the control of the strippers, cleaners, brighteners, and by far the most important product, stain to be used is mine. I would never allow any customer to dictate how I do business. Within reason, and with sometimes strong suggestions, they get to pick the color. Turned down an 11K job early this year. The property management co. insisted a clear applied to cedar. Sure, I could of used clear RS and had a nice payday. But knowing it was the wrong stain to use was not worth the financial gain. My reputation and integrity is the company's most important asset and worth far more than a large job.

Back2new, Buy a quality machine, the best you can afford, maybe something like a Hydrotek. My old "backup" PW has been sitting unused for three years.

Jon, "I'm going to Ireland or Scotland" Hope you're trying to lose weight. The food is downright ineditable. Try my citric brightener instead, it is much more heathful. I love Italians, actually do, married one. Germans can't cook a decent meal but they do make very good beers. So munchkins are a group of weird inbred small people that live in the backwoods of NC? Sounds like a sociology dissertation waiting for a tough grad student. Might be a long wait...

Ken, I remember the years when Dallas was on top of the NFL and the Eagles were a bad team. A successful season hinged on beating the Cowboys, at least at home. Last week's game was a thriller, the Eagles defense had Bledsoe on the sidelines with smelling salts and a doctor shining the light in the eyes looking for a possible concussion. Yesterday was just. The Saints totally outplayed the Eagles in the first half and deserved the win.