RPetry

We never joined PWNA. When Everett became president, I was encouraged as he is a wood guy, and seriously considered joining. Just never got around to it.

Celeste, Have to agree about ipe' customers. With the constant periodic rain here this season, our ipe' jobs kept us working. With what I have read on this thread, I do not care for koi ponds. Never had to deal with them, and hope we never do. No decorative fish is worth $2K.

Celeste, That picture is the first ipe' "lattice" I have seen. Real nice design. Holy smokes, $2K per fish?!!! That is insane. Doubt insurance brokers will write a job rider covering any loss. I'd have to think long and hard before taking the chance. Thanks for the heads up.

Tony, If the ground below the deck footprint was properly prepared by the deck builder, it should be well drained. From your first picture, it appears that the PT deck boards were not gapped sufficiently, and the wood has swelled a bit. If the deck surface does not drain, your customer has a problem. But it is a design/construction problem that the builder should address. We've worked on similar skirted decks in the past (see pics), without running into moisture retention issues. These decks dry out fine after preparation, and hold stain for the normal length of time. The only problem is the use of T&G cedar for the vertical fascia. Over time, cedar will rot if it constantly stays wet. In the case of ground contact, it will slowly deteriorate from the ground up, but the process is slow and can take many years.

Daniel, I must be getting quite old, I just do not get it. Why would anyone want to know or care about where your place of business is located? Its not like we are running a retail storefront. I have never had any "walk in" customers.

Beth & Rod, Huge improvement. Really like the new cabinets. Cherry is a gorgeous wood.

A bonus feature of only doing wood restoration is that you do not need a ton of equipment. Everything is stored in a garage, aside from the E-250.

Hi Julie, Your approach to local P/W businesses could be a tough sell if you plan on opening a similar business in the immediate local area. Few firms relish the idea of increased competition in their market. Possible recourse would be to travel out of area and spend some time with an experienced, successful P/W company.

The best Christmas song ever: Lala Song Player - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (Album Version) by Elmo & Patsy

Lyle, Have never seen ipe' that varied in color, and in the past few years, have serviced a lot of ipe'. Speculation, but I know that tree farming ipe' plantations were established in Central and if I recall, South America sometime ago. Its possible that some of this young, immature wood has been coming into the market.

Lyle, Looking at the first pic, aside from the bad cracks in the one deck board, and the deep end checks in another, the grain looks like ipe'. But the second stained pic does not. I'll take a wild guess, some type of meranti?

Thanks Mark. Between my wife and I, it is the 7th new Toyota we have purchased over the years. They have just been terrific cars and trucks for us.

Ken, The home page for the FPL is Forest Products Laboratory - USDA Forest Service The specific link for wood ID procedures is Wood Identification Procedures

Lyle, Have to concur with Jim on this one, that top and end grain does not look like any ipe' that I have ever seen. There are so many "hardwoods" on the market today, especially different "mahoganies" that are not mahogany at all, who knows? These woods may be true hardwoods in classification, but can be very poor for decking material. If curious or need a positive identification, the Forest Products Lab offers free species analysis of wood, up to 3 samples per calendar year.

Jon, Weather was difficult this season but thankfully we had a lot of ipe' jobs ... the wood dries in a flash. With good weather and work into mid November, turned out to be a good year. The Tundra is a personal vehicle, not a business purchase. But it can serve as a backup if needed.

Jon, Looks terrific. That has got to be the best customer/job ever posted here on TGS. You can just about hear the waves lapping on the sand, and a warm breeze flowing off the water. A beachfront home in the Bahamas is a paradise compared to Dec. in NJ.

Treated myself to a new Tundra a few weeks ago for an early Christmas present. Now I need a backup camera to park the beast without crushing some small car hoods.

John & Adrian, Awesome job, that is a very tough strip and restoration. Goes to show, with the correct chems, equipment, tenacity, and $ in the job, you can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.

LeCours is a trouble maker. He can't clean or acid or stain wood if his life depended on it. Friggin' guy makes a living off of spraying water and chems. Good for you!!!!!

Daniel, Maybe it is just me and a few others. Your posts over the past years have been negative, in effect kind of depressing. We all have our crosses to bear. I hope you find your own. Meanwhile, there is a lot of business and opportunites out there. It is up to you to find your own..

YES I DID. Your ATTITUDE, is LOW, your POSTS are absolutely low, your SPIRIT and SELF WORTH are LOW. Enough of the caps. If this was a self help, complaint desk for wayward souls, it would be appropriate. Otherwise, friggin' suck up, do what you probably know what you have to do, and get on with it. Use to kind of feel sorry for you, please, just prove me wrong.

Daniel said: ... Your girlfriend had a lot more sense than you. Never mind, this is fruitless. Daniel change direction, in marketing, mindset, presentation, sales, and image. Business is available and out there. No doubt, it can be tough, but focus on high demographics instead of shotgun advertising. Do exceptional work, at a very good profit margin, and it will come back in the future in spades.

Daniel, Care to elaborate on that statement?

Daniel, God bless you. As far as I can tell, you have used every excuse imaginable. Look cheap, be cheap. Act low, you are low. You still, to this point, don't get it. Small contractors are no different than Tiffany's verses WallMart.

Hah! Fife comes out of the woodwork to nail it yet again. Daniel, to be honest, the name "Plain Painter" is not the best moniker in the business. To be honest, the lettering and appearance of your van does not subscribe to a top notch, valuable and reliable service, certainly for high end deck and wood work. It appears that you have access to some high end demographic work. This is where the money is. This is where, if you perform and please, the market is at for quality customers and jobs. I can honestly say, that a recent purchase of a work van, lettered and designed well, has paid honest dividends in attaining well paying jobs. But appearance has to be backed up by experience, sales skills, and just connecting and being friends with your potential customers. Good customers are not looking for the lowest, handyman price. Good customers are looking for service, experience, and the peace of mind knowing that they are dealing with a reputable, knowledgeable, and reliable contractor.