RPetry

Ken, That is great writing. You may have a second calling.

Scott, That is one hell of a deck! The builder actually clad the support posts, good work. Nice color on that knotty cedar. Looks a bit like RS light brown.

Henry, Sounds like Maryland knows how to regulate and maybe even run an efficient state government. Here in NJ, our state gov't has the well earned reputation of corruption and lack of professional management, let alone a whiff of fiscal responsibility. Our state and property taxes are among the highest in the nation. We do not get what we pay for...

Hi Tony, I do not know. For 2 yr. old wood, PT or not, the after cleaning pics do not look like wood is ready to be spot sanded and stained. Just my observation from a few pictures, not being critical of your work. On some jobs, we do a very light bleach, kill the mold/mildew cleaning followed by a sodium percarb cleaning. After that, citric acid for a neutralizer/brightener. Hard to say, after a while you just get a kind of feel for what is best. Wood is somewhat of an art. Beware of "cookie cutter" advice. I still think your after staining pictures look great. Keep an eye on the wood and stain for the next two years. It will be the best teacher.

Tony, Too much pigment and red for my personal taste, but what a great job in prepping and staining a difficult wood. Kudos to your work and effort! Have not seen SS screws used with PT wood in a very long time. Nice job.

Perfect response. My wife Judy and I tried to slug through an "American Idol" a few years ago, due to all the buzz. I fell asleep, the dogs left the room. It was the only and last time for us both. Reading the Koran in Arabic is better entertainment.

Beth and Henry, It only protects the consumer if ... 1) The consumer purchasing a home improvement service is aware of required insurance and/or license. 2) The particular State puts resources into enforcement. In 8 yrs. of business here in NJ, I have been asked for a current copy of my insurance two times. Granted, our business is all residential. In 8 yrs. of business here in NJ, I have never been asked to prove that I have an updated and valid contractors license. In 8 yrs. of business here in NJ, I have never heard or read in the local papers of any "fly by night" contractor being prosecuted for failure to have an NJ contractor license. Regulation sounds terrific on paper. Protect the consumer, weed out the foul balls, etc. But unless it is enforced by law, and resources devoted to consumer awareness, regulation is a paper tiger. Worse yet, in a typical scenario it is another business tax with no return. Be careful what you wish for.

Oh boy, not another Bleach debate! Where is Shane, the founder along with Diamond Jim of the BDA? Where is the Bleach Bandito? Ah, found him... The old school dies hard.

Ken, I did not know that, or if I did, I have forgotten. One of the problems with getting old. Funny, my most popular, and personal favorite color for softwoods is RS medium red. Seems to last a long time, but it is more brown in appearance than red. Put it down on an ipe' job earlier this spring. Still do not expect to get more than a year before servicing.

Scott, Thanks so much for the detailed history of the ipe'. It certainly does not confirm, but does jive with my thoughts on stain and ipe'. With experience on customer's ipe' and the past 5 yrs. with my own ipe' deck, I have a few thoughts. First, you stripped the wood 3 times prior to getting 2 years out of the Messmer's. I am of the mind that NaOH is beneficial in that it removes some of the natural wood extractives, thus allowing more penetration and "binding" of the stain. Stripping 3 times possibly allowed the Messmer's to penetrate better and last longer. Second, if the initial Behr's was applied in 2003, the deck must be at least that old. By 2007, when the "2 yr. Messmer's" was applied, the ipe' was 5 years old at that point. Possibly, the older the ipe', the better stain longevity. Pure speculation, but I'd like to figure out this difficult wood. Thanks again.

Adrian, Back in the Dark Ages, circa 2001, Wolman's and their certified contractor program gave a lot of us a head start in the exterior wood business. Their F&P linseed oil stain was decent, These were the days when I had to order a PTL shipment of 80 gals. or more of RS, and unload it at some warehouse. I thank the lucky stars when Tom Vogel of ACR Products went into business, and for the first year or so, would actually deliver RS stain to my door step himself! Times have changed. Have see a few "gee wiz" stains come and go. We now get 30 gal. min. orders of RS on the door step within 24 hours of a call without UPS charges. I think Pete Marentay of Sunbrite offers the same deal, but UPS shipment times are subject to service areas.

Scott, The Messmer's did not hold up very well. It held up exceptionally well for 2 yrs. on ipe'. I am curious, do you know the age and staining history of that job? Thanks.

Daniel, I would guess he is concerned with mixing ammonia with SH and producing chlorine gas. Greg, For wood, we knock down SH to 1.5 - 3%, depending on the severity or lack of mold/mildew. We use the regular Dawn, but just a few squirts per 5'er. Have not been gassed yet, but your mileage may vary.

For years, had a portable single Shurflo pump with tank for applying caustics and acids to wood. Always carried a new backup pump in the truck as it was guaranteed the working pump would quit in the middle of a job, sometime during the wood season. Happened earlier this Spring, and needed a new Shurflo for backup. In conversation with Tom Vogel of ACR Products, learned that there are different types of seals for Shurflo's. The typical Viton seals are fine for acids, but may not be compatible with the sodium hydroxides, sodium percarbonates, and sodium hypochloride caustics that we use for wood. Tom had pumps in stock with seals made for caustics, and a hopefully great idea. On a rain day last week, ran up to ACR for a custom conversion. His main mechanic did all the plumbing and electrical work. I like the premise, will see how both pumps hold up with seals compatible with opposing pH chemicals.

Richard, One nice thing with this setup is you already have a backup mounted, plumbed, wired, and ready to go if a pump burns out. Chris, Good point. Great for flooding acid on wood.

Jeff, Hah, that is the most hilarious post seen on TGS in many a moon! Actually Daniel is fun, very informative, and interesting with his posts. You just can't let his "sunny" outlook on business and life make you think you need anti-depressants. Just kidding around, Daniel!

Daniel, There you go! Last season we did more work for homeowners fixing up their properties for sale than in the previous 7 yrs. in business. We did not target this market, but kind of fell in our net. Stop by a few active realtors in your area with a 6 pack of good coffee. Make friends, kiss their babies, smile and tell the 40 something's how great they look. Personal contact pays dividends. But only if you are a geriatric stud like Diamond Jim and I!

Hah! James, please be nice. After all, you are a moderator on this board! Daniel, I spent 1K this year in local paper advertising for the season, that of date has translated in 5K of signed contracts. And this is the middle of May. Advertisements go through October. I do not know what to say. I do not live in the best demographics of the Northeast but the area is good. We only do a few jobs for Rockefeller class customers.

Daniel, My bad. I do not know a thing about house washes, roofs, concrete etc. I do know a bit about wood. 3 jobs in the first 3 years does not make a customer base. You do not cite numbers for year 4 and 5. This is not a base to rely on for referral business. I will repeat. Something is very wrong. Even in a bad area, in a bad economy, with minimal effort and marketing dollars, the wood restoration jobs should be way much higher. Hang in there.

Daniel, You really need a different mindset. Good business leads to good business. It is a specific geometric model of a market. I only do business with customers that fit my business. When on a estimate, I evaluate the customer probably more than they judge our services. If closed, that leads eventually to other pre-qualified business. I met Terry at Albany, NY this spring. I have no doubt of his veracity. I do not have a clue about washing houses, we do not do that. But on 2nd thought, it should be not that different than restoring wood decks. Not one referral in 5 years of deck work? Daniel, something is very wrong. I have no idea what, but something is, how can I say it, something is very wrong.

Daniel, Read the thread. Recall all the posts on marketing from the past on TGS. No one relies 100% on referral business, at least no one that has been in this business for any length of time. Not one of us in the wood restoration business waits around for the phone to ring from referrals. Ask Ken Fenner, Jim Foley, Beth & Rod and others. We are too busy actually getting dirty on jobs or out doing estimates. Referral business is great business. Contrary to your contention that referral business is cheap business, it is the best business. Not one of us that has been here for any length of time is cheap. We are worthwhile value. Our customers know it, our local competition knows it, and most importantly, our track record proves the worth of our service and work.

Daniel, Your positive, sunny outlook on business and life never ceases to amaze me. Every discussion needs a foil. Tag, you are it.

This is most likely true. In tough economic times, the strong, established companies adjust and mostly survive, the weak often perish. We are part of the service economy. That is, service performed with a capital S.

Terry, Very good points. I would "guesstimate" that ~ 50% of our new customers are due to referrals/recommendations from existing customers. Far and away, the most effective marketing tool out there. Closing ratio is about 80%. Can't say we formally promote this technique. It is more a matter of being prompt for the estimate, showing up to do the work on the date and time scheduled, billing final charges close to or below the original estimate (dependent on material use), and performing superior work. Most good customers appreciate this service. Many home improvement contractors leave their customers with a bad experience, so if you can distinguish your services beyond what is too often typical, your company will be remembered and passed on to others. I try and get to know my customers. I spend an inordinate of time just conversing, being friendly, and joking around. If the customer likes you personally, and the work your company performs, you have hit a veritable home run.

Eric, Maybe not the advice you are looking for, but being married 20 yrs., I never could have charged my mother/father in law for any work. They didn't charge me for the privilege of marrying their daughter!