Doug Dahlke

Nice job on the fence. Are you still able to play guitar while recovering from the surgery?

Sounds like a happy ending. Glad you were able to get it off.

I have been using F-13 for gutters for a few years and it works great in warm weather. It doesn't work when the temps get colder. Anyone have a recommendation for a cleaner that works well in cold weather that can be brushed on?

The power washing side of things usually start picking up for me in February.

Real cold here for the Atlanta area. Below 20 tonight and a high tomorrow of maybe 32. Should see warming by the weekend. My yard is like a skating rink. Can't handle these temps in this area of the world.

Amen to that.

Thanks Jim. I have tried that but I am usually washing siding too and don't really want to put warm water on that or risk cracking glass or warping something by hitting it with a big temp change. I am quoting a townhome center and really want to see if I can find something that I can just brush on like the F-13 but that will work in the cold. I'll burn a lot of deisel trying to wash all these buildings with warm water.

Who can forget Thad Companys biggest hit "Feel like spraying love"

At least Jimmy Carter is happy. Now he won't be the worst president in history anymore. Both political parties are completely out of touch with real America. The republicans had the same situation with Bush, the presidency and both houses. What did we get, the largest expansion of government until Obama. What happened to them, they were thrown out on their *****. Now its the dems turn to get slaughtered in November because they do the same. Reagan had it right. Americans want less government and more freedom but politicans on both sides are so focused on power that they think they know better and give us all the middle finger. "There is nothing new under the sun." Solomon

This has been my best July but next week its slow. This time of year people are on vacation and here in my area it is has been so hot people stay inside. Time to ramp up some marketing. Based on what happened so far this year I am expectiong the phone to start ringing again when school starts back up.

Could you put a 40' extension ladder up the side and downstream with an open ball valve to put the chems on from the top and let them run down?

Get a good rainsuit and go to work. A light rain won't hurt you in most situations. I almost prefer to wash on overcast days when there is some on and off drizzle. Plant are already wet and I can soap up more of a house without having to worry about it drying before I can rinse.

The customer that cancelled on me called back and is back on the schedule. Booked a few more over the last couple of days.

Sometimes you have to wonder if people think we all sit eagerly by the phone all day just waiting for someone to call. I don't usually provide a firm date. I tell them sometime within 10 days, 15 days whatever and that I will call the day before I come out. Only had one cancellation so far this year.

Yeah that's kind of the catch 22 of being busy. I had one customer cancel last week but I tell people when they book when I will get to their job. If the guy had waited a couple of more days we would have knocked it out. He won't get it done any sooner using someone else. I have noticed a drop off during the summer too. Hoping that doesn't happen this year.

Another seven day week here and again next week. Rain predicted for over the weekend but I will be out washing unless the lightning starts to fly.

I have been doing more decks this year and need to find ways to get them done more quickly. I stripped one last Saturday that took me 5 hours and we have spent 12 hours sanding on it. I also rebuilt the 2" x 2" gate because even after 2 attempts at stripping it I figured it would be faster to replace the wood than try to get the remaining stain off. I did a test on it when I bid it so I knew the current stain was oil and most of the deck stripped fairly well. Some areas still have a lot of stain and we will be sanding again tomorrow. Applying the stain is less of a speed issue as stripping and sanding. I use a pump up to apply the stripper and nuetralizer. I usually apply the stripper in sections for a larger deck and nuetralize all of it when I am done. Just seems like it is taking too long. Any advice from the experts?

We finished that deck yesterday. Total time sanding 16 man hours. It is at a rental house. The owner has not seen it yet but the people living in the house were happy with it. I need to take a look at my bidding and stripping procedures. I did test to see if what was on the deck was oil. Some of the vertical surfaces stripped very well. Others not so well. I have several other decks coming up but none of them were previously stained. Just a cleaning for those and then staining.

Thanks for the response. I usually ask the HO if they know what is on the deck. In this case I didn't I just did a test to see if it was oil or acrylic. Do you use different strippers for different oils? I have been using Rip It mixed at 8 oz per gallon and let dwell 15 minutes. I have never boosted a stripper. Is that a step you usually take? Did not test a vertical first and those sections are the most problematic. Dwell time on verticals is a problem for me. I read a post the other day about a thickener that helps with cling on verticals. Is that something you use and does it keep the stripper wet longer?

Good to hear it all worked out well.

Thanks. I'll check into it. We are working on a deck right now that I am using Sherwin Williams semi-trans oil on. Not as transparent as Ready Seal but I need that on this deck as it was a tough strip. 12 hours of sanding so far. Hopefully the rain holds off and we get it done tomorrow.

Who sells Bakers?

Looks nice. Have you used the Bakers long? Here are some pics of a deck we did last week. Used Ready Seal medium brown. I have done more decks so far this year than I did all of last year with at least 5 more on the schedule. I need to figure out how to get these done quicker. I stripped on yesterday that took me 5 hours. I am sure we will be doing plenty of sanding tomorrow before we stain it.

Its never wrong to do the right thing. Way to go Beth. It was good there were some others there with some principles to back you up.

Be sure to let it dwell. It won't come off right away. Let it sit on the stain.