JFife

I had a deckster and found it to be worthless. Difficult to move, crappy pump, etc. As far as functionality, the Deckhand is awesome, but costs too much and is somewhat cheaply built. But the pail sits at the bottom so you can move the unit easily. I truly saw no redeeming value in the Deckster. Problem with the Deckhand was that the pump was difficult to get to and fix, taking time. The best units I've found are the one's i've made myself, with a $25 handtruck from HD, $70 Shurflo, $11 60' hose from Walmart, a gun, and a few connection hoses/cables/siphon hoses and fittings. If you wanted to take the time you could weld a place to put the battery on it, and weld an area to hold the can. Mine look cheap and crappy, but will out-perform the $600 units every time, for about $125. If there are those on here distributing Deckhand's or whatever, I am not trying to step on your toes, I am just trying to help the contractor pocket more $. This is how you make money--by cutting costs, mixing your own chems, etc.

Geez Rich, what a nightmare. Not what you needed coming back from your previous situation. Again, I've heard nothing but horror stories from people who have used WG and had problems. Company always finds something to blame. There are so many possibilities as to what could have caused this, but my guess is that you'll be the one that has to eat it. Keep us up to date on what happens, jon

There are many masonry/concrete sealers out there that have 25yr gurrantees (is there even a right way to spell 'gurrantee'?). I have no doubt there are products that would bond to wood and last that long (i.e, some epoxies,etc). Their problem will be when mold grows underneath the film. Other than that I believe that you could make a product that "sealed" the wood, but it would still need to be cleaned. Think about it, car paint lasts that long racing 75mph into dirt, rain, etc. Still gets dirty though.

Sorry for your troubles Rich, If you get stuck again, call Guntars at www.southernloghomecare.com, he could probably bail you out and keep you in biz,

Rich, I think the lesson to be learned here is to stay away from Woodguard. I've seen it applied properly by Heritage Log Homes, and trust me, it is not a quality you want to put your name on. I am shocked how they are still in business. Just my opinion,

whatever you do, scrap the back-brushing idea. Takes forever, and makes paint look worse. Really price around on black fence paint, I bet you can find it for less than $10 a gallon at tractor supply or somewhere similar. Make sure they know that the grass below the fence will temporarily be black and may die. Surely they don't expect you to do cover-up. jon

Goes on a Makita buffer, threads on. Brian, all I know is I use a course 6" brush, go to www.permachink.com, they sell them and that is what you need. Work great, cost $60-$80 each and could probably get at least 10-15 decks out of one. The savings is in not having to change out pads, and not having to pluck out the 3M threads. jon

Wood felting is going to be more of a result of the wood than the chem strength, pressure, etc. I've stripped redwood with a strong chem, high psi, and very little felting. I've washed decks with a weak percarb, low pressure, and lots of felting. Same goes for any wood substrate. Simply put, all jobs are different and you need to have figured in before hand how to deal with these problems. Either bid to ALWAYS buff, or alert the customer to the potential problem and tell him it will be extra if it happens. Buff with either an Osborne Brush or the pads that Beth sells. They are lighter. I prefer the Osborne for price, time savings, and it doesn't leave pieces of buffing pad snagged all over the deck. Different advantages to both.

Medic, Yes, apology's are in order for anyone unlucky enough to come from Bourbon :) Take Reed up on his offer, he is a true pro and would provide you with invaluable insight. I think Reed probably gets his chems from Russ Cissell in stl, and that is the kind of person you need to get hooked up with. Good products, good prices, and the knowledge to get you going. CCP was correct, don't skimp on the things that you'll soon grow in to. For instance, you can adaquately clean a deck with a $400, HD 2000psi 2.5 gpm washer. However, that is all you can clean with it. It would be worth the extra to step up to 3000psi, $1300 for an adaquate machine. However, were it me, I would not step up to a $4000, hot machine. Not yet. Good luck, I hope your daughter is now well, jon

Medic, First off, don't start until spring. In MO, you'll have about 2-3 more months this year, and then be off for the winter. Second, pass on the credit card idea. You've bankrupted once (obviously I don't know the circumstances) and I would not want to risk a business failure on credit, since you cannot declare again if need be. Third, start CHEAP. The biggest deck resto. businesses I know use really cheap equipment. The guys with the most pimped out rigs are usually one man shows or close to it. They want to have to coolest rigs because they take pride in that, and it makes it fun. However, if your interest lies in the bottom line and not from guys staring at your rig on the highway, go low-cost. Three years from now, if you are succeeding, treat yourself to a nice system if you still want it. You can buy a 3000psi 4gpm cold water (belt driven) for around $1300. HD's are cheaper, but you'll only get a year out of the pump. Buy an xjet, shurflo, hoses, used ladders, and buy your chems in lower volumes. Many will buy large volumes, but right now your interest should be cash flow, not saving $5 on a deck from buying in bulk. Take this winter to scour the boards and buy stuff used. Lots will be going out of biz, and you can get some deals that way. I would not, however, skimp on appearance, company image. Do it right, the first time. Get a good, solid biz plan, and read "The E-Myth Revisited" and as many other biz related books as you can find. this should be your first priority. Read sales and marketing books. But start w/ "emyth", it is the best book I've ever seen for starting/running/organizing a biz. Good luck, I grew up in Bourbon, MO, near Sullivan. I know where Lonedell is, Jon Fife

hey experts--- What would you do about this.....bidding a large, very nice deck. Had two coats of Cuprinol on it about 2-3 yrs ago, applied very heavy so that it looks like a solid color stain. All of the verticals are in great shape, and are an Indian Red color. Floor isn't bad, but is wearing. Now, the customer wants to take all of the veritcals to white, and strip the floor and stain it transparent. My deal is, I don't really want to strip the entire deck, because of the amount of work involved and due to the fact that it is going to get painted. Paint store said that even though the stain looked solid, it still needed to be stripped. So.....if I am forced to do that (strip a semi-solid finish), three coats of white solid, protect the floor, then stain the floor......geez, I'm looking at a 5-6K job (deck is large, screened porch, all two story, trellis, and the underside is stained.........ok, maybe even 7K) Anyone have any tips about whether or not a solid can go on top of a semi?? What would you guys do??? jon

Paul, Use a small brush and "push" the bristles to the edge of the spindle, have a painter show you how to cut a real tight edge, and you'll be good. Bill, that probably would not be an option on this deck. I would guess this deck cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40K, and that is treated wood. It was built by Archadeck, a building franchise that does really quality work. Haven't heard back from the people yet, don't really expect to ($6850). I bid the job to spray 3 coats of white solid on all the rails and underneath. Next, I would brush on paint stripper to the floor and rinse off. Doing this step after the painting saved me needing to cover up. Once stripped, I would apply two coats of Sikkens DEK to the floor. Also, the screened porch would have the ceiling stripped totally. It has a tongue-and-groove ceiling, which would also be stained. The 4x6 crossmembers would be painted white. Big job.

Gavin, as an alternate to pads, try an Osborne Brush. You should be able to find some in your area. They cost about $60-80 each, but last really long (many decks). Work much better than pads, and more efficient. kinda heavy though. Do a web check, or call places in your area that sell log home care products (sashco is in Brighton, Weatherall in Castle Rock, and probably many more places).

guys, thanks for the responses. I'm going to submit the bid tonight, so it should be interesting. Fired, Not sure yet on the solid, I usually use Cabot's but don't like the store that I have to buy it from. I may try benmoore or Glidden, or even Olympic. I did a few solids w/ Olympic a few yrs. ago, and are doing great.

Rick, TWP is sold at ICI Delux Paint Stores in my area. I believe they are the largest paint store in the country, if not they are close. I believe they own Porter Paints and a few other popular names. There are other places that may carry it, but this is the big one. The company that makes TWP is called "Amteco" and are based out of Pacific, MO. I don't have the website or #, but I am sure a little 'net searching will get you what you need. Should be lots in your area. The product was actually made to handle the mildew problems that are present in Miami, FL. Miami has the highest mildew content in the nation, and that is where TWP does its testing. You'll have great results in your area, and will have an easy time marketing your product once you let customers know that the product was made to withstand Miami mildew.

THe prettiest stain I've ever put on a redwood deck was Readyseal Lgt. Brown for Redwood only. All the ease of RS, on a beautiful redwood deck. they will felt badly, so buffing may be necessary.

try Bix paint strippers, nasty, not terribly expensive but will work well for this. Depending on the finish, you may have to strip one coat at a time. If you want a safe and easy product, try Removall 310, made by Biowash. Go to their website and find your local distributor, you'll have to order the product, about $150-200 per 5er. Works great---apply with airless and let it sit a few hours, come back and wash off. It will strip aobut 10 coats of paint i believe. It will strip the coating, but not restore the wood, so bid to strip, and then restore the wood with a naoh stripper or percarb. This is an extremely expensive undertaking, and it may be in the customers best interest to build a new deck, depending on age, shape, wood species, etc. But rest assured, the job can be done.

Hello Seymore, All of our decks are treated pine. I'll do about one cedar decks a year, and about two redwood decks each year. I still pick up odd jobs every now and then. Like PaulB said, your prices will be determined by whether or not decks are the majority of your work. If you make your living on fleet accounts but enjoy doing the occasional deck, you can be a little cheaper, since you aren't depending on that for the majority of your work. The majority of my work is Log home restoration, and I consider doing the occasional deck a treat. Most are referrrals, repeats. I had some time off a couple weeks ago and got a call to put new rails and lattice on a 700sf deck. I love doing carpentry type work, but am not an expert at it. So I did it for them by the hour, and it came out great. Me and my brother (who was visiting and also enjoys that type of thing) did it in about 13hrs at $52 and hour. I didn't have anything else to do, and they paid in cash. I was pretty pleased considering the circumstances. The trick with pricing is to get busy enough to look someone in the eyes and fire a big number. hey, if they say "no", who cares, your booked for two months anyways. But let me gurrentee this: you'll never get it unless you ask for it. my favorites are the people that plead to your sense of help, and tell you things like, "we are both working-class people and have two kids in college, and we also have to get the interior painted. So is there anyway you can help us out with the price?" I just laugh and say "no." It is usually women that do this, and it is so funny because they do it in a way that you can tell their husband told them to try and negotiate, and they are giving it their best shot. Just like a woman eh, appealing to sympathy :) Speaking of pricing and closing sales, has anyone ever closed a job to an asian or Indian (India)??? That probably sounds stereotypical (which it is) but hey, marketing and sales is nothing but following stereotypes. I usually get a couple of calls a year from asians/indians, always followed by, "you are much too high." I hate to pigeon hole two entire continents on a few calls, but you have to follow your demographical trends. Not trying to offend anyone here, if I've done so you can report me to the aclu or something! j/k

I'd have to be with PressurePros on this one. I'd have no problem getting $700-$1000 on a 20x20 deck, depending on other questions. The county I work in is the wealthiest county in the Southeast, and perhaps you guys should try and market in different areas of your cities. I never advertise to homes valued less than 350-400K, which is average in my area. Majority of decks we do are on homes around 500-750K. And all of my homes are brick, which makes staining even easier. I have hardly any competitors, which i believe is because of the high cost of living in the area. A middle class worker would have to drive close to 45 min. just to get to these homes. I have an apartment right in the middle, and am local to the people. Another thing is the lack of other pressure washing type work. We clean and seal aggregate driveways (which every home has) but there are no vinyl homes, concrete, etc. that most pressure washers work on. And many pressure washers/painters have given up on decks, because it is difficult to get a great result. Believe it or not, my theory is that wealthier people enjoy hiring people dedicated to the art of a very specific biz, i.e. deck restoration. If you offer 15 other services as well, you become a handyman and are due handyman wages. But I've found people that can afford it, like to hire experts. I've people hire me to do a deck, and hire a separate pressure washer to come after me to clean the concrete patio. People ask me to do other types of work, and I tell them to hire a painter, carpenter, etc. because I am only an expert at what I do, and I think people like that. ....and a demonstration will be the fastest sale you've ever made, if you are willing to invest the time into it. Keep a cheap 1500psi washer in the back of your truck and show what you can do, easy sales. New Jersey Guy, get some experience at your current price then raise them up to where you can make a decent living.

Gavin, Sounds odd to me. Two thoughts: 1) was it the same series i.e, 100, 200, 400, 500?? 2) One thing about TWP is that it settles really badly in the bottom of the can. Perhaps the old was not thoroughly (and i mean thoroughly) mixed. Like APLUS, I've had fantastic results with TWP, but our main destructive force in this area of the country is mildew (blackening). Your main problem will be UV degradation. It has done the best for me, followed by RS and Sikkens SRD. SRD is way to difficult to work with in my opinion however, but does have great colors. I've found TWP to be the most versatile product on the market, for what it can do for me. I need: thrilled customers, easy application, impressed neighbors, good price, "save"ability (ability to make an old, exausted deck look presentable again), one coat, easy spraying, penetrates without a sheen and film (which is very difficult to achieve with a one-coat product), can be applied to new wood, and perhaps most importantly, is easy (and cheaper) to maintain. For me, TWP is best for all of these things. I am going to be in your area for business in August, email me if you want a hand on a couple of decks. There is a lot of money to be made in your area for wood restoration, and you may as well be the guy making it. Jon Fife jfife81721@aol.com