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JFife

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Posts posted by JFife

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Beth - you use an airless, correct? You don't need to tarp when using an airless. But if you are sloshing on stain with 6 inch brushes and getting tons of stain on the deck - you better use tarping. Again - I don't think you hand brush all your railings, I had to do that because my airless was in the shop - A.C. on a hot day just dribbles everywhere.

    I'm with BNR, we never mask floors. Spraying with airless. I've always said, brushing is by far the sloppiest way to stain IMO. Those giant drops don't blend easily. If brushing, I'd def use a dropcloth under the rails.

    TN: I saw the brush-in line as well....in the future with Bakers/TWP, if you get an area like that, just scrub it down with some thinner/spirits. If you ever get shiny spots, scrub across them, or scuff-walk across them. Anything that will rub that surface sheen off.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Ronnie----

    For the most part, I always like your sales gimmicks. This one seems scummy to me. I'd be livid if someone came to my place of business and stencil'd something without me knowing it. Just seems like graffiti to me. Where does it stop? I'm sure someone could come up with a paint that washes off with rain.....would you paint a sidewalk or bridge?

    Don't get me wrong, I love outside-the-box guerilla marketing. But this seems undignified.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Jon have you used Sansin PTL or SDF on a deck? What about you Beth? I have it on test boards, have had the boards in full sun on a hot tin roof for over a year and the color is like the day I put it on. It's waterborne alkyd and it applies like a water based product, but it brushes out very smooth. I could tell it wouldn't be as contractor friendly since you would have to apply it out of direct sun etc. I have a deck down the road from me I'm gonna use it on. I'll have to give a report when I do.

    SDF--yes

    PTL--no

    IMO, Sansin is very tough to work with. If they could do something to make their product a little more reasonable to use, they'd have a goldmine.

    One of the best things about Sansin is that as it fails, it just kinda starts turning lighter in color, as opposed to darker like most other products. What is difficult, is that the product is made to totally penetrate. Well, that is very hard to get with it. Prep must be crazy good, temps perfect, no sun, etc. I'm sure it is a good product, but it isn't compatable with a guy that is trying to make money.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Beth---I haven't tried Flood.....oh wait, yeah we did, they send 4gal a year or two ago, called "Supreme" I believe. Guys used it this fall, said it was okay. Went on like mud by dried nice. I HATE a product that goes on one way and then changes appearance. Never know what you are getting in to. But if Captain ThankYou swears by it, I may give it a shot again. But it's oil, yeah? I do love thick products....spray so much better.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Jon...so the waterbornes aren't user friendly and have bad results on a deck, the ones you have used have penetration problems, and you cursed off all oil stains....what the heck do you put on decks? I thought you wanted jaws to break...not diagonal lines where spindles are unevenly penetrated??

    All products have their flaws, Chucky. Some cause you to have diagonal lines on your deck, some burn your truck to the ground:D j/k

    The waterbornes have their problems. But I'd rather deal with a tough app then have to deal with the mess of oil. Nothing is perfect. If RS looked halfway decent, it would be the magic product. But to my eyes, it isn't very attractive. Alas, RS is the perfect product, except for two things: 1) unattractive, and 2) the whole 12% thing.

    My waterbornes get A's on those two things. However, app requires more diligence. Who cares, we are supposed to be pros, right? If we can't handle applying a flashy deck stain, we belong digging ditches or something. Grand scheme, not that big of a deal. BTW, the issues on my deck---it was stained by two 16yr old kids, first time doing it. My guys that have used DEFY absolutely love it.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    JFife,

    Which waterborne is your favorite on a deck?

    Beth

    None of them!!!:D Seriously, just not real user friendly. But I think DEFY's are the best and most oil-like in behavior and appearance. I've had DEFY Epoxy on my deck for three months now and, well, I've seen worse. Still looks good, VERY repellent. Sooooo flashy though. Check this out---guys stained it around 6pm w/ evening sun coming in one side....prob 80deg temps. WHERE THE SUN SHINED THROUGH MY SPINDLES, the shadows (from spindles) allowed stain to penetrate deeper, and where the sun hit straight on the deck, it is flashed higher to the surface! So I can look at my deck and see diagonal lines about 4" apart where the stain looks different due to the different penetration rate.

    By far, the worst thing about the waterbornes is the flash. And we use Pchink's deck stain occasionally.....more similar to their wall stain, hides well.

    Re: DEFY---ScottOPW said he thought DEFY Hardwoods was easiest to work with.

    Sidenote: If your Pchink salesman tells you that "wheat" is an identical replacement to "light natural", run for the hills! It isn't even close. We are doing a house right now w/ wheat....and luckily HO likes it. But nothing like LN.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Rick probably "Petry-fied" his liver years ago, I'm glad I never got into alcohol....my little experience made me know that it was a power I'd have difficulty controlling, so I moved on without it before I was in too deep.

    Hey Rick, you ever watch that TV show "MadMen?" It is dry but really good....Madison Avenue ad-men in the early 60's. It is awesome---all day long at the office they have a cig in one hand, and a stiff drink in the other.:)

    Beth---I tied AC last year....seemed like a good oil. But where I am, TWP is local w/ no shipping, and works good enough.

    However, our policy is to never use oils again, unless it is maintenance or cust demands it. To many things I don't like about it, and I'd rather fight the uphill battle with the waterbornes. It is great---nobody is nasty all the time, vehicles are clean, storage is clean and odor-free, no fire hazards, etc etc etc.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    We specialize in wood care, but I'm perfectly OK with about 10% of our business being non wood related, especially when weather is uncooperative. We are glad to wash non-wood homes, trex, etc., and it keeps the schedule full, and the guys paid.

    Beth

    Yeah, but I'm more specifically referring to what *these* guys do....basically decks (chucky, Ricky). Like you said, you do vinyl, etc....but even on your wood, you do interiors, rot, and lots of verticals.....and it is much easier to deal with rain challenges on a home vs. a deck.

    Decks are a tough game. Russ was really onto something with WTW, if it would have worked out as planned, he'd probably be a millionaire by now...either through sales or selling to Cabot et al.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I think Chucky is about 15 or 16, or as I like to say, "Jailbait."

    I think Dan makes a good point. Rick and Chucky sell specialty, but my guess is that neither of you rely on this for 100% of your income ( I *think* Rick is retired, and Chucky is a student). Do you guys think you could get by if this biz was necessary to support yourself and family?

    It would be tough. In fact, I'd be interested to see if there is anyone that makes a solid living doing nothing by straight woodcare (clean and stain). I venture to guess most supplement it with something......but IMO, deckcare would be the ultimate parttime job. But too many negative variables that would make it impossible to do as your only source of FT employment. Obviously, unless you can live on a very low salary, which some can, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    I agree on the transoxides.

    Rick---look at it like this: you love your chevy, but you've never driven a ferrari. Obama builds a fine car, but once you experience something better, you can see the flaws and difference in standards in the chevy.

    I'm sure you and your customers are thrilled with what they get---and they always will be, until they see something else. Wanna experience this first-hand? On your next bid, take out a sample board this is prepped perfectly and stained with Sikkens Cetol butternut. Then pull out your sample board with RS on it, and say, "but this is our preference." At that point, you can tell them all you want about no peeling, easy maintenance, etc.....but you'll never be able to unsell that pic in their head of the Sikkens sample board.

    You may think RS/WTW, etc looks better....but you'll be a minority, I assure you. A high-quality film building product simply looks better. No doubt, they've got their challenges. But a waterborne with clay pigment looks stunning. The oilbases with copper/clay pigments look clean, bright, and vibrant. Side-by-side to a non-drying oil w/ trans, it will simply look better to most who have eyes.

    I love everything about RS---one of the best vendors I've EVER dealt with. I have probably used 1000-1500 gal or so over several years, without a single complaint about their company. Great app. If done right, can be durable. But at the end of the day, I couldn't deliver a stunning result. I was consistently delivering a "B-". ....Had many other benefits to the customer, but I never dropped a jaw. In our biz, that is an absolute necessity IMO. Gotta break jaws. And the drab oily look with dirty pigment just doesn't do it for me.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    I have offended Beth & Rod in the past, I commend your courage to stand up and be a man.

    Thanks Jon we all need to reflect on your leadership to always do whats right.

    Jon is Blessed today and possibly may have rubbed some off on me. Thanks for the PM bro

    Ron, I will find it very hard to believe that you have ever offended anyone:D.

    Take down the rfp lists of your "enemies", you'll feel better---and be a better man for doing it. Life is too short for that much negativity and vindictiveness......bad for the spirit, bad for the health.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    I dont undrestand the point of that. I want as much stain on the wood as possible so why try and brush it all off right away? I only backbrush to keep any drips from forming and spread out the occasional puddles...I want the stain to stay on the wood so it soaks in.

    Chucky,

    Prob depends on the stain. We spray on, let sit for 5min of so, then backbrush. The brushing evens out the coat so that the entire surface looks evenly wet.....which is what we want. At that point it will cure out evenly. When we backbrush, we don't "pull off" any stain. Just move it from the high spots to the low spots.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Ken can't you still backbrush fast without applying ridiculous pressure to the bristles. I dont want to wipe all the product off by brushing super hard I just want it to spread evenly over the surface. We just run the brush up and down on the spindles barely touching the wood

    Chucky---we vigorously backbrush. We buy our brushes at a place called MBS, owned by Omaha Tools. Our 4" brushes are around $1.15 each, and we go through about 300-400 a year. Waaaay cheaper to throw away than to clean. We backbrush vigorously enough that within 2-4hrs, the brush looks like it got stuck under a lawnmower.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Good evening,

    I want to apologize to all in the membership for harboring negativity and making derogatory statements in reference to BethnRod. I am not only guilty of saying regretful things, but I'm also guilty of supporting the negative statements of others. For this, I apologize and humbly ask for forgiveness.

    The disagreements happened over two years ago, and today I saw a post on TGS I wanted to respond to---yet didn't, due to my harboring of ill-feelings towards board ownership. Thankfully, my conscience asked me to re-evaluate why this was, and I realized I barely even remembered why I was holding a grudge.

    Anyways, I apologize for my actions and offer my best wishes to BNR and their forum,

    Sincerely,

    JON

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Business opportunity for sale in Colorado!! Can be located anywhere you choose---advertisements, literature, phone #'s, etc. are not location-specific!!

    What is it??

    A: A service business that does all types of woodcare, with a specialty in log and cedar homes. The majority of leads come from the central/mountainous area of the state. Specifically from Aspen to the front range.

    What comes with it??

    A: Everything you need to thrive in this business---without having to buy equipment you probably don't need. Advertisements, materials, biz info, lead generation, super-high quality mailing lists, website, two days training on an actual job (should you want it), and a contracted job that is ready to be done, as soon as the weather allows!!

    Does this hold much opportunity??

    A: In short, YES!! In your two days of training, we'll explain to you step-by-step how to make good money doing this in your location.

    Why are you selling it??

    A: My brother, who was going to run this op, didn't like living in CO. He never could adjust to the altitude, and stayed in that "semi-sick" rut and was never able to acclimate. He didn't want to stay, and I'd prefer to sell as-is rather than try and make a go of it.

    BOTTOM LINE, how much does this cost??

    A: Contact me for this information. I'll discuss it once I determine if you are a candidate to buy. Being said, our asking price is LESS than the profit you'd make on the job that comes with the deal. This is a steal-of-a-deal for a guy that is ready to generate serious profits, and is tired of chasing hot-water washing jobs around town that will go to the local lowballer working for beer money. You know it and I know it.

    This opportunity gives you, literally, the best of all worlds! Wanna stay an owner/op and make lots of $$ per job by having almost zero overhead?? This is perfect!! Wanna grow and operate crews, but still be in a field where you can charge the really high margins?? This is it!! You can take this biz wherever you want it to go.

    And you can pay for all of it on a credit card!! ...So you can get everything you need, training, AN ACTUAL JOB.....with zero dollars out of pocket! Carry it at zero % for 12 months!! Whatever! Someone will make all of this money this year, it oughta be you!!

    Email me if interested,

    JON

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