AAPaint

Alonso, why does it say you're from Ottawa is you're looking for 12.5% chlorine in Jacksonville? You don't have a proper signature, and your post sounds like spam.

The only thing I know to do is wait it out. Here in FL you can get away with one good full day of hot sun to dry out the wood, especially on vertical surfaces. If you're doing something in the shade where it stays moist, I would double check with a moisture meter to make sure you are good to go. This year has been the worst for rain though. It's put us back on a lot of work, meaning you don't get paid for a while, so hopefully you are doing other stuff while you wait. Usually FL has 300 days a year of sunny weather (Jax does anyway), but we've had record rainfalls, record floods, and all kinds of stuff this year. We broke 100 year flood levels in some areas, so it's been tough, but it's finally drying out now. The good thing is, although we lost a lot of summer to rain, we can stain all year round here.

I meant the brightener (oxalic or citric) not the oxiclean, but that's ok. Did you stain it yet? I second what Charlie said, you can get your chems way cheaper in bulk, rather than the homestore variety. Those are usually watered down and overpriced at the same time. Put some stain on that thing and let's see what it looks like.

Yeah, I've beat this old body to death, but it still runs! It has a slight knock and may need a couple new gaskets, but it still has spark, lol. You'd think with all the damage I did it would be worse, but I really only feel it when kneeling, it feels like my knees will split in two. After blowing a few discs in my back (again no surgery) the knees were bad, but not as bad. Only real bad days are when my spine dislocates and I get stuck. Chris, I have heard the meniscus thing isn't too bad. Usually all they do is shave it down a little where it's torn. The damage is still permanent, but you won't have as much pain. I'm sure John can tell you, you still have to take it easier than before with your knees. It's not the tear that hurts, it's when the meniscus folds over where it's torn. At least this is what they told me when I tore both of mine.

You don't HAVE to have a facebook page, but it helps if you're into residential work. It's a good place to publicly show off work you do, and to attract people who might not see your company otherwise. It's really the networking that makes it any good. As more people like your pages, posts, photos, etc. they spread naturally to other people with no effort of your own. Links from facebook users to your website also help improve your rankings in search engines as well, because google is seeing social networking as a valid gauge of how relevant your website is to certain topics and keywords. I'll add in that using paid advertising on facebook is not worth it. The return is very minimal, and most users have admitted an aversion to clicking on advertising links there. To top that off, facebook is very shady about the number of clicks they charge for. I know from first hand experience. I had a number of ads running, and was being charged for clicks I positively was not receiving. I use numerous types of software to monitor website traffic and it's origins, NONE were showing all the clicks I was charged for. Facebook will completely ignore your requests for proof of the clicks they are charging for, even if you send them copies of logs from multiple sources proving you are paying for clicks not received. So, use it for free network marketing, it will provide some good branding and new customers, but don't bother with paid advertisements.

I tore the meniscus lining in both knees years ago and tore my acl. Never had surgery. Hurts to kneel and sometimes to climb ladders, but that's it.

Just clean it with a light bleach mixture, then hose it off and hit it with brightener again. No need to make a big production out of it now.

Oh.....that sounds worse than I was imagining at first. Holy smokes!

Facebook is good for networking, and when someone likes your page, their friends can see those likes, etc. So it's helpful in spreading your name, and not something you should miss out on. The best info is still on the forums, but facebook for networking and reaching new people is great.

I would just be honest with them that the design of the deck is going to cause serious problems for maintenance. Explain the problems that no drainage and standing water will cause. Inform them that what they have is something very unconventional in the way of exposed decking. Let them know you don't want to be responsible when it goes the way you think it will, and explain to them what that is. Then add a clause to your contract about it and have them initial it. The problem is that even after all of that, they might blame YOU for not getting it right! They'll never think the wonderful guy who built this mess was responsible for it. I've seen this before where the homeowner blames the guy tasked with caring for their mess, rather than the guy who made the mess. In their eyes the structure "looks" just "fine", so it must be the fault of the guy who couldn't help maintain it right.

Oh yeah, looks like a fun project. Lots of difficulty involved just due to the nature of some of the structures. Remember, that stuff is fun to climb around on when you're playing, but it's a whole different story when cleaning and staining it. Keep that in mind and try to charge accordingly. If anything, overshoot the cost, don't cut yourself short.

Yeah, no bones for direct competitors. I'm not here to teach them how I make my money so they can steal it. I enjoy helping online those who I can, but not someone in my back yard.

I'm not really into teaching anyone who's not 3 states away, haha.

Yeah, I don't want to say don't go. There are times you HAVE to go, and you know down inside when that is. I would certainly do like Jason said. Take their advice with a grain of salt, and don't be afraid to argue the diagnosis or get a second opinion, and don't ever be afraid to refuse their solution. They are quick to talk you into expensive and invasive procedures. They're selling jobs to make money too, but most people don't see a doctor that way. It's the oddest thing! I have some rough health issues, but if I had taken their advice on some things, I would probably be in a wheel chair. Instead, I am out washing houses and staining wood, and managing what issues I do have with NUTRITION! That's the best way to go if your issues can be solved in that manner, and most can. Infections and things of that nature, you might not be able to if you let them get too far.

The cleaning really helps open up the pores, and it helps remove any mill glaze, so it goes a long way to getting as much stain into it as possible. Very nice work Shane. Did you do the ceiling inside there too, or is that painted?

I don't go to doctors, because usually all I get is a diagnosis and no solution, and I really don't agree with the pharmaceutical garbage they shove down people's throats. I also don't play the vaccine bit either. Just be careful they don't prescribe treatment that's not necessary. Had a few try that as well.

Nice, lol.

Are you buying chems from a distributor, or a local chemical company? I'm thinking about trying to find one local to save some money.

If it's painted, I'd just scrape, sand, prime, and repaint. You are talking a lot of labor to go to something else now. You'll have to do this every few years, but it will save you a ton in labor and supplies.

Check out this fence staining and restoration project we (finally) finished. This fence was submerged under about 4-5' of water during the flood I mentioned in another post. You can clearly see the marks showing how high the water came up. This fence restoration came out real good for how it did look.

I never thought about using a pump up sprayer. May have to do that next time. That is indeed two coats of the light brown with an airless sprayer no less, so the wood was saturated with the RS. Some photos I have are much darker, that were in the sun, and these in the shade looked really light. Also looks a little blotchy in some of the photos, but not in person. I'm guessing it's the way the pigments reflect, because I see this every time I use RS. Btw, I feel for you working alone. That's a lot of work to push through by yourself. I might use your trick of wetting down plastic, just scares me with any stain that might run off though. (Note: that is over 20 gallons of stain on 100' of fence).

Voted. Good luck.

No, we usually just cover everything with plastic where we're working, then put butyl backed drop cloths out beyond that so we're not stepping off of plastic onto concrete with oil on our shoes. The wet concrete above is where we ran our surface cleaner for the customer at the end of the job. They park vehicles on the concrete there under the house. One thing I do in case of mishaps is keep a squirt bottle of spirits, rags, and a wire brush handy. If you hit concrete, a quick squirt and scrub will save the day. Or if you hit vinyl, etc. a squirt and wipe will fix it.

Haha....fences over concrete with block pillars dividing each panel equals extra pain in the ashes!

Yup, gotta love good responses and happy customers. Got another fence coming up this week. 276 ln. ft. of fun, in the same color too. Can't wait to get on it. Is there an Indian NO rain dance?