SPW Clean

Hi Everyone, I have a customer that wants maintenance done on her IPE deck that was stained with Australian Timber Oil ten months ago. I have searched for this information but found nothing on the maintenance process. She has asked for only the main decking boards and stairs to be cleaned and resealed. The stain has failed in some areas greatly. Is it fine to gently clean most of the area with a precarb and then strip the failed areas, along with sanding if needed, or should they all be stripped completely b/c I have read that only one coat is recommended for Australian Timber oil. Will applying the same stain over old stain cause any issues? Also, is the drying time really 24 hours? I don’t want to apply the stain during the day if they are calling for rain that night. This is my first IPE decks, so I would rather the customer want us to strip the whole deck and reapply. Any info will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Keith

How do you clean a Trex deck? Is it the same cleaning process as any other deck? Thanks, Keith

I have found Muriatic Acid at Lowe's in the painting section for under $10 a gallon. Keith Sorry, I didn't see how old this post was.

Thanks everyone. It sounds like a simple mixture of 6% SH and some soap applied and rinsed using the xjet will do the trick. I'm also going to contact Trex to get their process. Thanks, Keith

This sounds great! How do we sign up and when will we know if there are too many already attending? Thanks, Keith

Hi Everyone, What size ladder do you typically carry to clean out gutters? Thanks for any help you can provide. thanks, Keith

Thank you all for your responses, they were a lot of help! I'm going to go with the 20' or 24' to start with and then also get a 8' step ladder. Keith

I still have not found a place local that carries 12.5 %. Lenny, could you please let me know where you get it from in Richmond? Thanks, Keith

Hi Everyone, I was wondering how you usually recommend the color of Ready Seal to your customers for their decks? During the estimate do you just tell them what kind of seal you are using and then you just pick the color that you think will look the best? I am going to give Ready Seal a try so I would like to see how most of you handle choosing the color. Do you ever refer them to the Sun Brite Supply website so they can choose? This will be used on a 12 year old cedar deck that has never been stained before. Thanks, Keith

That is a great idea! Thank you.

I have started taking before and after pics but I have not yet put together a portfolio. I'm going to start one together once I have enough which should be soon. I'm looking forward to trying Ready Seal. Thanks for all of the suggestions. Keith

Thank you all for your advice. I am going to get a brochure from Sunbrite. The owner actually does have stain on the deck and it looks like it might be Behr unfortunately so do you think I should suggest a dark stain for his deck since it looks like that's what he applied before? Keith

Yes, please do share what products and process you used because that job looks great! :)

Hi Everyone, I'm hoping that you can help me with trying to remove a white powder like substance on a brick retaining wall. The client just recently had his concrete driveway done and there is now a white substance on the brick retainer wall where those who laid the concrete used a PW to clean up their job at the end. They blew this white substance, from the sealer I think, all over the retainer wall and they could not remove it with just water. I was thinking of just trying to use concrete sealer remover. Has anyone done this type of job before and if so what worked for you well? Thanks for any help you can provide. The picture of the side stairs shows the white substance that I'm speaking of the best. My pics are not compressing right now. I will try to post them tomorrow. Thanks, Keith

Thank you all for your help! Unfortunately the customer decided to not have this done at this time. Here are some pics of the job. Keith

Great observation! :) I will do some tests on it tomorrow and narrow down the possibilities but more than likely you are correct. Is there a safer way to test for effloresence than the acid/fiz test? thanks, Keith

Thanks Jeff, that would make a lot more sense than it being sealer. I have never come across this before so I was describing from the info I got from the customer. I have asked the owner if he knows what they used b/c I believe that he may, he should be getting back to me today. Keith

Evening everyone, tomorrow I have my first townhouse deck and fence job. I have done residential house decks & fences before but never a townhouse. First, the stain that was previously used on the decks was Behr Redwood solid stain I believe. Is there anything that would be able to completely strip this deck or would I be better off cleaning the decks as well as possible and reapplying the same stain. The last stain job was done last year but the owner said the stain was applied before the wood was dry enough and it did not last through the summer. Also, how should I go about cleaning and staining the fence? Since the fence is also the neighbors, will the cleaning affect the stain the neighbor have on theirs, and can I still use a sprayer to do the fence or would the fence need to be brushed? Thanks for any information you can provide this newbie! :confused: Keith

Thanks for the pointers! This is very helpful information. I'm going to go take a look at the house now. I'll let you know how everything looks. Keith

Everyone is so helpful here and I have learned that I know hardly know anything well yet after joining and I'm so glad I found this forum! I do visit the FAQ's often so you may not see too many posts from me for awhile but I sure am glad I posted this one! It has more than likely saved me from having an unsatisfied customer and a lot of hours of work only to be disappointed in my results in the end, especially since I was going to do the job mostly to get referrals which wouldn’t pan out too well with this type of task at hand! Thanks for all of the suggestions. p.s. I did add my signature earlier today but it just hasn't taken effect yet. Keith

Thank you, that is exactly the kind of advice I need! I will go talk to her tomorrow and explain everything to her. Thanks for the advice because I would definitely like to do jobs that are not as difficult as that one until I'm more seasoned in this business. I don't want to take on something I can't do right. I'm glad I did ask the pros!

Thanks Doug, that's what I was worried about! The owners fence has never been stained but the neighbor's side has. Is there anyway to do it right such as hand brush the fence? This is a ex-coworker that I'm doing this for and I was hoping I could do this. Also, what about the deck? Do you suggest that I just clean and reapply the stain? Thanks Again!

I agree, the first one resembles a deck. What did you use to create your logo?

Thank you very much John!! This is exactly the information I needed and I truly appreciate you taking the time to respond! I do have a few more questions such as: Did any of you leave good office careers to pursue your interest in running your own business and did you start off part time to do so? How much equipment did you start off with? I have a decent power washer that does a great job on washing houses and cleaning decks, a truck, a latter and a paint sprayer (can this be used to stain decks?). What other bare essentials do you suggest that I first purchase such as an x-jet, surface cleaner, ect? I am definitely going to try to make a Roundtable Event as soon as I can. Thanks again! Keith

Good Evening Everyone! I am just getting started part-time with my own power washing business. I have done exterior power washing in the past on rental properties for the owner at their request and have decided that I would like to pursue this business by starting off part-time. I want to make sure I have everything straight before power washing residential homes so I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on a few things. Such as: how do I obtain insurance? I don’t see and EPA regulations in Virginia so does that mean I don’t have to collect the water runoff? I appreciate any assistance you can provide. So far all I have is some of the equipment needed and my business license. I would also like to know how I can get certified in cleaning decks and other certifications plus any training materials that you suggest as I know there is a lot for me to learn after reading several of these posts. Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give. :)