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Not exactly... Just put it behind you. Can't win 'em all, and some people oughta have a license just to breathe. I'm sure there are plenty of folks you can get along with just fine. ... If there's some kinda ridiculous town ordinance regarding soliciting, or trying to earn money by doing work of a common nature, and you get tagged, go to the little muni court if they give you a citation... You just stand up there and tell that goon in the black robe that you are doing your best to earn a meal and shelter. Would he prefer you stand in line to sign up for welfare ? You are not guilty of a crime and don't be bashful advising him so. .

Wow! Itty-bitty little house ! Is the deck bigger than the house ? ...sounds a bit high for doing the deck part, but I haven't seen it. No worries... YOU set your prices, they decide if you get to work. Far easier to come down in price, and give them a 'bargain' to close a deal, after you've discussed the merits of your excellent workmanship and sterling reputation and all that stuff. . . than do a job too cheap. Hard to bump up a price when you discover you've almost lost your shirt. Good luck

If you feel age may be affecting your ability to solicit jobs, change your presentation to "WE" and run with it showing confidence that you are indeed part of an excellent team, well equipped to accomplish the clients task. (Everyone has some sort of support group, wether they are in the field with them, or only at the bank counting $'s.) To the OP, our entry into PW'ing was and extension of our pre-existing business. It increased our income by 15-20% almost immediately. Doubled the investment would have been far superior. A well-thought advertising campaign would be money well spent.

Looks like eflourescense under the sealer, to me... Probably what happened is the concrete was acid stained at the time it was stamped, then they did not wait long enough before cleaning and sealing it. They probably did NOT clean it before sealing ! The Celeste method using xylene could work well to strip the sealer. It's available at any real paint store. ...Gonna need a quality carbon mask for breathing... And I'm not sure of the flash point, but that will be a factor, also. Make sure the fumes don't get to the water heater, if it's outside, or the cooking range, if a kitchen window will be open near that patio. It's real easy to accomplish spectacular things with painter's solvents that make a science project gone wrong look like a good day ! Exercise caution !! Don't try to remove the eflourescence from the slab until it's dried for a day or so. I'd begin with mild chems to avoid affecting the acid stain in the finish. High pressure will easily destroy the cream coat of the slab... especially since it's been worked up a bit for use of the stamps. Advise the owner in advance that distinct coloring that was once present will not return, even after you apply sealer once the eflourescence is gone, but it will be much nicer without all that white stuff. Good luck with the multi-step process. All good things take time, so bid it properly. The client should be very pleased with the end product. Best .

The concrete is probably rather porous and it won't be possible to get all of it out... ever. Advise the client you can get most of it the first application as described above, and tell them you can get most of what is remaining on a return trip after a few months. If they are sensitive, as some folks are, be sure to advise them it will always be there at least a little bit. (The wet season each year could float a bit more up.) Once the pay you for a return trip, upon leaving you could give them a small bag of kitty litter, (the secret weapon), and advise them to apply it for a week next time it begins to surface noticeably. Good luck

Good exhibit to show clients !

2hrs each doesn't sound like too long in 'real time' to me! With mobiles, it's always something!!! Best thing in a park is to get in there... then you hope to pick up others in close proximity which cuts down travel time. Some are not so bad, and others... well, you can charge more for those! Sell 'em on regularly scheduled cleanings!

Dwell time for the proper percentage of bleach solution would most likely help. However, bleach can be very toxic and a suitable respirator should be used. Basically, if you have given it a try, and not gotten the best results, you get points for giving it the old college try. Inquire with local professionals for their assessment of the job. There are probably members here on TGS from your area. Hopefully they will contact you!

Here in Kalifornia there are very noticeable empty storefronts in the neighborhood malls and small centers. There are STILL commercial buildings going in! Many residential foreclosures, yet a flurry of looky-lou's when one hits the blocks for cheap because it's a distressed property... (should be bulldozed). Many people still working. Many not quite enough work. Under-employed. People are ready for action, there is only a slow fizzle going on. Craigslist LOADED with tools, pawnshop won't buy ANYTHING construction related. A LOT of pu trucks and Suv's for sale on all streets and parking lots. Obie supporters are beginning to wake up that he's doing no good.

Soda blast might be good, too...

Not so bad... At least it was in bags. We once hauled two roll off drop boxes out of a place. 20ft long x 6ft tall. But that did include carpet and old appliances.

WoW! That's the worst blue tape storm I EVER saw! And I've seen a lot! You've got to shut these people down, immediately. Advise them of industry standards, and 'just say no'. If they are really, really, super nice people, the nicest people in the whole world, I would be glad to accomodate someone like that on a T & M basis if they paid my first quarter in advance, funded my 401k, provided fully funded healthcare insurance, made the down payment for my vacation home, and made me executor of their trust. It is always best to bring these people to reality quick as possible. :lghohoho:

Yep, that's it! I took the muffler off my HD BS washer and put on a straight pipe. Now I got more power and the client inside can REALLY hear how hard I'm working on their house. I get the windows left open first so they know I'm not scrimping on water. Sometimes they stand inside their windows and wave their arms at me so I can give them a quick rinse when it's hot weather. Fun people! :lgjump:

Those are REALLY big numbers Kevin! How about coffee at Starbucks?

I stained composite deck boards with a linseed oil based stain last year and it seems to be holding up well. Can't be specific, it was a bunch of stuff I mixed up myself.

Good for him that you checked! You oughta see frogs flying out into a room from a window mount swamp cooler!

Why not Ron?

Well! The mold thread popped up again... It is a problem that is not going to go away. With the number of foreclosures, there will be many homes closed up and not properly ventilated, and those that have developed leaks WILL have mold growth. I can see where many structures shall need to be gutted. Co2 is spot on... You should not do it without some sort of suitable training. I just dive right in there... Yes, my respiratory system is shot. From that, and other things.

This is really interesting thread. Want to try a structured boycott aimed at the Masters of Price Fixing who already have the best established, strongest cartels on the face of the planet. These people make DeBeers and Medellin look like boy scouts! If they lose money for a period of time it is wrote off on their taxes! ...and their CEO and other officers get pay raises! Wrong people to mess with, if you ask me. It would be like poking a sleeping tiger with a stick. You all must realize it is a problem of supply. There is just NOT any more oil. From the info I've read, there have been no significant large reserves of oil discovered in some time. Prudhoe Bay was smaller than everyone thought. In Texas, they have gone to recovering natural gas, oil drilling in the Lone Star Republic is very nearly a thing of the past. The amount recoverable from ANWR would be a drop in the bucket compared to demand and actual consumption at the existing rate. Sure, they recently discovered reserves off Brasil, but very little, if any, will be shipped to us. All the 3rd world countries are coming out of the stone age, and their consumption is growing by leaps and bounds! The British North Sea oilfields have been sold off by all the big players, because of depletion, and now, secondary producers are gleaning much smaller amounts, which will be a much more expensive process for the actual return. The Russian oilfields are on their 2nd or third time around of recovering from bad mismanagement, and they will most likely fade to a level where it is much more costly to produce any significant amount. Canadian oil shale? Sure there's quite a bit of it... It was never exploited before, because of the expense of the process. Sure, there will be fuel, if you can pay $12 a gallon for it. We are looking at a significant lifestyle change in the very near future, IMO. If anyone has access to better information, that would controvert what I have read, I'd like to see it! Have a NICE day.

Hey Kevin, Do you have the complete info for building a Dr Brown's gas generator to run an engine? I'd really be interested in that... Saw an old WWII movie, where they were running an old jitney bus in the Phillipines with a gas generator smoking away on the back of the bus... It was wild! Chugging and popping, they straggled on down the road in a cloud of smoke, hitting and missing on maybe every other cylinder firing. Just the kind of thing I'd like to try... haven't been arrested in a while!

Why the fed cuts won't help? Gee whiz! The new loan rates are to help the banks, NOT the little guy! The moguls of finance are getting bigger paychecks than ever before. Now, instead of the fdic insuring bank failures, fannie mae and freddy mac are going to buy up all those bad notes and the taxpayer is going to foot the bill anyway! Good luck all. It will be time to learn how to get by with a whole lot less. ..

Hey Ron, In the last 4 years I have actually walked away from 2 one ton trucks... they were both oldies, but in good mechanical condition. There's no substitute for horsepower, or cargo capacity, but I had work that a ranger handled without too much trouble and couldn't justify the operating expense of the big trucks. Sometimes I miss the flatbed dually, but the extended cab F-350 with a 460 was always a pig and never really had any guts. Sell those big dogs while you can, IF you can! Either that, or charge port to port to run em. ..

Hi Kevin, Painting with interior latex, 515 is always a good tip of choice to begin with. If your pump has the capacity to produce more volume, at pressure, without flagging, or banding, you can increase to 615, or 517, 519 for better production rate. Exterior latex products are generally heavier bodied and 615 is most likely a better starting point. The little spraytech pump mention only produces .3gpm, so tip will need to remain small, and product well strained, to prevent it from flagging. Best to use a little pump like that for trim work, or lacquer. We had some of those. Titan or Graco are better pumps, and you'll pay more for them. In real world practice, using a 615, 617, 0r 619 you can "throw" product a bit farther giving you more reach, when doing exterior work. Cutting the pump's pressure back, and using 617 or 619 for exterior deck staining, or fencing will cut down on overspray. Even a bigger tip could be used for staining a fence, or other coarse boards... but things DO happen really fast! Have fun!

that 311 tip is for fine atomization of thin product. for deck stain use a 617 or 619 at lowest pressure you can get. Sry, Titan would have been my choice.

wasn't he...