Beth n Rod

You gotta love this job. It's so gratifying and rewarding to see something go from yuck to sweet and knowing you did it. Nice job. Rod!~

Hmmmmm not entirely correct however. Beth

Loparex makes a product called 'Pre-taped' Plastic masking. It comes on a roll 8'X75' with tape on one end. We roll it out onto the siding as high as we can reach and use 2" blue painters tape on the bottom applied with half the tape stuck to the siding, the top half left loose to tuck the pre-taped plastic behind and it makes a great seal. Wind doesn't get behind it so well and it has a static cling that helps tremendously. There is no residue afterwards from either tape. Our local Sherwin Williams stocks it. I hope that gives you a starting place if you are interested. Call me if you need a better explanation than I can type this morning before dispatching our crews. Rod!~

That is not premature failure but wear and tear. Next! Rod!~

Russ, My reply was not directed to you in any way but just sharing what I do for others to consider. Sorry, not trying to get on the same page, just being the individual I am, nothing more. The rags kept in a degreaser solution are for those times when sealer gets into areas that masking is not quite able to cover. (ie: places between deck and siding, hardware installed on the structure like hinges, latches, handles and locks). We don't use rags to apply to exterior wood...too much lint and splinters to contend with. I have tried the lambs wool applicators too and had the same problems. Got 2 left anyone want them? I have tried to wash the tarps but they become so heavy that they are literally more trouble to deal with. Tried to use a Laundromat large volume machine and got nowhere. There is just too much sealer in them for the carpet washing machines to handle and pumping HD-80 into the unit is not something I would want to do to someone else's equipment. Just my thoughts here. Rick, there is probably other ways to deal with tarps that have become coated with sealer too but for me, trying to put a 12X15 tarp into a 5gal bucket just won't fit. And having no way to rinse it out without creating a hazmat issue is in my opinion unrealistic. If I were to try and rinse them off in my driveway with my pressure washer, I would be destroying my asphalt and the residue would go down a storm drain that leads directly to the Chesapeake Bay. Besides, once they reach a certain point, they get sealed into plastic and are picked up by the local garbage company. We launder the rags in regular intervals and reuse them. The new ones are used for personal cleanup and the older more abused ones become dedicated to the degreaser solution circulation. I wish there was a better way to deal with tarps but reiterating the previous reason as I mentioned above and alternately I am not going to be running to the Laundromat every seal day just to use a carpet washer. I take precautions that have been effective for 7 years so far and without incident. I hope this helps bring my individual perspective to light. People will take it or leave it for what it is...my .02 Rod!~

Ken, In pic #1, I am noticing you are using duct tape to hold plastic up, don't you get frustrated when its breezy? Nice job in #3 :cool: I bet the lattice was a PITA factor in itself. Side note here, how do you like the little giant ladder pictured in the middle? I have a couple of Krauss multi-fold ladders that are reaching the end of their service life after only 5 years. Rod!~

Ok, I know many may think this is isolated or not realistic but I am a firm believer in taking care of the hoses by not dragging them around corners, avoiding allowing them to get knotted up, keep them from being run over, laying them all out in a serpentine pattern to ease movement, not leaving them on the reel for friction damage, minimizing pulling across asphalt and concrete, not shooting them with the nozzle, and cleaning them as they are rolled up onto the reel. Yes it is a PITA to maintain them and changing the high pressure couplings periodically can take time out of your schedule but so far I have a set that are going into year three with little incidence. Some hoses are dependent on the quality put into the manufacturing of them and the consistency of same. I had one that lasted 6 weeks and it blew. Others lasted 2 years and had a blowout. I have another one that is 4 years old and has some bad cuts in the casing but it still is holding up (knocking wood here). If a hose blows more than once, it's gone. Standard rule. Rod!~

I have considered one of those spinner attachments for a drill that has flapping sandpaper on it but often talk myself out of it due to uncertainty of the durability. It makes sense that it can get into some tight areas but how long will it last is my biggest hurdle. Rod!~

One thing you can do with the defelting pad, you can hold it in your hand and rub it in tight corners or work it up and down between spindles either on the tool or off. Works pretty well. Beth

Thank you Ron G! Beth

Rfitz, Let us know how your maintenance work goes on any of the WT decks you saw recently (when you get them that is.) I am confident that your result will be richer and will blend evenly for a nice finish. Rod!~

Rfitz, Let us know how your maintenance work goes on any of the WT decks you saw recently if you get the call to do them. I am confident that your result will be richer and will blend evenly for a nice finish. Rod!~

dry exposed wood will fuzz too. Rod!~

It's night work Gum removal required for the price That 15 foot radius...of the doors or surrounding the square entrance of the doors, which makes it bigger.... Also windows have to be clean as well. Beth

Exactly! Well put! Beth

In our area there are 4 property management companies all vying for the main contract. Some are being given "test" stores to see who is the better vendor, and there seems to be some store overlap. Stick to your guns. I get the feeling they are having a hard time getting someone to do them for that price. At least, I get that feeling from two different property managers. Beth

1-Makita variable speed buffer 7" for defurring, you can buy the pads from Tom Vogel @ ACR Products. We also use DeWalt orbital sanders. 2-The kind holding a piece of sand paper in between a few fingers and rubbing vigorously. :lol: Seriously, I have not found anything worth while to get into these tight spots. I make sure the wash/strip is attending especially to the areas under the handrails where it is the most difficult to reach. 3-Aside from the answer in #1, you can find most of these other tools at your local dealer or on-line. Hopefully others will chime in with some sources that they have gotten great prices on. Rod!~

Thank you Rick Petry! Beth

We have been getting calls from deck builders who are getting pushed hard by Cabot's to purchase and install SPF. The directions given are those you would see when finishing furniture for application, and ... it is getting pushed as the hardwood product of choice. Beth

Interesting news. Will have to check our local shop. Beth :cup:

You are all very welcome! Thank you all for making this site rock the way it does! Beth & Rod

All our tarps are folded as flat as possible and then kept out of direct sunlight. This helps limit air in between where the heat can build up to ignition temps. We use 12X15 8lb tarps, longways they are folded in half then half again. then we fold from the long end in half then half it again and a third time then fold that remainder in half sideways. This ends up with a 3X3 square folded neatly and flat which can be doused with water if they get too hot. This helps control the innermost temp rise and prevents ignition. The basis is simple in preventing a fire. It needs 3 things in order to exist. Oxygen, heat and fuel. Take any one of them away and a fire cannot start. Folding them tightly takes away oxygen from in between the folds. Keeping them in a cool place takes away heat. I hope this helps others using tarps for sealing. For our rags, they are kept in a degreaser solution bucket at all times. We never use dry rags for sealer wiping or cleaning. The degreaser solution helps to remove any sealer that gets onto an unintended surface and helps with tool clean up at the end of the day and in between jobs as well. Rod!~

It's great for the kids to see. They were amazed that you can see the city lights from space. Rod!~

What a beautiful floor! Beth

You will be specifically dealing with the horizontals that obtain the most damage. You may do some touch ups on the verticals further down the road as time passes. A Warranty is a pact to help with protection not carte blanche to abuse it. Also, keep in mind that we are warranting only products that we recommend and install. Period. Not the consumer grade stuff from hd or lowes or sw or whatever. Rod!~