Beth n Rod

One question: Warranty? You specified it was only 5 months old. Most pw'ers have a one year warranty standard. Rod!~

Acrylic and latex stains are more difficult but still strippable. Ken Fenner of Pressure Pro's as a matter of fact did one of these using HD-80 and posted here on the bbs the pics and results. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5021 He came up with some original thinking on it which resulted in a job that both his company and the customer can be proud of. With the knowledge and technology available today, its safe to say that you could make some very impressing work by tackling these types of jobs. Up to you of course but I wanted to give you a relevant project for reference in case you should take on one of these in the future. With paint, We use eacochems stripsol, for all others when stripping, we use HD-80. Now here is something to think about before trying to strip one of the coatings you have mentioned. It comes from a standpoint of trying to maintain the integrity of the wood foremost and we don't like to strip unless the customer is made aware of all the facts beforehand. Facts like; what the process will do to the wood and how it will shorten its life by being exposed to caustics for a long period, the possible mess (paints and acrylics), the costs (not cheap by far, sanding and defurring always is needed) and the alternatives (re-coating, stripping failed areas and repairing the finish etc.). These are not scare tactics but real facts that they may not be aware of and is quite prevalent in many cases. Here's a funny one, a client had bought a house with a deck freshly painted army green and several coats by the looks of it and he asked me what to do. Jokingly I asked: Got a match? He got the joke and laughed but also understood after further discussion that he was asking for something that was not going to be cheap so he decided to live with it. Here is another one you may hear: "Well, your the (professional/expert) here, what would you recommend?" Some clients will take into consideration your experience and advice to help them with a situation. If you have done your part in research you can help them to make the best decision for their deck. Rod!~

Try this program! Free trial! Beth

Try constant contact for FREE We just started with it. Pretty cool stuff. Worth a free trial! Beth

It doesn't surprise me at all that this was such a great event. Between Russell's knowledge and the knowledge of the SunBrite folks, you were in very good hands! Glad this event was a success! Beth :groovy2: :dancing: :cup:

Great photos Matt! It sure feels good to see something transformed from dirty to clean doesn't it? Beth

Thank you Kem!!! :)

It has to do with the Consumer Affairs Act. If Home Improvement Licenses are requred in your state, you might need a salesman's license as well. Just a heads up... Beth :cup:

Yazbird, Can you please add a signature in your User CP to include your name etc.? Thank you. Beth

yazbird8, Just curious, why would you pass on stripping solid stained decks? Stripping paint is obvious, but why the reluctance on solid stains? Rod!~

They are good pumps. Just change the oil every 100 hours and have the packings and seals tuned up every 500 hours or sooner if you allow the pump to reach thermal relief valve temps often. Rod!~

Check the UL rating. If it has been rated by canadian UL standards, it should be able to take a full spray from the pressure washer without shorting out or causing an electrical failure. Other than that, yes, the machine will exhibit rust on exposed metal surfaces. Use some naval jelly on these areas and then rinse off. Use a high heat paint to recoat the area to avoid further rust issues. Rod!~

Are you saying it is too high for your area? Beth

Jim I know a guy in Delaware who might be able to help, and I'll email you his contact info. Beth

Also make sure that if licensing is required in your state that you check to see if a salesman's license is needed. Here in Maryland for example, each person who works for you must have a salesman's license if they are writing estimates. Beth

Looking for something fun to do? This might just put a smile on your face. In the "Meet the Members" are of the photo gallery, located here: http://www.thegrimescene.com//gallery/browseimages.php?c=10 we're holding a "who is this?" contest....and here's the catch...we're looking for baby or childhood pictures. Now it would be pretty obvious if we all posted our own photos. So here's the kicker...email either Beth or Celeste your photo and we will post it on your behalf and we promise not to tell who is who. You can make your guesses right in the Gallery area at the above link, where you can post comments about the photos. Once you get it right, we'll reveal the winner for that photo. This could be lots of fun so dig out a cute baby or youth photo and email it to either Beth or Celeste today! Beth@seedirtrun.com carolinaprowash@triad.rr.com Beth :groovy2: p.s. remember - no photos or guesses in this thread. Send in your photos and let's get this rolling!

No, why? Celeste and I thought it might be fun. :groovy: Beth

Cool Mathew, This is very insightful. Thank you. next Rod!~

Don't forget to go view the pics in the gallery and take a guess! Beth

Thanks Jon, great perspective! next Rod!~

Cool! We're getting pictures already! Keep 'em coming! Beth

I was thinking about all the things we have accomplished here on TGS... We have always prided ourselves on offering the very latest available features and interfaces, and we try to make the forums both fun and educational. I believe we have led the way in many ways. If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve the forums please post them in the suggestion box. If anyone is interested in Moderating on TGS, email us privately and we will consider the request. :) Again, that you guys for making this BBS #1 !!!!! Let's keep up the great work! Beth :wave:

That's great! We'll get to meet finally. We will also be at *****. Beth

How many of you have heard the old saying "there's no such thing as a free lunch" and really stopped to think about it. We all like things that are "free". But what is "free" really, and who is it "free" for? Let's look at "free". Say you go to a trade show. Any kind of show for our purposes here. Vendors typically have "free" tings out in the booths. There are "free" pens and "free" samples and "free" key rings and such. Are they really free? No, not really. The vendor who bought them, had to pay for them. They effected his bottom line and cost money. Now depending no how many widgets anyone gives away it might be something a vendor can absorb and pass on, and maybe it's not. If you give away enough "free" things, you might have to raise a cost somewhere. This applies to your contracting business as well. "Free" estimates have costs in fuel, wear and tear on the vehicle, printed materials, and your labor time to give the estimate. Nothing is free. Look at it this way, if you spend entire days out of a week doing estimates, what are your days worth in dollars had you been working? Now we also have organizations in our industry, and they are not "free" either. You see folks talking about this and that should be "free" but how can it be? The same costs above in the other two instances apply to orgs as well. OK, I'm off my soapbox. Jump on yours and add your .02 worth. Beth :groovy: :groovy2: :groovy3:

Thank you Stephen!!! :)