Beth n Rod

WTW is the only one in production. It is also compliant with the latest VOC changes that went into effect 1-01-05 for the mid atlantic states that have even surpassed CA. VOC limits. Depending on the wood condition and age coverage avg 150-175 sqft/gal for initial applications. Maintenance coats can be as much 300-400 sqft/gal. ***Also, ffr, as long as you are not a vendor, any other product may be mentioned in the contractor forums for discussion.*** Rod!~

*Note--If over applied, WTW will leave a film. This is indicated by the appearance looking shiny and glossed. The look of the product when correctly applied will have a matte-satin finish. Keep in mind we are going into our 4th year with this product. I need you to understand in comparing "film formers" as you put it in the case of WTW is comparing apples to oranges. WTW resides "in" the wood and the layer that is on top is superficial. When the wash is complete, there is only the product "in" the wood left behind. The maintenance wash does not leave a film behind as you are probably used to with other products. WTW has penetrated and become a part of the wood. No stripping necessary to remove the so called "buildup". We have illustrated this in other pics on TGS to show that after a wash was complete, the color was still there in the wood. No film was left on the surface. EFC-38 and Citralic were used in every case. They are gentle on the wood and the subsequent environment of the property. The surface is not the issue. It is supposed to take the brunt of use as a buffer. Its the product left "in" the wood whose integrity is addressed here. The integrity of the product is maintained every 2 years as a recommendation. We have not yet had the opportunity to do a 3+ year maintenance. Compared with products like you are supposedly suggesting which we have more than likely evaluated and have not seen them last more than a year. But from what we have seen in WTW so far, I don't have any concerns with integrity being an issue. Most "film formers" fail within 12-18 months on the Horizontals. We have WTW installed on our deck (18 months so far) and can readily track the integrity on a daily basis. Well, then we come to a difference in what each of us considers important in terms of 'protection'. I am sure that WTW will eventually erode as you put it but that obviously happens when any product ages to term and becomes neglected. This is not a condition we want our clients wood to be subjected to. It's from the position of being active in our efforts to help slow deforestation by helping the wood to last longer that we evaluate a product. In order for a product to meet that requirement, it should protect it not only from the weather and UV damage, without the need to strip it every time because of UV color shift and it should endure the effects of maintenance as well being cost effective and less time consuming in the process. WTW has filled these requirements fully.You have your preference in products and how they serve your clients and we have ours. Honestly James, It's not goof proof and has never claimed to be. It takes time and a developed skill to use, but once a person has that part down, the rest is making money. The reputation of providing a quality job that maximizes the money spent is always a positive one in our clients eyes. Rod!~

Grease Buster, What brand of toothpick's do you use to keep your eye's open? Do they come with a special anti-irritative coating? Do they have custom colors that change in the sunlight? Just kidding of course...but as they say daaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuum! You must hate your pillow! :lol: I have done hoods and tried the get up and go do the normal daytime routine only to end up a mess by nightfall. Rod!~

Rfitz, Those are very good questions. In regard to who loses out, its not that way at all. Its a win-win. The customer gets a better protected deck and you get an easier to deal with deck to maintain. You dont have to strip it each time and the recoat uses less product. 1-3 years is typical of many quality products, WTW has demonstrated at 2 years very strong integrity and in fact, some of our customers have chosen to wait another year because it held up so well. This was verified by a return trip for additional work and we looked at some of these decks and were gratified to see that it was holding up so well. Yeah, there was dirt or mildew but the sealer was still intact. What does this mean for the contractor? The customer will have confidence in you because the results were as promised. You get the repeat business, you get the reputation that they will tell others about generating referrals. They get the best bang for their buck. They dont have to spend an arm and a leg each time to keep it protected. -I didn't check the WMC. It was just washed with water pooling on top that we had to push off with a stain pad before applying. Very little sanding may be required on the handrails if any on maintenance trips. Mostly in the case of animal attack or badly dried out/aged wood. Since the maintenance requires the horizontals primarily, the customer now has a choice in how much to spend. Do the verticals too or just the horizontals? If its just the horizontals, think of how little time it takes to go back and recoat! Even if you do the verticals too, the time spent is like 1/2 because you are just touching up and it goes on so quick and easily. The biggest + is that anyone who can see that deck from a distance will want theirs to look just like it because it stands out that well in appearance. It sells itself. Rod!~

The Hydrotek 3000psi/8gpm 2 gun system with 225gal tank and 3 stacked hose reels came in just under 8K from Tom @ ACR products in PA. For your consideration. Rod!~

My regimen...Change the oil and filter every 50 hours. Pump every 100-150 hours. Plugs each season. Air filter/fuel filter every other oil change. De-scale the coils each season before winterizing. (I have a repair shop do this one.) Rod

Putting out flyer's is the least expensive way but also not the most productive of your time. It takes a lot longer to walk flyer's than it does to put an ad in a local contractors directory. The money you invest into an ad should be recouped in the first couple of jobs and then you should start planning on the next ad to keep the momentum up. Also, look into others ads and keep an eye on them. See how frequently they run and how often they drop off. This will give you an idea of who your strongest competitors are and who is just not making it. Learn from the strong ones that are most often seen. The next question to you is to head off any potential problems and is based upon your first sentence. How much experience do you have? If you have little, then I would seek a labor for learning opportunity with someone in your area to get actual hands on experience. Yes it is hard in the beginning. Our first year was much like yours. We found an ad agency that would set up a contract run for the ad over a years time and went onto a payment schedule. (net 30/ad) This helped us to free up capitol to use towards buying supplies and other equipment items. The first year is the test of your mantle and conviction. The second is a test of your ability to improve and correct the first years mistakes. The third year is spent figuring out how to grow. You have it in you, its just up to you to find it and have it motivate you. How badly do you want it? Don't answer us, answer it for yourself, then make the next move. .02 Rod!~

Congrats Lance! Thank you for being such a wonderful contributor here. We are looking forward to your next 1,000 posts! Beth

Ken, How about this? -------------------------------------------------------------- Fully Equipped Pressure Wash Cargo Van FOR SALE 2001 GMC Savanna 3500 Extended Cargo Van For Sale By Owner 225 Gallon Rinse Tank with 18 Horsepower Kohler. Two general water pumps, one rinse 3000 psi and one soap 2000 psi. 60 gal soap tank. Wash recovery system with 150 gallon tank and kohler. Perfect start up vehicle for pressure wash business. Cost $35,000 new in 2001. Contact Keith to make offer at 301-748-5844 or utek654@hotmail.com.

No, haven't heard of that one. But 45+min in a demo...I for one would not be impressed. 15 minutes is about the max you have in an outdoor scenario before the product is completely dry. Rod!~

The deck was washed after we washed the facing side of the townhouse and sealed it directly afterwards. All within about 2 hours. Pushed the excess water off the deck and applied straight from the pail (stain tray actually). It does look weird going on and it can be disturbing to see the color initially but it comes out as you see in the pics. One must remember that this is new technology (top secret ;) ) and as with all new stuff there is a learning curve to go through, but once you understand it the rest becomes S.O.P. btw Jamie, the painted fence was wet from the wash. This limited any effect that hd-80 could have had on the fence. All was neutralized afterwards and rinsed thoroughly. Does this help? Rod!~

Quick tip: There is a spell checker in the upper right hand of the reply window. Click on it to download the spell checker (1st time only) and you can use it before you send your posts. Rod!~

Jamie, We applied the HD-80 at 4 oz to the gallon via pump up. Getting it on the fence was not a problem. Just control the angle of the spray from the tip and maybe use a shield if you need to and you are all set. Beth

Sure, It is used straight out of the pail non-diluted. It breaks up the paint and causes it to bubble. Once the entire surface is bubbled, you can wash it off. The P.I.T.A. factor is in the clean up. The paint does not break down into molecular components and needs to be vacuumed up in order to get it off the ground once you have allowed it to dry. The drawback to this product is that it is susceptible to sunlight and dries out relatively fast. This increases your costs because it requires more product to do the job due to frequent re-application. Each 5 gallon pail costs $185.00+shipping and will cover basically 200-250sqft/gallon. But as I mentioned, you will need to reapply often if the deck is in full sun. Does that help? Rod!~

Xtreme, We prefer a pad to a roller because we find better control of the product distribution and no roller nap or bubbles to leave behind. With a pad, we have learned how to use them in the direction of the grain when the deck is rough and avoid using too much pressure when padding in the opposite direction on the areas that would pull the pad apart. Its like any other tool, practice helps you find the best way to use it. Some decks will tear the pad up eventually but we just pick up the peices as we go and discard the pad once the job is complete. Most splinters get caught in the pad and are removed from the deck that way instead of by someones foot. I guess its all in how you look at it. Rod!~

Mike, for the most part, the pad is an applications tool like a brush to us. We use it around the house edge as well. Anything that gets on the siding is immediately wiped off with a degreaser. We spray the product on the surface and use the pad to ensure proper penetration and distribution. In some cases we do apply to the pad and then apply to the surface by either spraying the pad or using a stain tray. Rod!~

Patrick, We use eacochems stripsol. Rod!~

Most paints require the use of MEK to be removed. Very nasty stuff. A typical sealer stripper will not touch most paints. This includes HD-80 and Severe Strip. Some paints yes, but at least 50% of them...no. We are not paint fans for many reasons. Beth

Rod went back by there yesteday and got a picture of the deck dry. Enjoy! Beth

I do yes... and of course I see tons of your wonderful industry enthusiasm too! Beth

I'll have to check them out. Thank you so much!!! :groovy2: Beth

Seymore THANKS!!!! :sunshine: :groovy3: We appreciate it! How long does one of these typically last? Beth

Mike, We do normally spray. But, this was a tiny deck, with fence right up against it, so the whole thing was padded. The trick is how much product to put on the pad...takes practice to figure out what you are comfortable with. Beth

Jarrod, No I havent seen them, info? Shur-line makes the one in the pic we use. The 7" pad is not bad though. It will last several jobs depending on the deck surface. They also make a 9" but it is designed for interior work. On a deck it will start to come off its backing before I can finish the job. Rod!~

Thank you Jeff. :) I would try Toastmasters. It's something you can overcome and that can have a very positive effect on you personally and professionally as a result. You can do it! :) Beth