Beth n Rod

That's the UV protection. It's a satin finish.I have never seen anything scratch the Wood Tux, but I have seen things scratch the wood. It's not on the surface it is near the surface - big difference. One other thing - you won't see Ready Seal come off from dog scratching. It's a penetrating oil, not a film coat. It's in the wood, not on the wood. Sikkens Cetol DEK is a film coat - best example of a topical resin I can think of. Your acrylics like the old Wolman Extreme are also top coat films.... Beth

Henry... Seeing it wet is not the same as dry. Properly applied, when dry Wood Tux is not shiney. It has a satin finish due to the refraction of the UV off of the transoxide pigment, but it is not a "topcoat" film... Beth

Jamie, Call me. Beth

There has been a great deal of grey matter churning in this one! Ryan, your theory is related to the electrostatic bonding. I have heard it explained somewhere at a previous convention before while trying to keep more than one conversation going (you know') and caught the main parts of it and stored it in my brain next to the category "gutters suck because I hate working on ladders to clean them!" and just remembered other parts of the conversation that referred to gutter zap and gutter brite as cleaners suggested to do the job. But since there is an electromagnetic field associated with each homes wiring, this along with the natural phenomenon of acid rain..........who knows....I need to get some more caffeine. You guys let me know when you've figured it out. :lol: Rod~

Thanks Guys.... We appreciate your support. Beth :cup:

Wet dry vacs are wonderful.... Beth

http://www.xterior.com/html/_chemicals_1.html

Rod is right. If you have ever worked a salaried job and put in extra time, you feel like you are making less, and you actually are, if you compute the dollars per hour at 40 hours, vs. at 50 hours etc. Folks might like it when they are working 30 and getting paid like 40, but when you work them 50, it is a disincentive. ( do you want them disgruntled in the mid-summer?) Better to pay a decent hourly wage and abide by the laws and pay OT as earned. Makes for more satisfied help. Been there....done that... Beth p.s. our guys love getting paid overtime, and work hard to earn it.

One thing I have learned is that putting a worker on salary is a good way to lose them...let me explain. They lose the ot benefits and their hourly rate goes down when they exceed 40 hours in a week. Yeah they have a steady income but then they feel compelled to work only what they feel is their worth, salary wise. We lost a really good person by putting him on salary even though he was all for it. Problem was he couldnt see going back to hourly in spite of the monetary increases for the extra time worked. Right now, the principal owners are the only salary paid. Everyone else is hourly + ot. Health care benefits are skyrocketing. With all the costs going up so fast, its a wonder most pw'ers are staying alive. Rod~

Well, heres one more for the mix...Aluminum oxidizes as well. Aluminum is the common denominator in all the posts in this thread so I would venture to suggest that it is oxidation that has formed a bond to these surfaces. Electrostatic bonding is still the primary contributor to the stains forming on these surfaces. I havent got any photos of this one, but I have done some house washes where the windows have dark grey streaks similar to the ones on gutters running down from the left and right sides of the windows that have the new aluminum capping installed. It was a Beotch to get off and still left some residue behind that would not come out completely. Anyone else? Rod~

Its a Decker 5'er. Same as the deckster but with a 112 pump. It was retrofit with a bypass valve and primer bulb kit from sunbrite. We have this one which is dc powered and another which is ac powered that is used for applying chems. Rod~ btw Ken, nice logo and avatar. Been meaning to mention it. Looks sharp.

Henry, ok.... I'll bite... where? Andy, we use a Decker, which is HVLP like your Deckster. Spray, and back pad or back brush. You could also use a pump up if you wanted to. Ken, we have been saying this since it was released a few years ago. I can't say more than that, but I can tell you that the quality of the raws and the care that went into the formula are great. The first season we applied this, was that year we had like 5 straight months of cool temps and rain. (this was with the non-wet formula mind you) I can report that even then, we applied it as high as 17% WMC, and none, that's ZERO decks had any mildew growth issues, which is a common problem in a really wet season with many products in general. Heck, I have seen products have mildew growth after a dry application much less a moist one in a wet year. No doubt this is a far superior formula. Beth :cup: :cup: :groovy2:

??? What message did you get??? You should be able to post it... Beth

As a general rule, unless recoating existing paint...no paint on wood. (this is a rule we follow and so it is our advice) Solid stain, yes. But not over top the sealer that is there. Strip, prep, stain. Be warned that you will have a bit of defelting to do.... When in doubt, always start with a fresh canvas. Beth

As rain rushes from the roof, it carries with it soluble materials from the roofs ashpalt and bonds electrostatically to the painted surfaces on the gutters. They can be removed, but repeated removal also compromises the anodized paint on the gutters and could eventually end up with bare spots as paint comes off with each cleaning in most cases. In short, the process is called electrostatic bonding of the ashpalt material to the gutters painted surfaces. Butyl based cleaners can remove these streaks as well as a diluted sodium hydroxide based cleaner. But remember, it will eventually take off the paint. We recommend to our customers to only have this service done when they are about to sell the property to add curb appeal. They ultimately have the final say of course, but educate them to the down sides as well. Rod~

Call me later on my cell. I'll help you however I can. Beth

Customer picked the colors...and the locations to apply them.... The Mrs. won the color war. Replace the lighter color with blue gray and you have the combo the hubby wanted. Beth

One more pic... Beth

Here you go. Beth p.s. they loved it...

Ev, We just did a similar job. I'll put up some pics... Had a deck that had paint on it, and after washing, we primed it and did a solid stain in two tone. Also installed new lattice skirting around the deck. Lemme dig up the pics... it's done in Terra Cotta and Sahara Sand... customer chose the colors to match their brick house, and also the placement of the colors.... :lgbugeyes Beth

09/7/05 19:26:28 Russell_C Logs in [172.162.130.219] 09/7/05 19:26:35 Russell_C Logs Out 09/7/05 19:27:07 Russell_C Logs in [172.162.130.219] 09/7/05 19:37:29 Russell_C: Hello and Welcome to Wood Chat! My name is Russell Cissell and I will be your host this evening. In lats weeks Wood Chat we spoke about how to measure square footage. 09/7/05 19:38:41 Russell_C: This week we will discuss how to use square footage to determin material usage and formulate a bid. 09/7/05 19:40:30 Russell_C: We will be getting started at 9:00 eastern and the discussion will last roughly one hour. There will be time after the discussion for a general question answer session, please save any off topic questions for that time. 09/7/05 19:41:24 Russell_C: Please feel free to take full advantage of the private message function if you see someone you would like to say hello to or if you have a question and can not wait until the end of the discussion. 09/7/05 19:42:13 Russell_C: To use the private message function simply click on the persons name you would like to contact and type your message in the window that pops up. 09/7/05 19:43:11 Russell_C: I am happy to answer questions via private message any time during the discussion but only as time allows. 09/7/05 20:02:15 Russell_C: Ok, lets get started 09/7/05 20:02:57 Russell_C: in last weeks discussion we were talking about a 6,000 square foot cedar home restoration job. 09/7/05 20:04:29 Russell_C: using this figure we were able to determine what our material usage would be and also estimate what our time expenditure would be. 09/7/05 20:06:21 Russell_C: Using our figure of 6000 square feet we estimated $1,375.00 for total material costs and 92 man hours to complete the work. With those two figures it is now possible to formulate a bid. 09/7/05 20:07:14 Russell_C: Needless to say the "bid" is a very important step in any job. 09/7/05 20:07:42 Russell_C: Bid to high and someone else will get the job. 09/7/05 20:08:01 Russell_C: Bid to low and you will wish you wouldn't have gotten the job. 09/7/05 20:09:31 Russell_C: There are as many books written on the subject as there are failed service businesses. (that is colorful language and not substantiated by fact) 09/7/05 20:10:42 Russell_C: The truth is there are a number of was to approach bidding. I'm personally still undecided as to whether it is a skill or an art. 09/7/05 20:11:50 Russell_C: In the next housr I will lecture about a few of the more common bidding practices in this industry. 09/7/05 20:12:59 Russell_C: I can not say that any one is better than the next but each may hold it's own advantage. 09/7/05 20:13:50 Russell_C: The first bidding style I will talk about is unfortunately the most common. 09/7/05 20:15:50 Russell_C: This style is called the w.a.g. The advantage is it is quick! You don't waste a bunch of time with the measuring and other non sense. You walk right up, look at the job and make a Wild --- Guess. . .I'll do that deck for $1,000.00! 09/7/05 20:17:51 Russell_C: The more seasoned professional will have a good feel for the time it will take and the material he will use so his bid will be more accurate but it is still a guess. 09/7/05 20:18:41 Russell_C: The new guy most often chooses this method because they simply know no other way. 09/7/05 20:19:22 Russell_C: The disadvantages. . . 09/7/05 20:20:39 Russell_C: can be very inaccurate, you do not collect data on square footage and material usage rates, you risk running short on material costing preciaous time away from the job. 09/7/05 20:21:45 Russell_C: The next style that I aqm familiar with is often called Estimating. 09/7/05 20:23:05 Russell_C: Estimating is a very precise method of applying set figures and formulas to come to the final bid price. 09/7/05 20:26:01 Russell_C: For example if you have a business plan you will have an idea of the level of profitability you need to operate at to reach the years goals. 09/7/05 20:26:49 Russell_C: When you look at the data you have collected in the past you will know what material usage is consistant with this type of project. 09/7/05 20:27:10 Russell_C: You will also know the hours required to complete similar jobs in the past. 09/7/05 20:28:42 Russell_C: From this data you will determine a price per square foot you must charge in order to achieve the level of profitability your business plan dictates. 09/7/05 20:30:34 Russell_C: Once you've got your price per square foot you simply multiply that by the total square footage from your measurements. 09/7/05 20:32:23 Russell_C: For example if you know you need to charge $1.50 per square foot for cedar siding and there are 6000 total square feet you would bid $9,000 for the job. 09/7/05 20:34:43 Russell_C: The only disadvantage to this method is that it can take longer and your price per square foot will only be as accurate as the data you collect from prior jobs. 09/7/05 20:37:19 Russell_C: Estimating is sometimes referred to as a Time and Material bid. This is not accurate. 09/7/05 20:38:58 Russell_C: A true Time and Material Bid is yet another seperate method of bidding. The true Time and Material Bid is the safest way for the contractor to go. Unfortunately it is not very common especially when doing residential work. 09/7/05 20:39:43 Low-PSI Logs in [24.254.237.31] 09/7/05 20:40:02 Russell_C: The Time and Material Bid is simply a contract stating that the materials cost $X per unit and your time is billed at $X per hour 09/7/05 20:40:44 Russell_C: You bill them for your hours plus the cost of materials. 09/7/05 20:43:52 Russell_C: This again is very safe for the contractor and also the homeowner providing they hire an experianced contractor who works at a realistic pace 09/7/05 20:44:57 Russell_C: The only down side is that it's too close to having a 9-5 job for some contractors 09/7/05 20:47:30 BethnRod Logs in [4.185.135.87] 09/7/05 20:48:44 BethnRod: hi John 09/7/05 20:49:39 Russell_C: The last method I will talk about this evening is the Sliding Scale 09/7/05 20:49:45 Low-PSI: hi! 09/7/05 20:50:12 Russell_C: This is very similar to Estimating with a variation based on size and total square footage. 09/7/05 20:51:24 Russell_C: In theory if you can do 100 square feet in one hour for $100.00 then you can do 200 in less that two hours because you only had to set up once. 09/7/05 20:51:54 Russell_C: In reality most contractors do not slide that scale until about 1000 square feet. 09/7/05 20:52:57 Russell_C: If you talk with a few seasoned professionals you will find they use a combination of all these methods to sun a successful restoration business. 09/7/05 20:53:35 BethnRod Logs Out 09/7/05 20:53:37 Russell_C: I would like to thank you for joining Wood Chat and I hope to see each of you back here next week. 09/7/05 20:58:53 Russell_C: Bye John! 09/7/05 20:58:59 Low-PSI: Bye 09/7/05 20:59:09 Russell_C Logs Out 09/7/05 20:59:14 Low-PSI Logs Out 09/7/05 21:40:40 scottk Logs in [68.217.218.189] 09/7/05 21:40:45 scottk Logs Out

Hey Everett, what is your preferred method of countersinking nails? I used to crawl around the deck with a nail punch and a hammer (about killed myself and my hands in the process :taz: you get the picture...that was me after whacking something other than the nail punch lol ) Now, I use a nail gun with an empty magazine. counter sinks them to whatever depth you set it. Rod~

Sharp deck Ev! Beth

Everett, Not if a primer was used to begin with, I didnt get that impression in this thread that it was a factor, but I did suggest a test patch to determine effectiveness. Btw, what would you do Everett? Curious since you have had a bit more experience in cabot products...curious in maryland~: Rod~

If you are looking for something to do for the kids who are victims of Katrina, check this out! http://backpack.random-assortment.com/dropoff.html Beth