Beth n Rod

http://www.pwnabbs.org/chat.php Join us tonight for the PWNA's Fleet Washing chat at 9pm eastern (10/19) with Mike Hinderliter. Beth :groovy3:

I feel somewhere, a chain is being yanked....HARD! :) Rod~ :seeya:

Hi Henry, I don't suppose they had the can did they? I am not certain of the type of sealer it is....What does it look like? Is it a film or a penetrating oil? By whatyou say it would suspect a film, since an oil can be removed with a SH product. On the other hand, if it is an polymer resin, or an acrylic, or something like that you may be in for a rough road. http://www.valspar.com/val/resident/ext_stains.jsp# http://www.valspar.com/val/resident/mccloskey_ext.jsp This next one seems like it might be close to having the product listed: http://www.valspar.com/val/resident/valspar_ext.jsp If it is the acrylic, then you may have a tough road. If you need another sample let me know. You may be looking at an hour of dwell time on this. Just a hunch... Beth:groovy3:

Dave & Deb, Call me toll free at 1-877-426-9274. Beth

I used to work in a cabinet shop that manufactured them from pine. We used to come upon knots that would literally disintegrate when putting a screw into them in the assembling process of putting two boards together. The determination from this after some investigation is that these boards had come from dry lots that had been in storage too long and attributed to the condition causing the decay. The wood was from lesser desired grades of wood and were actually knot ridden. I believe that the same circumstances are prevalent here. Not really substandard work but substandard materials. I would concentrate on finding out what grade of wood was installed in conjunction with what was proposed to the client. You have every right to know this in your own defense. Then I would contact the supplier and find out what their position is regarding this type of wood, and how long typically cedar stays in their stockpiles. Intentionally popping out these knots doesnt prove anything more than a dried knot from a low grade of wood. From what I read here, the builder is trying to scapegoat someone else for his choice in materials to fulfill a contract. I have always known and educated my customers that pressure washing done properly will only reveal the pre-existing conditions. If the builder doesnt want to honor his contract with the homeowner of providing the grade of materials spec'ed, then my suggestion would be to replace the defective boards, salvage the relationship with the customer and leave the builder to fend for himself. You are well respected in this industry and your workmanship is known to be of high quality and we stand behind you. Rod~

This used to be part of the thread in the Library about Reign In Your Receivables. We were off topic, and also we wish to try to keep the articles in the library as just that - articles, so we have moved some of the response comments. Enjoy. Beth :groovy3:

Reed, Got your message, and I'll be in touch today. Meanwhile..... Got to: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm Download what you need. This is wood care's AHJ. This is the main authority on wood care. I know how you work, you have followed all the steps based on latest research. The material you need to back you, is right here. Beth

In regard to products for masonry and concrete, the need for neutralizing is dependant upon the product being used as some are designed to become inactive after use. They are rendered inactive by the addition of water which in the terms of pH is 7. The dilution and neutralization potentials of water are pretty good. It is also referred to in the chemical world as 'the universal sovent'. It is important that you understand the products by reading their labels, product data sheets and msds. There is too much to go into here as the magnitude of potential products and surfaces they are used on is quite in depth and in many cases...complex. Dont let this deter you though...you will appreciate the answers to your question more when you actually take the time to research all the surfaces you intend to clean and the products created specifically for them and the unwanted material you are trying to clean. In our industry, the proverbial 'magic bullet' doesnt exist. The right tool for the right job is the best advice I ever got. Keep asking questions and searching for answers...they help you grow. :) Rod~

Hi, Here's an article that explains it better than any other I have seen. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50&highlight=pass+salt Beth

I know we are going. There is some pretty good excitement since this seems to be a good location for many folks. I'll know more after this wekend. I leave for Atlanta today for a PWNA Board meeting. Back Sunday. Beth

Hi Henry, Gutter troughs. 10 minutes in our neighborhood? You guys must not be using water. Are you scooping or blowing? Just curious. We have been using water, but it is alot slower than what you have described. Would be interested in learning how to speed up, if you don't mind. :groovy: I can see 1 story being that fast, but I would have guessed a little more time for 2 or 3 stories. Beth :groovy3:

On what size home, how many troughs, and how many stories off the ground...inquiring minds want to know... ;)

We have passed a few this year ourselves. After a while you seem to be able to spot problem jobs... :groovy:

Henry, if your closing rate is that good, maybe your prices are too low. Just a thought. I know we close many jobs, but there are some jobs you don't mind not getting. You know, the headache jobs.... Beth

We also have minimums for showing up to do a job. All our estimates are free, and until recently we didn't mind if the owner was there or not. We have started to ask that the owner be present if at all possible...still not required, but we do request it. We will not quote prices for any wood restoration work over the phone. Period. Too many variables, and the owners don't understand enough to know what is going on with the deck all the time. We do test spots on jobs where we are uncertain of the coating - like an acrylic. But for most, we know what we use will work, so we bid without a demo. We have a high close rate, but we are not the least expensive company out there, and we measure ALL the wood on the deck, not just the floor like some companies do. Square footage adds up and if you don't measure it all, you can really get bitten. You can have alot tied up in rails, lattice, supports etc. It's easy to think you are making more than you are, if you don't measure everything. Beth :groovy2:

Tony Z - good luck with that! Tony C. - you are SOOOO right!

The scene: Car crash, occupants-5, fatalities-4, witness/survivor-1 Description of the bodies indicates a father, mother and 2 children. No one knows how the accident occured, but the police are questioning the subject who survived the crash which appears to be the family pet...a chimp! Officers at the scene, attempted to communicate with the chimp to get some answers but to no avial, a bystander who works with animals in a therapy center steps in and offers assistance. Therapist to chimp: what was the father doing? Chimp (with hand signals for reply): [hand gesture indicates drinking motion] Officer: So thats what happened, the father was drinking and driving and caused the crash! Feeling satisfied with that he started to leave and write up his report... meanwhile the therapist says: wait a minute! there might be more! Therapist to chimp: what was the mother doing? Chimp: [hand gestures indicate ceasless mouth movements] Officer: so the mom was bitching at the father for his drinking problem...big deal! Therapist: hold on... Therapist to chimp: what were the kids doing? Chimp: [hand and arm gestures flailing around indicate that the kids were misbehaving and fighting] Officer: ok, the kids were a distraction and the mom was trying to deal with them too! Text book scenario, I think I have all that I need here to make my report! Another officer caught on to the whole thing and asks the chimp:what were you doing? Chimp:[hand and arm gestures indicate manipulating a steering wheel]!!!

I agree wholeheartedly. It's not hard to stay busy at all. We too put down various options so we have them on file, but it is frustrating to go to do an estimate, and either no one is home, or they called as little as a day ago and since then rented a pw'er to do it themselves, yet don't call back to say they don't need you to come out. These trips can add up. We were thinking of putting a qualifier on free estimates, such as you must be present. Anyone have any thoughts on this? We are not sure about doing it yet. Beth

Speaking of gas prices....how is that effecting everyone's "free estimates"? Is anyone imposing conditions onthe "free estimates" they give? (for example must be present at time of estiamte or the price of the stimate is taken off the job total (thus a nomnal charge for the estimate) or something? With gas prices going up so much, we were wondering if this long time 'free" standard is changing at all?

Mostly we stay in Montgomery County, but we travel if the job is worth the trek. Hey Classic - you coming to the round table Saturday Oct. 23rd? Hope to see you there. Also you should bring Cass with you. Beth

Our deck is more than 1600 square feet, and had gone more than ten years without even the most rudimentary maintenance. It’s split over two levels, and over looks the golf course from 40’ above the ground. To call it a serious restoration project would bean understatement. After reading everything I could find on the internet, and getting outrageous quotes from the local painters (there are no deck restoration professionals in this area of Iowa) I decided to simply find the most expensive deck wash available, follow the instructions to the letter, and try my luck. After two weeks of work I was left with a deck that looked worse than what I had started with,and I began to panic. With one last scan of the internet I came upon www.seedirtrun.com and found their phone number. Beth Borrego answered and patiently began to work through the debacle I had gotten myself into. Her company is located about fifteen hundred miles from my deck, and unfortunately there was no way for them to come in and pick up where I had left off. At this time they didn’t sell cleaners or stain to the general public, and it became clear that See Dirt Run wasn’t going to make a cent with me.Much to my surprise, Beth began to lay out a plan to get me back on track. She took the time to explain the effect of the different chemicals available, how they interact with one another, and went through the half truths that various manufacturers include in their instructions. From this point on she gave me both guidance and moral support (I called several times threatening to burn the deck down) and ultimately helped guide me towards success. I write this letter now from a beautifully stained and protected deck. Several of my neighbors have stopped by to ask what stain and method I used to restore the deck, and every one of our guests has commented on the beauty of the wood. This deck now looks just as good as it did the day it was built, and it’s all because of the skill and techniques that See Dirt Run apply to every job. Using their approach I (a simple amateur) was able to achieve amazing results, and I can only imagine what the deck would have looked like with See Dirt Run’s professionals on the job. Knowing what I know now, I would highly recommend spending the money to have their experts apply the same methods to your deck. (if you’re lucky enough to be located in Maryland!) I hope that Beth and everyone at See Dirt Run will accept my most sincere thanks, -Aaron Warner -Coralville, Iowa - 10-5-2004

He also sent us a box of gourmet chocolates that arrived Friday! :) Beth

p.s. the product applied to the deck was Sikkens SRD Natural Light

We have used it, and don't care for it. About the stuff floating in the pail... are you looking at the pail gasket by chance? Is the seal white or black, and has it deteriorated. Reason I ask is that some time ago they had to switch gaskets due to problems. At the time we used a good bit of the Wolman F&P. We got gunk in the pail, and it clogged the sprayers.... Beth

Just thought I would share a couple pics with you. Rod and I went out to wash the other day. It was a small log home (more like a cabin) and an ipe deck with log rails. Very cute. Rod washed the house, and I washed the deck. (yes, I washed the deck...) The house was in an area with heavy tree growth, so there was alot of mold, mildew and algae everywhere. We used a percarb on the wood, and then neutralized. Check out the results! Beth