Beth n Rod

Man hours is a total. The number of persons on the job is included in that figure so you can assume that with 2 people on a job that takes 8 man hours, it is approx 4/person. That's the way I define it. Rod!~

We use Armstrong Clark. Tried the other years ago, didn't care for it. AC is a better lasting product in my opinion. Consider Ipe for the rail caps.... Beth

1st question: size of the decking...5/4x___, or 2x___? have you already flipped the boards? If not and they are 2x material, rent a planer. Run your boards through it as this will help with the cupping and make them go down better. If you flip the boards, the problems is you may be changing the orientation a decent deck builder would decide when laying them. You want to lay the crown upwards, otherwise the wood will cup worse. This can be determined by looking at the end grain noting the rings direction as they form an arch, and lay them with arch pointing up. If there is a center core then either way is good. Pulling nails is the worst you can do. Sacrifice one board but pop the rest with a mallet from underneath once you can reach under to swing it. Then, you can tap the nails out without damaging the boards. Sanding is something that only the best in the field understand what works and what will not. Splotchy results means the sanding didn't get past the weathered and damaged part of the surface. But! sometimes the damage goes too deep as in the case of planter rings, bbq spills and candle wax. Replace the boards affected by the latter 2 as this condition will continue through the wood until it reaches the other side but somewhere down the length of the wood and is hard to determine where exactly. If you are going to sand, You must go beyond just getting the surface level and smooth. It will not eliminate the cracks in the wood. This is where you actually have to get down and personal with it. Make sure you are seeing wood and nothing else which discolors the wood. The wash process any of the previous posters mentioned can be applied according to the conditions you have present on your deck. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it is if you are going to do it, might as well make it last right? Rod!~

When I came up with my formulas for calculating production, I took the time to actually time myself doing each part. ie:rails, floor, steps, lattice, etc. because each has its inherent characteristics which either add to the difficulty or make it easier. We all know floors are the easiest, steps next. Rails take longer due to angles of access and levels (ground level vs 2nd/3rd story access). Lattice and arbors/pergolas have a degree of difficulty specific to themselves and are hard to calculate due to design variations and access situations. I have averaged it out to about 150sqft/hour to wash and as little as 75sqft/hour when stripping most coatings that come off with up to 3 applications of stripper. Sanding is one that some may find hard because different woods sand at different rates due to previously existing conditions. ie; linseed oil pt pine that has aged enough becomes very slow to sand and worse if it is cupped. Cedar and redwood aren't that bad and tend to be the fastest unless you did not get the resins superficially removed with the wash/strip. Then the paper clogs up worse and if you use too rough a grit, the sander won't hold the paper and it stays in place while your sander meanders off it. buff sanding with large orbital sander=125-150sqft/hour. drum sanding 50-75sqft/hour Nail counter sinking with empty nail gun helps tremendously but is hard to calculate due to inconsistency in overall need. ie;not all nails have popped. Screws; well there is another variable that sucks because of spun out heads and breaking shafts. Prep time for sealing should be about 1/4 of the time spent sealing. Sealing in optimum conditions with little or no breeze 150-175sqft/hour with a sprayer and back brushing/padding as you go. For myself, sealing a rail section avg 4' span took about 5 minutes. multiply that by the number and you can get an idea. Problem is ... that is me on a production basis and motivated. Crews don't do it that fast. 7-8 minutes for them. Clean up if all is prepped well should be about 20-30 minutes depending upon having to completely clean the sprayer in prep for another job with different color or end of day. Folding tarps takes the longest by oneself. My calculations for that job with a 2 man crew would have been about 8 man hours total. (strip/nail-prep/sand-buff rails and spindles, buff sand floor and caps/prep/seal) I don't list prices on the net but if you care, you can call me. Rod!~

FACTOID: If you wait for a product to "cure" it will be harder to remove. Newly applied - NOT CURED - products are more vulnerable. Newly cured ones are tougher..... Beth

Yes, he does. It is not the first request. I asked yesterday as well. Beth

Steve, Please ready the forum rules that apply to vendors. Beth

John, don't hold back man, it's not healthy. Tell us how you really feel. Wood lovers unite! We're an odd bunch, but I have to say our niche (wood restoration of any sort) is like no other in pressure washing. Not at least, if you do it RIGHT. Beth

By the way Ron, I do wish you well in this endeavor of yours. :orange: Have a great day. Beth

How to Plant and Grow Sweet Potatoes : How-To : DIY Network Hope this helps. Git er duuuun! Beth

Don't know about private affairs, but what I heard about was public. Beth

Yes John T. of clean County...., you SHOULD be among them. Rock on that wood! Beth

Leads? Fair system? How about forming a committee to lay out qualifications for the referrals, list them by state and let the clients pick their own instead of just a 'select' few? Otherwise, this does not look good from my understanding of what gets done with leads. There should be no bias involved and that is exactly why I declined to take part in this question of yours. 3 contractors out of an entire country. I don't find that realistic. Rod!~

Just because you have your panties in a wad in general about Thad, doesn't mean it wasn't funny. It was. In fact, I'm still smiling about it. Beth

When? Why do you address me like I have to do this? You need to learn to take 'No' for an answer and respect the persons reasons given. Rod!~

See, he mentions just "GUYS". What's up with that? Beth

Now that's just funny right there, I don't care who you are. Beth

And yet, you knew straight away that it would evoke just that. Personally, I find it rather cloak and dagger to be so secretive about why you are doing this, and who it is with. So tell us Ron. Tell us what this big secretive mystery project is. Beth

I have respect for many in this industry who have helped to further the knowledge and raise the bar for the standards of service. This question without any parameters is completely arbitrary and only serves to invoke argumentation without any benchmark defined. This is very serious to a lot of people to depend on the opinions of others who do not have first hand experience of anyone's work, service quality, ethics or principles of business. There are many models for business and many are dictated by the conditions, circumstances and demographics of where they were developed. I personally, do not have the time to look into the aspects of another contractor to base my 'opinion' so therefore I will not take part in it. Rod!~

Dozer, Please add your signature. House rules. And welcome to TGS. Beth

@rickpetry Ta Da !!! Rod!~

M-jet works wonders for application. Rod!~

Grinder! So many times you get the runs and drips between the boards from the more viscose products and that is the only way to get them out effectively. Unfortunately, most people don't want to pay for someone to kneel all day running one to do it. Did it only once and it took 3 people a whole day to do it. I did not charge enough for it and we lost money on the job in labor alone. Rod!~

Good to know but our experience with the epoxy fortified version was not as good. It was on a log home and we had to strip the west side and further sand it because of the blue stain it left in the wood afterwards. Rod!~

Ditto that!