svp07

I was just wondering the price difference between doing a deck cleaning (EFC-38) and stripping a deck (HD-80), the price per square foot charged to the customer. Is it higher due to the harshness of the chems? Thanks.

I am searching for a product that will get rid of the lime which discolors brick and gives it that white hue; if it is lime. It would also help if it cleaned the rest of the surface also. Another thing I can't seem to find an asphalt roof cleaner without Sodium Hydroxide as the cleaning agent, any other suggestions. I was thinking of trying the EFC-38 percarb.... Thanks for the help, Steve I also just got my LLC formed for Omega Power Washing...Go me!

With Ready Seal 1 or 2 coats?

What are you guys doing about bees if encountered? Up charge by the nest or can of spray? I had to clean out the gutters for this house I was going to wash and I ran into about 7 nests...lost 2 hours on the gutter cleaning I figure and 3 cans of spray. They were hiding up under the edge of the shingle in the gutter and behind the gutter...for some reason there was a 1/4" gap between the house and the gutter. I am going to put in a disclosure on my estimates about bees...maybe $10 a nest. Any thoughts.

I was asked to do a house with redwood siding tong and groove running vertically. THe sealer which is on the house is Cabots Clear Solutions Oil base. I went and tried a test spot and EFC-38 removes it. I applied the EFC-38, let it dwell, and then rinsed with a garden hose, thumb over the opening. I had light furring any suggestions? I finish with the citralic.

I went there also and they all looked like things you put on a drill. Something that goes on the end of pole would be easier.

The furring is pretty light, when the sealer (Cabot's Clear 3000) is applied will it "glue/stick" the fur back to the house? Furr length is a 1/16 or less I think...

I don't really know the strength of the EFC. I put some in a spray bottle and mixed it up. Probably close to full strength. The home owner did one board with his own washer, some tiny Karcher thing. It did not look like it furred for him but he blew all the soft wood fibers out from inbetween the hard ones. I also do not know if a weaker EFC mix will take off the Cabots Clear 3000.

If wood has been previous cleaned with too much pressure is it more likely to furr when cleaned in the future with the proper pressure?

So every homeowner needs a license to kill bees/wasps/hornets?

the deck was stripped with HD-80 and i thought 300-400 psi was low enough? The home owner applied the stain and the extra coats or drips are where inside corners under the rails. I dont think they brushed it out enough. The deck is red and white cedar.

You can't spray a nest you can't see, and when they are hiding up under the shingle's edge that goes into the gutter you do not know they are there. This house had the the shingles run into the gutter practically only leaving a 3 inch gap; that makes it hard to get your hand in to pull the crap out. It's not fun putting your hand in and finding a wasps nests. So besides the placement of the nests and being on the ladder there were also nests that could not be reached due to shrubs and gutter guards in certain areas. Thats where 2 wasted hours comes from. Understand that this was probably a house with unusual circumstances and and unusual amount of nests.

I also did my first "real" deck this past week. Not impressed with how it turned out. There was the Flood CWF seal/stain on it. I took the suggestion of using the HD-80; I also tried the EFC-38 but it did nothing. The stripper did take it off...most of it; I only stripped it once. There are areas where it looked like there were dripps, heavy coats, or a double coat applied. These I think they will have to be sanded out. After letting the stripper dwell, I washed with a #12 tip at 25 degrees; puts my machine at 500 psi leaving the pump. The deck was cedar rails and I think PT decking; the sealer came off in a pasty film. Unfortunatly I have ended up with a ridiculous amount of furring, more on the PT than the Cedar. Is this due to the previous type of sealer/stain on it? The decking has a high amount of knots and these have already started to gray....should I apply some more citralic? Any thoughts as to why there is so much furring; HD-80 mixed at 7 oz. per gallon?

Here's the situation... You are asked to prepare a house to be painted. The siding is cedar shingles with the rough side out; paint is peeling moderately to sever in some areas. My procedure is to use about 2000 psi to remove as much loose paint as possible, about 80% I tell them, and then wash the house with my house wash mix. Anyone want to give a price/linear foot?

I new a guy in Hawaii who did staining like that in all different colors. It looks great and he did pretty well for him self. I don't think there are many out there that do the staining this way giving it a marblized look.

To clarify, this was not a post about painting anything. This was a post about preparing a surface to be painted and how much you might charge (per ln. ft.) to remove the loose paint.

Henry, What does he charge to show up and take out a few nests? The problem is not just the nest and the wasps there, it's the ones that are coming back to the nest and find it has been terminated. They seem to hang around and I don't want to get stung while on a ladder or on the roof.

I have something by spectracide and also RAID, used that this morning. I know about killing them I was just wondering about what to charge the home owner and how to put it in the estimate as a disclosure. Something to the effect of ....if bees/wasps/hornets impeed completion of work they will be delt with inorder to complete work, this will be billed to the owner. I had 2 bad cans when I ran into this problem. I think the stuff went bad from the heat, the wasps were bathing in it and walking around.

I ment wasps...I'll fix my post. You can't shoot these off the house you would damage the roof.

In my area all the painters and their mothers say they power wash/clean. I have just started to realize this and most home owners think you just show up and spray some pressurized water on the house and BAM it's clean. It is the same thing with decks these people love to strip the wood off their decks. As I got to thinking about this I thought it might be good to make up a question and answer sheet that I can leave with the customer. I would would informational and describe procedures for pressure cleanning; same thing with decks. This would enable the customer to ask questions to those I am bidding against to compare procedures and compitencies. Anyone see any problems with this except that I just gave the idea to all of you :-)

Back to the contents in a handout....anyother suggestions of what should be in it?

Will EFC-38 remove CWF-UV Clear? It is a FLOOD product.

Can we start posting some other item to put in this handout? So far I have included areas like: -use of pw - water can only clean so much -detergents -PSI used to clean -PSI used to clean wood and the wood cleaning process -insured to pw please add more pertinent areas.

Ryan I sent you a private message. Beth what is your email, the handout I am working on is in Word. I'd appreciate some feedback/corrections, and will post when completed for all to see.

Thanks Beth, I appreciate it. I just want to set myself apart from the hackers...if you know what I mean.