CompletelyClean

Same rain problems here in the Detroit region. I was able to seal 6 decks and a fence on Saturday...finally! I have a lot of decks lined up but didn't want to strip them until I got caught up with the bare decks first. I also wash houses, flatwork, etc. Problem is, with allthe rain, my phone hasn' been ringing too much for house washes. People are NOT out in their yards, noticing the filth and whatnot because it has been RAINING!!!!!! I'm thinking of getting into the other side of the woodcare business...Arc Building!

The keyword in MHPoole's comment regarding Penofin being a superior product must be "Northwest". I watch Penofin go from beautiful cedar color to dark brown to almost-black in just one season here in the Midwest. I watched my neighbor put it on a new cedar fence (after washing AND neutralizing) just last June. I'll have to take a picture sometime soon and show you how dark the bottom 3 feet are already with thetop half catching up real quick. Weird how geography plays in the lifespan of sealers!

Doug, read the first two replies to your initial inquiry again. It CANNOT be cleaned "properly". I get several calls for aluminum siding, as well. I have a garage (not for long) with 15+ year old white aluminum siding on it. PERFECT for testing different pressures/chemicals to get a nice, clean sided garage. Guess what...the back of my garage looked like Baghdad after I got done with it. Mind you, I tried EVERY method I have ever heard of from EVERY contractor on EVERY pressure washing BBS and all I got was CRAP. Aluminum siding was promoted as "maintenance free". Well, the aluminum is pretty much maintenance free, but the PAINT isn't. Now, if you come across aluminum that has been repainted (properly) and there is little to zero oxidation...THAT is washable with cold water and your favorite house wash mix.

Hnery, I'm REALLY glad I posted this thread...that's not a bad idea, at all. In fact, I think I may use that formula! I like it! 8 feet of board = $40 and may only take 10 minutes to replace and 20 minutes to swing by HD or Lowes to pick up. FYI...I had already told the homeowners that they need to tell me which boards they wanted replaced.

Thanks, Tony. I really didn't care whether I got this job or not. I don't feel there is much money to be made from this type of project, s i bid it at $1 PER s.f. I mentionedthe cost factors, etc. Of course, they declined. I will be washing their pool patio, though because of my photos in my portfolio (if you don't have a portfolio, get one!). I also told them they would be better off doing it themselves, and I gave them the proper instructions for doing so. They appreciated my honesty and still gave me some work, so everyone is happy. Thanks again.

I haven't hadto use my surface cleaner longer than 1-2 hours since that post. I have a 3+ hour job tonight, though. I'll let you know if I have the problem and if loosening the gas cap helps. Stay tuned...

Tony, I have stained just one side of a stockade fence before and didn't have any problems with the sealer "wrapping" around the boards. Would that be the case ith shadowbox? It sure seems like when I spray at an angle to get the board behind the two in front of you, the sealer will be landing on the opposite side of the fence or wrapping around the boards as it soaks in. Have you (or anyone else) ever sealed just one side of a shadowbox? I would be happy to just do one side if that's what they wanted, but I don't feel it would be possible to do this and keep the stain off the other side. Maybe I'm wrong.

By the way...the fene is a 1 year old cedar with no previous treatment. I would be looking at cleaning, brightening, and sealing. Forgive me for not mentioning this in the first post...I'm dog-a$$ed tired!

Had to measure one today (200 linear feet x 6' high). How much are you guys charging for these type of fences? Also, is it usually a harder sell since the homeowner must have BOTH sides sealed on this type of fence?

I changed the battery and went back to the job. The readings were around 9% before battery change and 10-12% after. So, I put a little water on some of the grey...soaked right in, no beading whatsoever. So...I used a SS brush and scrubbed those areas to see if there was some deadwood there. Voila, off it came and I was able to stain the deck today 12 hours before the thundershowers arrived. I would show you the pics, but in the course of changing batteries, etc. I forgot my memory card for the digital. I'll be taking some pics next week. This neighborhood has been keeping me busy with people asking for estimates and landing a few of them, too. Gotta love when that happens!

Just curious...anyone know WHY the cleaners (percarbs) have sucha short life span once mixed? Once mixed isn't it only good for a few hours at most?

Positive they are not fuzzies. I felt the areas with my hand tosee if it was damp. I'll be replacing batteries and re-checking.

I stripped (Thompsons) from this deck on Tuesday and neutralized it. We had rain Tuesday night (a lot). Stopped by to check moisture on Wednesday and the highest perentage I got was 9% in a few areas. My question is this...if the battery needs to be replaced in the moisture meter, will it give a lower reading than what is actually true? I will be replacing the battery anyway, but I'm curious if that's what it REALLY is. The grey areas were not damp to the touch, yet looked like they were damp and they measured at 9%. I wonder if I'll need to bleach these areas if it's not the meter?

I think I'll lower my rate by $5/hr to be in line with The Reedster Schmeedster. Ther eyou have it folks, $75/hr + material. Anyone need some boards replaced??? Dave O??? lOL

Looks like the economy IS turning around what with all the deposits being made on my truck and Tony's decks! I of course, have employed Tony's method of poop removal, but I will try D.J.'s suggestion today (if there's poop on the decks).