PressurePros

I look at it thsi way.. where there is smoke, there is fire. Where there is some mold, there is more mold. I cannot fathom how you could spot clean a roof. The chemical will run then you will have streaks so you will clean the other parts. Before you know it you have either cleaned all the roof or three quarters of it. At three quarters it is going to look splotchy. So you did what looks like a half ass job, charged partial rates and you really end up looking like a fly-by-nighter. I would approach each job on its own merit and each would be priced according to its diffifulty. I would explain to the homeonwer that if they have visible black spots, mold has gotten a foothold on their roof and they are jeopardizing the longevity of their shingles. I would let them know that just cleaning a small part is not only impossible, it will leave mold spores in other areas that are not yet visible to the naked eye. These mold spores will soon colonize and you will not only be cursing me, you will be calling another contractor in six months. "Let's get the homeowner's association off your back, add years to your roof life and nip this problem in the bud and do it right. Here is what I will charge you to do the whole roof..."

I usually say.. "damn can you imagine washing that"? I don't think she relates.

Dan, they make glass polishing compounds or any fine micro abrasive would probably work. Auto store.

If you orient north, south, east and west by the mold growth on a house.... you might be a ..

Thats a coincidence Rick. We finished some maintenance work early so I decided to do my deck. I was going to strip the whole thing and try the Wood Tux (my deck is mahogany, the real thing) Anyway the rails were still replling water or in this case, stripper. What do you find to be the weaknesses in ATO? I decided to stay with the ATO on the rails as it wouldn't budge. I have done it every year for the last three years with just a cleaning and it held up well. It fades in direct sunlight. Is this due to the pigmentation?

definitely scam.

Outstanding, Roger. But I was told Brits prefer things to not look so clean and finished. ::wink:: What product did you apply as a sealer?

I third brush and rinse.

Hands down, no question.. houses. They are fast, easy money and you can get dramatic results. I would drop wood tommorrow if I could.

No way you can keep the doors off for multiple days . Thats why I put in my post 'reinstall' after you clean and strip. You are right about the price. To do it right is a lengthy procedure. $400 seems awfully low for the amount of work to be performed but then again, I am not sure how much a place would pay to ahve a service like this done. If the doors aren't in a ton of direct sunlight you can get away with just maintaining the spar urethane every year. In my opinion it has to be done correctly at least once every 3-4 years. Maybe others have some shortcuts and a better idea on FMV for this type of job.

Its not opposite for stain, its not happening period with stain. You can't put anything over oil based stain except for more oil based stain. Kitchen cabinets need to be deglossed either chemically or sanded and then painted with an adhesive oil based primer. I like oil based primers because they penetrate and lock onto the wood moreso than a latex. Latex primers on bare wood do not last. You original question was about stain over stain. You have to strip whats on there..OFF.

Positively a different process than what you have learned here about decks. Are you are sure this is a solid wood door? It is hard to tell from the pictures. If this were me, I would remove the doors, cover the glass as tightly as is possible, remove the hardware, strip, pH balance and reinstall. Let the moisture content lower and then progrssive sand to 100 grit. Apply an alkyd resin type penetrating sealer to all sides (something with pigment as opposed to dyes). After it dries, apply two coats of spar urethane with either a wet sanding or very fine sanding with steel wool in between coats. Be careful with the spar urethane between coats, it does not cure very solidly and using the stel wool can mar the finish. I don't know your skill or confidence level but this is not really a wood newbie job. You can do it, just take your time. What are you thinking of quoting?

Pressure treated wood is merely pine that has been impregnated with chemicals like copper azole and alkaline copper quaternary to prevent insect dmamage and to some degree, rot. This is not a water repellant finish and still leaves the wood susceptible to warping, checking and cupping. I have seen some neglected PTP and it was not something you would want to walk on with bare feet.

I did $24k in May. You better start advertising LOL.

I understand, the beginning days are a bit slow. A month is nothing. It sucks that it has to be during peak season (July and August slow down for some guys) but you can use this time to whine, complain, read, research, think about marketing and get all your ducks lined up. When you hit the ground in July it will be with both feet running. Good luck, Dustin. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Does that translate to "leave a message at the beep"?

Lets see.. if you invest the 4000 extra dollars you would make in the next thirty days and get daily compounding on a 4% APR (not even counting a yield) you would return about $20,000 when you retire. That $150 per month will take you until age 76 to recoup at which time that same investment will have grown to $40,000. You can never make up the difference. If I was sure I could line up the work I would tell him thank you and goodbye.

Oil of Sealay. I hate cedar too.

I hear ya. I don't think I have a single customer over 65. I would have had to say, "Ma'am what is going to cost you more, the professional job that will give you guaranteed superior results with no damage and is backed by a million dollars in liability insurance or paying half price now for inferior work and then having to replace landscaping, ceiling fans and porch screens? I'm in no way trying to rip anyone off, I am trying to offer quality work doing things one way and that is the right way. Thank you for calling, feel free to call me back if you would like to schedule the work"

SealMaxx: Don't get me started. I have heard NOTHING but negative things about these guys and the product. I love Wood Tux, use it all the time but.... I don't recommend a homeowner to apply it.. especially to cedar. Ready Seal would be your best bet. Strip it again, ph Balance it and buy twice as much Ready Seal as you think you will need. You may get 100 sf/gallon coverage if you are lucky. With Ready Seal you just have to clean every year and reapply. If I were a homeowner, this is what I would use exclusively.

If the house is just moldy you might be able to get away with X-Jet for rinsing. Dryvit cleans up well with strong bleach ratio. Word of advice, X-Jet will cause dryvit damage around window seals if you aren't careful. These are very fragile. Just pay attention to what you are doing, Mike.

You may be right Lance, or I could spend the rest of my life turning the FL market around so the next generation will actually profit a couple hundred dollars for deck work. I do have a question about that, I know you aren't really able to answer offhand but something to think about. I know a ton of people thta have moved to FL or have vacation homes there whom are from the northeast. Aren't these people wiling to pay more? I guess it would be hard to qualify those people though.

In my time here I have never seen this thread. Maybe I wasn't supposed to until today. I have only read this page thus far and I think Beth's post about faith (in anything) was very well stated. I have come from both sides of the coin. In college I was an atheist. At that time I would have discounted any of you as God freaks and at the very least explained a faith in God and the afterlife exactly as Lance did above. There were many things that had to happen to humble me. I had to experience the downside of life to open my eyes and understand the guidance of divinity. It is a source power from which today I draw most of my energy. Even still being a person that is driven by both logic and science I find to much order for the patterns of life to be totally random. To touch briefly on as to why God may allow suffering to happen. Unfortunately our intellect, egos and pace of life get in the way of learning. It seems the only way one can learn is from the negative. In bettering (evolving) a species, mistakes have to be made and motivation from negative events have to guide that species towards bettering their habitat, morality or what have you. Plane crashes push us towards bettering the planes. Losing someone in a plane crash will wake up a person and make him appreciate his loved ones more. I think God's will and plan of action are way above our understanding. We would need to be omnipotent and open minded to accept the fact that we lost a child so that a larger numbeer of children can be saved later. My life would be very bleak without faith. My daily struggles would not be as surmountable without faith. Even if I am completely dissillusioned and when I die there is nothing but darkness, my life today is much more complete and I am a much better person for having accepted a higher power.

I think I may start Snow Bird Restoration and Cleaning somewhere down there so I can keep washing all winter like you guys.

Latex/water borne over oil. Not the other way around.