PressurePros

Mike, you read my mind.

Press 'Play' on Tape number 1...Rule 1 If you give a homeowner nothing else to go on but price, that is the information with which he will make his decision. Unless you are the lowest priced guy in your area, you have lost more than you have saved by giving a quote over the phone. I am not apologizing if this offends some people, this is business. I know how to not only stay in business I know how to offer a value service at a maximum margin. I'll share what I have learned in business, sales and marketing but it seems that some will never change their thought patterns. Those guys will continue to gain a larger piece of mediocrity. A fellow business owner mentioned to me on the phone that he is "not looking to get rich". This was a very nice guy that performs quality work but also a guy that has lost focus. Is he not in business to make money? Why the guilt of making more dollars? I have spent great deals of money on logo design, printed material, advertising, logo'd clothing and a business lifetime of understanding customer psychology and sales technique. Is it a next logical step to stay home and give quotes over the phone? Not for me it isn't. If you aren't out there selling, you aren;t doing the most you can to be successful.

sodium metasilicate. It has a "scrubbing" type of effect and will lift dirt. In my opinion it is a crucial element in a housewash mix. Sodium hydroxide is too hot for housewashes and it films.

Wow.. imagine that. Looks fantastic. What was the housewash mix? I love my downstreamer!

Wow. Most guys on here would probably tell you they can do that in 45 minutes. I don't neccessarily believe that but 9 hours definitely indicates improper housewash mix.

Rick, don't forget, I am using a laborer with me 100% of the time. I reverse the sheet and cover inside and out. The tarp is for the area underneath the rails. I don't like drip marks.

Looks good, Larry. I follow same routine except I drape one side of the rails with a sheet and put a tarp on floor. Spraying is the only effecient way to apply for the way I do things. Plastic goes up on house in five minutes. An eight foot rail takes 10-15 minutes for both sides, back brushed in properly, two coats.

Floor measures 1500+ square feet. I have no pictures or other information other than, the hoemowner has the products to clean it (they are professional grade) You do the work and seal it. Cha-ching. pressurepros@mail.com

Left you a voicemail, Jon. Let me know how you make out.

It's natural Jeff we all do it. One thing I had to learn the hard way is gratitude is what makes a person content. Nobody can achieve inner peace until they are grateful for what they have and what has been given them. I often forget to thank God every morning and every night and when I forget it often that is when I become a miserable pain-in-the azz. Thanks for reminding me of that, Jeff.

Two year guarantee with a maintenance cleaning (not included).... cleaning costs and following years of sealer coatings are all at reduced rates. Cleaning is done for $.40 s/f. The maintenance coats of stain are at regular rate but they save because a) no stripping b) reduced product cost due to not neding as much as on bare wood c) verticals are done only as needed. I sell everything on a maintenace type of scheduling. It is the only way I can justify my costs to many customers. My average deck job this year has been $750 and by season end should be well over $1100 average. These are all new customers that need strip, pH balance, sanding, nail set and a good product laid down.

Big Neil, just gonna jump in here uninvited. I guarantee my work for two years with an annual cleaning perfomed by PP inc. When i am don the deck and collecting money I schedule them for the following year right on my calendar. Conditions change and what have you but it is a good way to get commitment and plan your late spring.

That deck is probably in the single digits by now.. Three days dry time is plenty if the deck gets decent sun.

There is no pigmentation in a clear sealer. Yes, it will protect the wood from moisture but it will not protct from UV damage and within six months the deck will be gray. To get off the gray you would have to strip it. Every single customer askes me about a clear and every single one of them I dissuay from using one. This is not from an egotisitcal or arrogance standpoint. I offer a written two year guarantee on my work. I will apply a clear only if the cutomer signs a waiver and work is then guaranteed for thirty days.

Cleaned this deck about ten days ago. It's a maintenance customer. A few years ago I stripped off Behr that was pretty black. Sealed with Cabot's Clear Solutions Cedar. I used bleach and soap for the maintenance cleaning. Posted here: http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?t=6326 Sealed it this afternoon. I love this deck, not too big, sweet design. That trellis is a PITA.

It's a nice product. Acts and smells a lot like Aussie Oil. Cabot's semi's are very opaque. Yes they are very durable. The Clear Solutions doesn't have nearly as much pigment but still holds up suprisingly well. This is the second treatment, so there was a good amount of oil down in the wood thus this deck is a little richer looking.

CWF is the worst product out there. Well Thompson's is the worst but this is a close secong. Think Paint Store.. MAB, Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore. Get your sealers there.

Sometimes the quest for the holy grail can be a bit unnerving. First of all, I'd like to thank Shane down in Texas for some cool chat (after he has a few sips of that Starbucks quadruple shot french vanilla watch out!) He gave me his feedback in that cool laid back Texas style of hi. I really enjoyed shooting the shee-at with him. Standing with nothing to gain, he followed up on my initial order of product. Kudos, bro. I'll start with pictures number one and two. Your typical neglected deck with the remnants of God knows what on it. EFC-38 at 8 oz/gallon, Citrallic at 3 oz per gallon. Sanded in quite a few spots (despite my protests of spot sanding homeowner was adamant about having toddler being able to walk around splinter free) and buffed with Osborne brush.

60 grit on random orbital here too. I do exactly the same thing on handrails. They get a quick pass. This deck was splitting pretty badly. I had to carve out sections with an exacto type knife then sand down the area smooth so little feet wouldn't catch onto it.

The house was washed when I originally did the initial clean and seal. Since I raised this woman about 40% over the last square footage rate, she bypased washing the house. It isn't that bad yet

Having hard wood is my favorite. Disclaimer to non woodies: The fumes, vapors and VOC's we inhale daily obviously cause brain damage. Please disregard all that you read in wood restoratuion threads and call your therapist.

I totally disagree with that, Rick. Spot sanding exposes fresh wood which acepts sealer and tones differently than surface wood. Look closely at the pictures, then let me know. If you cannot tell where I sanded, that was intentional but the spots are there.

Tommorow is a new day. All will start fresh. Hang in.

Cool convo, as usual, Rick. I am going to go back and look at it next week. The more I look at the pictures, I think I made a mistake in agreeing to spot sanding. Many of the "spots" coincide.

Dan, you rantin' SOB. I'm laughing over here.