PressurePros

Shurflo makes a a series (160 maybe?) that is air driven. When I looked into them the flow rate rate was too low on the models they offered. They7 could have expanded the line since then.

I am a proponent of being as gentle to the wood as I can be (which is why I am shifting over to Citrallic this season) Russell will give you some 411 on what actually happens with acids but the main downfall for me was the increased useage of sealer. We might clean and seal 75,000 square feet of wood per season. If I get 50 less sf/gallon that costs me approximately $12,000. Not too smart and a cost I can't exactly absorb or pass on to my customer.

This actually sounds like a problem the guys over at the NACLO corporation could handle. I would have to agre with their unique persepctive in this particular case. (Bleach)

I got my mother-in-law the Rhoomba vaccuming robot. I sat and watched that thing for 30 minutes, it's actually pretty neat. Somehow Christine got a hold of an X-Box 360 for me which has kept me up after midnight every night since Christmas. We went and got a 2006 Altima 3.5 in early December so that was kid of a Xmas present for both of us.

Jon, call Russell. Just splitting hairs here but watch over applcation of acid. It will remove too much of the woods natural sugars and you will get about 75 sq/ft per gallon coverage on your sealer. Been there done that.. The keys I have found are rinse, rinse and rinse again. Apply oxallic at 5 oz per gallon and then re-rinse.

Hola, sprinkler guy, and welcome to the world of cold and snow. I'll keep the mention of products generic though I, like Carlos, am partial to ES wood restoration detergents. Yes, you can set up maintenance contracts with customers for decks. After you strip/brighten/seal a customers deck you can come back the following year for a cleaning. Without keeping the deck free from dirt and mold the finish will fail sooner. You will also have customers that want the horizontals coated every year. It's good you can fill a niche. This business, like any, is all about the marketing. You want to gross $100k+ a year per crew, you can do it if you get your name out there enough. Don't rule out housewashing in your repetoire. It is a niche in my area that is tremedously profitable and lucky enough for me, mold grows back. Some guys pursue commercial flatwork because it is recurrent but the margins are too low for my tatstes and the hours are often the same I experienced in kitchen exhaust cleaning. That's my take. Lots of good people here that wil help you out. Thank you for not making your first post, how do I start everything for under two grand!

Dave, very good point. I should clarify that no work I am performing is under PressurePros, Inc. This work is all for a friend who has confidence in my abilities and attention to detail. I have been doing this sort of thing since I was a kid working for my dad whom was a very renowned builder. Everything is done to code with the same level of craftsmanship I apply to everything I do. In the event of any type of mishap his homeowner's insurance would have to cover him. You are allowed to do work in your home and have your friends help you as long as you have the neccesary permits and inspections. All of my subcontractors carry the neccessary insurance for their given trade.

Why does the Citracleen have to be made in a drum? Doesn't Rowlett have a formula for mixing by the bucket? I don't know anything about it, I never used it.

Very generous Carlos!

I currently use subcontractors to do some landscaping, cement work and exterior repairs. I want to eventually absorb these services since my business outlook is to have a company that handles everything involving exterior restoration. I have reservations about being viewed as a jack of all trades instead of a specialist but I think the climate of today's market is exactly as Tronman described. When a person finds a contractor they trust, they like to stay with them. As far as deviation, it also depends upon the season. Right now I am in the middle of a basement renovation that includes framing new walls, a complete new electrical system separate from that of the house, three lighting zones with seven new fixtures, leveling a concrete slab and installing a tile floor, updating a powder room, faux finish on the walls, built in bookcases, and drywalling everything including the ceiling. I have been on it for a month and it may take me another month to finish but I love the work.

You could probably strip with EFC-38. It has a bit more bite than just straight percarb. I would use HD-80. Get a two lb jar from Russ, you can mix it 3-4 oz per gallon to be sure you are emulsifying anything that's left of the SRD.

Jon, Since you're going to be stripping again to use a different product, you'll use an acid to brighten/balance and that will displace some of the sugars in the wood. I have absolutely no experience on Russell's two step process, but I think the DMC would act as the name states to deep condition and help the substrate. Hopefully he will jump in here.

I am not an engineer nor a wizard with formulas so I am asking this honestly. Why would there be more back pressure with a longer hose? I have run 200 feet of hose with no issues from my DS'er. Is there a formula out there for loss? When I did my testing to determine how much draw I was getting I used what was on my reel which is 150 ft.

I vote for a Wood Tux top coat with one half being treated with Wood Tux DMC first. I know you are wary of products without long track record and since the SRD failed so miserably, I'd be looking forward to hearing your updates as to which side, if either or both were holding up..

I have been on this computer all day marketing, reading about marketing, writing web site copy and now I am brain dead. I am about to register my domain name for the website and I'm stuck. The obvious ones are taken and I want to stick with a dot com. I am thinking www.pressureprosinc.com I also tried ppincorporated and that is available too (ppinc is not available) Any feedback or ideas are appreciated.

The ipe decking and the PTP framing are going to hold moisture differently and expand/contract at different rates. If the adhesive held, I would think you'd get some nasty warping. More likely the bond would break and you'd have boards flapping around.

I have gotten hooked on the show Pinks on the speed channel. Also any kind of restoration show from This Old House to Monster Garage. Most of the shows listed here I have never seen.

I respectfully disagree with the you, John. I switched over (or back) to downstreaming for housewashing and never looked back. Rfitz summed up my experience perfectly. It is all in the soap (though I use more 12% than he does). You need to use something that is synergistic with the sodium hypochlorite..little hint to the backyard chemists like myself, the soap product isnt Tide, Dawn or OxyClean. The X-Jet is a good tool for certain applications but I think everyone jumped on the wagon and touted it as the panacea to soap application issues. It's not. The distance is half of what is advertised and the dreaded chemical mist carries too far for my tastes. When I ned very high ratios on stucco or dryvit, then I use the jet.

My initial guess was.. wood looks "thirsty". By areas of dry rot and knots popping I'd say the deck was 6 years old with a clear water base (acrylic) or some type of Seal Max product applied 6-18 mos ago. I know this must be way off based upon your last post.

Thanks, Scott. My first choice would have been pressurepros.com but it is taken. I am going to register the inc name as well just to cover the bases because what Phillip says makes sense.

Merry Christmas Ken, Christine, Eric and Renee

Hi Jon, Merry Christmas! I happened to see this before I ventured out for the final holiday preps and decided to respond. I have to clarify that I am not opposed to alternate methods of cleaning a deck. I am not so close minded as to think I have the be-all-end-all method of doing anything. Your points of doing things properly (as evidenced by your successful application of CWF) will make a huge difference in final results. The 'right tools for the job' parleys into the 'right technique for the circumstances'. The point I made in my last reply of 'knowing' the resultant damage done to decks may just be personal experience. I based my hypothesis upon the following factors. Two independants around me use hot water. One uses high pressure, the other uses low pressure. Neither use chemicals. Every single one of those decks I have stepped foot upon, 100% of them, showed abnormal signs of raised grain. Albeit this is assumed proof as perhaps the techniques in which they use the hot water may be the mitigating factor. I also need to clarify 'hot water'. I am talking about an 80-90 degree rise not merely warming up the wood for proper chem reaction. It was probably a bit egotistical to have even titled this post like I did, for all I know the company that is shown in the video has a very satisfied customer base. At the very least I know their database is far larger than my own. As a sign of my Christmas giving, I am going to remove the link to the video LOL.

Ettore window cleaner and a good squeegee. Dry window edges with micro fiber cloth. I used to use Dawn soap in some water and the Ettore leaves the windows much more transparent and sparkling.

Ryan, the majority of those hidden fastener systems suck. They do not hold up to the expansion and contraction of the wood not to mention they are a pain to use. Your best bet is to use the SS screws and plug like suggested or find T&G ipe.. Also Anchorseal is nearly worthless. You are better to use TightBond on the ends. Watch you application of any of the glues/epoxy's as they are difficult to remove when it comes time to seal and will positively affect the way sealer is absorbed into the wood.

Jarrod, I think some reading your post got hung up on the wording. As was proposed, I do have real world information backing up claims that high pressure and hot water will initially cause visible damage to the wood. The proof is my eyesight. The damage is visually much more substantial than the microscopic or long term affects of using a proper detergent. My proof is following two other 'companies' in my area that use these techniques. When you walk on one of their decks it feels like you are walking on a raised grid. It's been proposed that this effect can be sanded away. Sure it can, at the expense of an inordinate amount of time, a substantial depth of the wood's surface and the homeowner's wallet. Techniques have to be balanced against effeciency and in our case, profitability. Can an entire deck be sanded as opposed to chemically stripped? Of course it can. I think Jarrod's point is, are you guys that do decks able to be profitable doing one deck per week? Do you have customers willing to pay $3000 to sand and seal a 24'x18' ?