PressurePros

I spoke with a lab tech over at Cabot's yesterday morning.. She told me the incidence of this phenomenon is increased with the lower VOC formula (albeit very slightly), but that they aren't sure why. The reason I immediately jumped to a conclusion about the newer formulation was because on this same property I sealed a gazebo a week ago. Same product/color just the original formula. The sun was strong but no problems. With the new, I can't even put down a rag with the Aussie Oil on it down for 1 minute in the sun. It gets incredibly hot. Two minutes and it starts smoking. The botttom line is, my own complacency almost cost me big time. You get comfortable and that's when accidents happen. I thank all whom posted for some very good advice. I hope my blunder can help a new guy to not make the same mistake.

Steve here is the deck layout. Well over 2000 square feet of wood.

Happy Birthday to our fearless leader and founder. Thanks for a great board !

Thanks, Steve. I sent you an email.

Awesome truck. I'd get a Gale Banks exhaust system, cold air intake and computer upgrade and smoke Mustangs and Camaros with the 800 ft/lbs of torque.

Good advice, thanks Beth

By the time we finished work today it was 92 in the shade. I'm guessing up on this deck it was well over a hundred. I just found it strange that two separate sets of rags/tarps had this happen. I was spooked. No damage occured. Now imagine if something did happen and I didn't have insurance.

NOBODY in California does wood?

I give two bids last week, one housewash and one deck. I talk to each owner for about half an hour. Each has had terrible experiences with low priced contractors. I do my best to close but they are both adamant about hearing out the other contractors and accepting bids. Wondering why we haven't been booked for the jobs, I visited each this morning. One guy (housewash) tells me he went with a lower bid. Needless to say the "company" scheduled twice and never showed either time. The other homeowner whom was a real nice guy and knew his stuff, decided to go with a cheaper wood resto company. I gave this guy a list of questions and qualifications to inquire about when other contractor's gave him bids. He decided to go with the lower company without asking anything about the process. So needless to say I get there today and see half the deck stripped, and I mean stripped. I walk towards it and from thirty feet away I can see about 500 splinters going every which way. He looked at me kind of sheepishly and told me he stopped the guy in mid job. Now this contractor told him he is keeping the deposit because he came out there and did a third of the job. On top of that I had to raise my original bid because I have to repair the damage to the cedar. Some people truly need a brick wall to fall on their heads. End of rant..

We left a back drop cloth folded underneath the corner of the deck. It was not saturated. The customer just called me frantic. It too burts into flames. This was a shaded area. In all my time doing this I have never had this happen. Two times in one day? What the hell is up with the new Cabot's. I am beside myself and the customer is not much calmer.

It depends on whom owns the fence. If it's split or back to back fencesyou try to sell the other homeowner your service. Tell them you will give them a good deal if they both go in on it. I find most people will not. No big deal, you just do one side then. If the fence is owned solely by one property owner you're gonna need to give the neighbor a heads up that you are going to be on their property. Expect skepticism and a ton of questions.

Stainless, I never bad mouth another contractor regardless of if I have seen him do a crappy job elsewhere. It doesn't get you anywhere, just makes you look like the bad guy. In this scenario, I was finishing up with the guy and another contractor walked on scene. It was just a guy in a pickup truck, no identification. Like any business person, to me, he represented food taken from my table. I accept competetion, it doesn't mean I have to like it. I know I am going to come in as high bid, it's how I choose to position myself in the market. I tell the homeowner this myself. It's like Rod/Beth mentioned. Quality or Price? I will tell the homeowner to compare apples to apples. My checklist: 1) Check insurance. A guy with no insurance doesn't have anything vested in the job other than some materials and labor. It doesn't mean he will do bad work, but everyone makes mistakes. Is this guy going to be able to pay for new sod or replace siding or cracked windows? 2) Check references. I haven't been in the residential market all that long but I have a couple hundred people on file that allow me to use their name and photos as testimony to the work PP Inc performs. 3) Ask about the process. What type of detergents, how much pressure etc. We use the right tools for the job and I assure the customer everything we use is state of the art. I do show them pictures of damaged wood and alert them to the issues with bleach. No offense, bleach guys this isn't directed at you. The contractors around here use WAY too much In the end, I landed both jobs so I am not complaining about that. I put my flyers out (by hand as an experiment, 300 houses) and landed 5 property cleanings for next week. This is a great market, so I am blessed. I guess I learn about humanity every day. I had a lady this afternoon call the office thinking I was one of her competitors. I told her I could not remember her or her property. Then she tells me.. Sure you do, you quoted me $325 and I have a $35 off coupon. Right there, I obviously knew she had me confused. I asked her if the deck was tiny, she said, "Oh no, it's pretty big" When I told her my average deck job runs between $800 and $3000 she told me she would be tearing up my card (she got it from one of the real estate agents I am working with). I started to explain what it is that makes us different, then just laughed and said "Please keep my card in the event something falls through" Click.

A turbo nozzle will work, but... you run a real risk of leaving the underlying brick covered in swirl marks and the force of using that much pressure will most likely cause efflorescence. For a small retaining wall, the risk may be acceptable. I have been using a product called Peel Away 6 (made by Dumond Chemical) when more caution is needed such as on storefronts or houses. It is pricey but has no caustics and doesn't need to be neutralized. Cleanup is a breeze. I can't imagine telling a customer they have to clean up my mess. If I bid the job, it includes leaving the property cleaner than I find it.

Has Russell changed molecular size of the WT formula yet? I haven't talked to him in a couple of months. I am not real willing to start thinning with Xylene and mixing colors (if the tinting system is available yet) Beth, you mentioned the original WT (non wet) is being re-manufactured?

That IS funny. It never ceases to amaze me the mini eco-sytems people have going on in their gutters.

I am not a fan of bleach on wood, but in this circumstance I think it would be your best bet. You need something that reacts quickly with the mold on a vertical surface that will not strip. Sodium percarbonate can be tedious. Try a test spot with 1-2% for dwell time. Rinse thoroughly. Mahogany (and other hardwoods like ipe) can vary in density from area to area causing the patchy appearance. When you sand these woods you have to be uniform across the board or you will definitely see the exact spot you started and ended. It's possible the builders spot sanded.

If you mix your own cleaners or do a lot of paint prep, I have 50 lbs of TSP I will let go for $40 bucks. You have to come get it. I bought a hundred and I doubt I will use it all before the season end.

I use it for paint prep, and I mix it with sodium percarbonate for a little bit more potent deck cleaner. I like using it on cedar shake roofs as well.

Rick, tell us how you really feel about ipe. :lgbounces

I keep it vague. At the top of my proposals is this: PressurePros, Inc. agrees to provide services in a timely, professional manner. Quality of work outlined in this proposal is guaranteed to meet or exceed customer expectations.

I just recieved my sample gallon of Barlox 10-s in time for a housewash I have tommorrow. From what I have read, 4 fl oz per gallon of chlorine is effective. If you have tried Barlox I am interested in hearing your opinion it and if this small amount of surfactant actually works.

That's good CCPC. In comparison to other products I have found it less forgiving on glass when it is exposed to high wind and direct sun (eg beach houses) If it works well for you in your enviroment, then you need not search any further. I'm just throwing out my experience.

I have been using Powerhouse. It's a nice mix and it works very well on gutters blended a little stronger. It's not as harsh on glass as the E-Plus.

Get yourself a drill mixer to attach to your cordless. You will wonder why you ever messed around with sticks or shaking. The right tools for the job are what makes things go much less stressful.

I can vouch for the Philly area.. Insane... Houses on the Main Line 'burbs start at a million and skyrocket from there. In a middle income neighborhood in Delaware County you get a 2500 sf twin house for $175k. You may have a small patch of grass in front and a yard big enough for a small dog to run around in. A nice single home in a decent school district will be about a quarter million. My school and property taxes last year were $20,000.00 OUCH!