PressurePros

Greg, looks like Baker's Super Cedar!

Tony, looks good. I agree with you its a little dull for a fence.

I have 60 decks (18 new, the rest maintenance) to try and get done for May. I can't believe I am sitting here on the computer. Someone please make it stop.

This is going to be my vacation this year and I am definitely looking forward to it.

Kevin, you would have to get pictures for anyone to assess properly. This could be anything from paint, to a solid, to an acrylic water born semi-trans with bad ventilation. I can assure you one thing, it is very unlikely that anything downstreamed will remove it. Can you see through the finish? (ie is it a semi-trans?) How old is it? If its a bunch of little peelies and flakes on a finish where you can still see wood, its most likely an acrylic.

You're right, Dan. Finding that perfect mixture is what takes awhile in business. I guess when the poster said "multiple areas" I read into the emphasis and generalized my statement. Your clarification is definitely on point.

It means your mix is not strong enough.

If you got $300 per unit, that time is fine. I'm not saying this to be harsh, Kevin but this is just reality. If you are not grossing $150-$200 per hour in Wisconsin doing resi work, you had better have a decent job lined up for October-April.

Just a longshot thought.. I wonder if fleet washing guys would be eligible?

Solid stains are paint.. completely ugly but that's just my opinion. The customer owns a solid stain once its on there. In addition, bare wood floors should be primed first which requires a third trip to a house. I would never put a solid stain on a wood deck unless one was already there. I leave that to the painters (no disrespect meant to Terry)

We've been in stain mode for the last 10 days or so. We finally got caught up on all the open strip projects and have begun opening new ones because of the rainy forecast for the next 7 days. As far as work load, I'm raising my prices again (I was scared to with the economy and was just going to eat the increases in cost of living). Too many people saying "yes". I'm rooted in decent communities where price, while a consideration, is not the factor upon which people make their decision.

If you don't know the product that is on there or if you know it is an inferior product, strip with a sodium hydroxide based stripper, brighten with an acid. Home has a downstreamable stripper and acid brightener. That would be your easiest route to go. Prewet all your plants and windows, put tube in pre-mix and apply. Wait ten minutes or so and wash with 800-1000 psi. Apply acid in same manner and rinse. Collect check. As far as pricing, it depends upon how you measure your wood. If its a standard deck with rails and a few steps (< 3) you can measure the floor and double that square footage to figure out your total wood. If there are trellises, benches etc, add those in. On a simple strip I would charge about a dollar per s/f of wood.

Good Lord, Dan. LOL. Knots as a proxy.. that's a new one. One thing that knots have led me to believe over the years is that you need a drying oil in a stain product. That's just my opinion, hold off the slayers!

Tim, I am in your market and I restore and treat a good majority of the ipe in this part of the state. If this is something you want to have professionally handled, feel free to contact me. You can contact me whichever way you decide to go and I will set you on the right path.

An X-Jet will do that so will a low pressure 0 degree tip at that height. In your defense I have uncovered marks like that that were covered in mold or dirt from a previous attempt. Since neither you or the homeonwer knows the history of the home and who worked on it, meet him on it and explain that you did not cause it but because you are the professional you should have noticed it. Have him meet you at the house and duplicate you technique in front of his eyes. I'm assuming you used a black soap tip or a dual lance wand.

That was one dirty driveway. Nice job bringin her back. Have you ever tried oxalic acid on a driveway after a good cleaning?

If its flaking, we scrape it and sweep off the chips then wash with TSP and bleach.

Yep, I would run with that, Michael. You are going to have a $4 deposit per container.

Its expensive up here. I pay $3 per gallon when I buy a pallet of fives. If I get some fill in fives they are $19.50 (or nearly $4 per gallon). $5 is not unheard of in the northeast. Raise your price to cover it.

Ron, this is is Scott Millen's baby. Get in touch with him. The PWNews is neutral as far as events and news go. NCE events have had some articles and videos posted by me but these days I only contribute here and there as time permits. I'm sure Scott would be open to any suggestions.

Hey, Ron, Nicole wrote the article you guys requested on the PWNews. Pressure Washing News and Events

HOT OFF THE PRESSES is the Pressure Washing News, the new industry e-zine/blog that will keep you tuned in to current events that affect our industry. Our team of volunteer writers will work together to bring you the latest news about environmental issues, new tools and products, as well as the latest sales from distributors and much more. This is the first e-publication of its kind and we're all excited about it. Meet our volunteer contributors: Scott Millen (Editor and team leader) Scott Burt Scott Davis Beth Borrego Jenn Flinn Don Phelps Mathew Johnson John Greene We'll be featuring contractors like yourself. You can sign up and feel free to make suggestions. Check out the site and let us know what you think! www.PressureWashingNews.com

We use the vibrating ones as well. Lyle's explanation as to an orbital was accurate.

Richard, you are probably not under the same VOC restrictions that we are in the northeastern states. I haven't seen oil based Olympic in maybe 4 years. Acrylics are not maintenance friendly, and they make wood dry out. I remove them or nothing.

Rick, you nailed it. All Olympic here in the northeast is the water borne acrylic garbage. It can be like iron on the verticals.