PressurePros

If you were planning on raising prices to begin with then go ahead and raise them now. You don't have to gouge but the laws of supply and demand dictate everything in a free market. There is a reason gas is down to $1.85 per gallon..low demand. A 15% raise in prices will not hurt anybody and can put you closer where you need to be on pricing. If your skittish, hold off and see how your book fills up. If you start getting booked 4-6 weeks out its time to raise your prices. That has nothing to do with the drought, its just business.

A sodium percarbonate or a bleach treatment will disinfect your deck. These cleaning chemicals will also cause discoloration in those spots.

That is your fenozeration coupler. Keep it on the truck should the need ever arise. Congrats on the new machine. I hope it brings you lots of work. Let me know if you need any assistance on the sales or marketing aspect of things.

Keep in mind that the solution we use (and likely your contractor as well) has a very short shelf life. Within 24 hours it may be half as strong as the original solution and it will degrade further from there. Also worth mentioning is that there are different types of scum and accumulations in a shower that require a complete different type of cleaner. Check into a prodiuct such as Tilex™ or some of the acid based cleaners.

Jim I have three southern exposure cedar decks I want to give you as a present. Happy Birthday!

John's answer is right on point. Hire the guy and avoid the possibility of killing your plants, etching the glass in your windows or causing water intrusion into your home.

Good Lord, look at the damage to that siding and they still published this video. You can see the "Zorro" marks all over that lower siding. That had to look extra special when it dried

Alan, I have put on everything (with the manufacturer's blessing) from semi-trans oils to acylic solids. I think for awhile Trex was using me as their guniea pig. Suprisingly, everything held up well. Believe it or not, what has lasted the longest was Deckscapes water borne semi-trans.

Yes, I do actually work. Last deck of the season so I did this one myself. Cedar rails and trim received Armstrong Clark cedar semi trans and the floor got stained with a good batch of WoodZotic. Some close-ups.. the first one was still very wet.

Hey gentlemen (and lady), thank you for the comments and the welcome back sentiments. Pete, I have been heavily involved with launching the ***** Rick I will see you up at ACR. I'm bringing up a leather jacket that I never even wore. Someone bought it for me and it was on the wrong size hanger. Its a medium.. not sure what size you wear? John, those boxy houses are definitely without life or character. I would never buy one. This one was a little nicer in the front with a stone facade. The inside was actually also very nice with a ton of hardwood and high end furniture and appliances. What have you been up to John?

Florin, Its a PITA upsell because we have to remember to load on the portable cannister and tank for the DI water (plus let it fill over night). I don't add much to the cost I use it more as a closer when the situation calls for it (ie $1200+ house wash). For the guys that think their windows dry spotless.. Every house wash I do appears that way as well. Go inside that house the next morning when the sun is streaming through the windows and you will change your thought. DI water (and brushing) makes a noticeable difference. I'm not saying it is worth the cost or aggravation, but there is a difference.

I agree 100% with brushing windows and we do it on every housewash. The only problem is screens. Some homeowners will remove them for the extra depth of clean, some could not be bothered. On higher end houses with very large windows without insie access we offer DI water rinsing and/or squeeging as an upgrade. Florin, we do not use the Mr Clean method but have heard it is effective from a number of guys. We use the Glide product.

That's my feeling as well. Without some type of caustic/surfactant to break carbon bonds mold has an immediate source to which it can stick and regrow.. unless you are using some pressure to wash every inch.

Downstream MrClean (very dilute) for spot free windows. There is also a product we use called Glide that rocks.

Call Scott at the sealer store (banner above). There is a two step process that melts acrylics off.

From website lead: Message = My house was built in 2004, has vinyl siding and needs washing, along with washing the white aluminum gutters. My ipe deck is one-year old and needs another coat of Woodzotic. PS: I am out of the WoodZotic business temporarily but I can recommend an alternative with color formula so you can get this job done and not have to strip.

My guess is that is Behr and Behr has dye in it. You will not get it all out. On the bright side.. it is usually not visible with a tinted sealer.

Just sorting through my pictures here.. here is a nasty one.

If you have been washing for 5 years you surely have a decent sized database of customers. That is the first place I would tap. Offer your existing clients your service and give them a discount if they can get you some more leads. Explain to them that you are going full time and that you are trying to fill your book. While you are dong that, max out your credit cards, tax your savings, whatever it takes and start advertising via direct mail. I know spending money at this time of hardship may seem crazy but the only way you are going to get the ball rolling is by advertising. If your budget is real low, get a doorhanger made up and start pounding the pavement.

Go to www.theprosealerstore.com • Order one tub HD-80 and 2-3 gallons of Power Solve Injectable stripper, and some Citrallic or your preferred oxalic acid brightener. • Mix HD-80 at 8 oz per gallon and apply direct. • Downstream a layer of of the Powersolve overtop. Rewet periodically with the downstream mix so that total dwell is 20 minutes. • Do test with 800 psi to see if it comes off easily. If not, wait another ten minutes. • Neutralize with 10 oz oxallic (with surfactant) per gallon downstreamed. Factor defurring as redwood is soft. Its sometime better to wait a couple of wet/dry cycles for the furries to looosen up. I like to wait 7-10 days.

Immediate issues: - Cedar (the softest wood known to man) - Multiple coats of waterborne Behr acrylic - Landscaping - Pool - Second story This beast is 90 feet long, has three trellises, built in planter boxes and benches. Did I mention acrylic? I normally wouldn't take on a project like this at this time of the year but I wanted it for my portfolio. A couple of guys actualy bid under $2000. We're done the stripping and it was no small task. I was out on the first day of the project. 16 hours to strip it completely. For the stripping formula call or visit Scott at www.theprosealerstore.com. Thanks for the heads up, Scott.. worked like a charm. Here is the whole thing in a glance. To put it in perspective I'll follow with a closeup or two of certain sections. See that far left corner in the picture above? Here is a closer view to help you get a feel for the size of this deck.

I have seen some pics of the semi-trans on decks and it looks almost identical to the Baker's. Does anyone know the type of pigmentation? I'm gonna guess clay or maybe a blend? Shine, that would be a great product if you can get one coat coverage like that. Still very clean for a semi-solid. How is to work with? These are all oils right?

That's another advantage to being a company that caters to higher end work. If any of my people decided to branch out on their own they could never get access to the marketing neccessary nor know how to close big jobs. That would put them in the pool with the rest of the "technicians". For the first couple of years they would probably make the same pay they made working for me and have to invest their own money in equipment, spend time and money out of pocket marketing their company only to compete with every guy that thinks owning a business is about "charging a fair price" or giving customers a "good deal". They don't last and they are not competition.

LOL, yes.