PressurePros

I'll talk to my S.O and get back at ya'.

No, Thad I do not want to join the Pressure Washing Alternative Lifestyles group, but thank you for the invite. ;)

I'll second that having used both the boosted HD and this combination. It's a pricey formula compared to using some other stuff but labor is far more expensive than chemicals so its a no brainer.

Scott, I am pretty sure this one was done after I received those drums so I would have to say your DS stripper was used. I'll check the time logs but I believe it took about 2 hrs with two 5 gpm guns. There is more than meets the eye as this deck has lattice underneath that top tier as well as under the whole deck. Some sections of lattice are 8+ ft high. I'll post a pic from the front of the deck.

Here some before and after shots of an ipe deck that is prepped for staining. This one is still on our completion list but you'll get an idea what ipe looks like after it has been stripped of stain and acid balanced.

Charlie, the mixing is actualy done by me at the time of proposal. I show them a picture book, evaluate the age of the deck and wood condition and make an eductaed guess. I usually write the formula right on that initial contract. Picking colors is a great way to close a deal.

Charlie, looks great! One thing about about the honey gold is the area. Around here people do not want yellowish decks (right behind, "my deck isn't going to be orange is it?"). Most requests I get are to extend living space and that usually entails matching a hardwood interior. Baker's has a nice super cedar gold but 95% of the time we have to end up mixing it with SCD or regular SC. A caveat with Baker's gold is that it does not hold up well. Russ puts transoxide in the WHG so I'm sure it lasts longer.

Dan, about 3300.

I never liked the WHG for that reason. I think I applied it without tinting maybe twice and both times it was orange. I would bid every deck with sanding if I could. There is a difference in the finish quality. By the same token, customers aren't willing to pay for that upcharge and the profit margin in it isn't worth it when compared to the bit better it looks and lasts. Perhaps I could upsell it if I worked harder at closing it. There is a fine line between that craftsmanship ship thing and offering people a valuable service and experience.

Good luck with it, John. Sounds like it was a good maneuver. PS: Send some of that winter wind up here. Going to be over 100 today and half of the coming week.

Matt, just turned 40 here so I know exactly what you mean. The most important thing you can do in business is write things down. Even starting small, I am always amazed at the much better things progress when I start with an idea on paper.

Dan, my energy ends at the contract signing but this deck did have two handrails and a floor board replaced. All the handrails were very rough so all were sanded down completely. For the most part, most decks get a wash, sanding of the rails, a quick defur on the spindles, and sealed.

Dan, $10K would have been sweet. I sold it at a multiple of 2 grand but that multiple wasn't five.

Matt, I think I may have mentioned this before in another thread. They key to employees is systemization (if thats a word). By clearly defining tasks and technique you make your employees efficient from Jump Street. I didn't do that at first and when I was out with guys they would stand around and wait for the next task. I did that for a year and all I did was shell out pay for a guy to occassionally take the wand and roll up hoses. Sending anyone out on their own at that point would have been a disaster. I started by making a list of tasks I wished to delegate and laminated it. Corny, I know but after a few weeks the guy I had with me had the routines down. My production instantly and dramatically rose. I wasn't nearly as tired at the end of the day. Eventually I saw flaws in the system and revised it more. I had no choice but to get a systematic training technique down as I let my entire workforce go at the end of the season. About 1/3 of the guys returned this year. Those guys are now all the crew leaders (one guy is actually solo and does nothing but maintenance projects) The season here goes from nothing to 100 miles an hour very quickly. I still struggle a bit in the spring to get up and running full steam but the process has improved to where a guy can train on four jobs with me or Jason and then he is ready to be half of a crew.

I think the Dekorator spindles are an excellent choice in a deck. No maintenance. For staining, one guy sprays top and bottom rails the other backbrushes and wipes every single spindle with a rag moistened with a spirit.

Charlie, It's getting two coats of Baker's blend of super cedar gold and super cedar dark. I estimated for 35 gallons Its probably going to be a bit less than that. The first coat will probably disappear. Beth, I dedicated a three man crew for a half day of sanding and defelting. One of the only reasons I took this on besides what I mentioned above was the fact that it has powder coated metal spindles. Wood spindles would have taken this this project over 5000 s/f and probably would take twice as long.

The crew that finished didn't get any nice shots after the acid bath but here is a teaser. This thing is going to be magazine ready when we are finished.

The deck is so dry and that acrylic so bonded that even at 800 psi the pulp was flying. This beast is going to eat a ton of oil. I'll update this thread after project is complete. PS: That concrete was evidently painted red by the previous homeowner.

30 posts hold this thing up You can see two of the trellises in this shot of the right side. Two full staircases lead to the floor. The other one is in the middle of the deck next to the house and leads to a smaller deck at ground level. Here is a shot from the front. That fence color tells all. It also wraps around me for another 20 linear feet that you cannot see in the pic.

2100 s.f brick front, vinyl 3 sides, stucco foundation. Left message for homewner inquiring about what section of Philly she was located and mentioned that we won't head into Philly for less that $600-$700. She still called back interested. She is looking for quality work (as per message she just left me). An efficient operator should be able to bill for $300/hr. If you don't know what softwashing or low pressure house washing entails, you may want to pass. Shoot me an PM if interested.

John, never any problem. In your disclaimer cover both ends with a moving fee and release from liability. During my sales presentation I let customers know that there is a small fee for moving items ($1-$5 per item) BUT if we break anything that is not prearanged to be moved, we are not liable for repair or replacement. That has been enough to motivate most people to move their own items. The only issue I can ever remember was a couple that said they were going to clear the deck and did not. They had 30 chairs, 3 tables and maybe ten Rubbermaid containers that were all waterlogged with wet clothes inside them. Add in this was a deck that was 70' long and had 14 steps. I billed them $75. They balked but paid it. I don't like causing people inconvenience but I had specifically discussed a $25 moving fee at the time of the contract signing and they didn't want to pay it. "Oh no we'll definitely have it all moved off." After the job was completed I got a call. "You didn't put our stuff back on the deck." (keep in mind wet stain) The job was out of the area and one I didn't really want to perform maintenance upon. I told them the return fee would be $200 as we were not a moving company and that project would eat up 1.5 hrs of our day. They hung up on me LOL. Next.

Absolutely. Difficult terrain and height can add a couple of hours to a deck job. I would add 20% to my s/f labor pricing on that type of job to compensate. I have learned in residential when you give an inch, some may expect the mile. Even down to making sure the jobsite is free from obstruction my contract has a per item moving fee. If a guy is walking with a potted planter and trips and it breaks I have the cost to replace plus the time to cleanup the mess. If the person is elderly or we do a last minute squeeze in on a strip because rain is causing us to delay staining other projects, then I obviously forego that charge. PressX, Kevin is right on the money. You will have to carefully calculate your times and what those additional obstructions and difficulties cost and break them down into your s/f pricing or express as a percentage of add-on.

I replied to this gentleman that I would help him out. We don't handle city work. This is a free job lead. You setup and sell. FirstLastName = Jason Email = Phone = 215-922- (pm me for #) whereat = Philadelphia, PA services = deck howhearaboutus = search Message = We have a two-tier rooftop deck that is about 700 square feet. The deck is about 10 years old and composed of pressure-treated CCA wood. I would like to clean and re-finish the wood. We also have stains on the limestone(?) on the facade of the house.

I share your view on putting solids because the homeonwer is married to it once they are laid down. The other reason is aesthetics. It doesn't look like wood again. A solid can last fairly long with lower maintenance costs provided the deck is prepped right, an oil based primer and two topcoats are applied. The customer has to be committed to a maintenance coat every 2-3 years. The deck also has to have adeqaute ventilation. Not having that ventilation is the bigest cause for premature peeling. Fast forward to twelve years and the deck has 5 coats of a solid stain. Vapor transmission through the coating is probably history and stripping is not even an option. I never have and never will put a solid on a deck that doesn't already have one. I'll pass on the job if the homeowner is adamant about using one. Its not worth it.

Rick, as long as your spread rate is at 300 s/f per gallon with back padding you will be good to go. After ten minutes the deck should not look overly "wet".