PressurePros

It gives me something to read. My poor logo charcter is feeling a bit dejected though.

He's a DIY'er not a typical contractor :2eyes:

Jon, I know you mean the beer belly tongue-in-cheek but it brings up another point. Keith asked me how old the guy should be. I wasn't sure.

I'm not digging the letters, the gloves (mittens), and the colors behind "chat forum".

He's a maverick, Dave. He's also a DIY'er. He is probably thankful not to have a nail sticking out of his forehead.

Rick, how do you sand it? Do you use RO's or a floor sander?

Daniel san..Showww me.. sand tha floor! Neil it looked far better when we left there today. Before I had anyone hook up a hose I called the builder who is actually a great guy. It was almost like he expected my call. He knows its gonna cost. Since alll the screws are countersank and the deck floor is new construction ipe I'm going to have the floor sanded. Have been on the phone all afternoon trying to find a sub.

Look a lot like my favorite wood on the planet.. cypress Whatever it is, its good quality

All the above. Plugs (near the butt joints) were buzzed with, I'm guessing, a belt sander. We were going to come in last week and prep it and stain it over the weekend but the homeowners have had a construction site for quite a long time so, they put the kibash on us getting in there so they could instead have a get together. The builder, I am assuming, pressure washed the deck to clean it up for the family. This is what we saw.

Just started a new BBS.. Its more of a homeowner driven BBS than it is contractor oriented but I'd like for you to join up and give me any feedback on layout or content suggestions. All are welcome. It may be a good place for contractors to stay in tune with the homeowner/DIY market and interact to form new and lasting customer relations. DIY Message Board

Rich, same goes for you bro. I expect to see you there ;-)

Scott, Michael K had problems this morning. He had to clear his browser caches and reopen the browser then he was okay. I had the same problem with this forum a few weeks ack. I think Beth was also unsure what as going on. Scott, not only are you welcome to join, post and enjoy the forum, I could use your help.

DIY is definitely not for everyone. I learned years ago that just because I am capable of something does not mean I want to go out and do it. I'm sure quite a few of my RAD customers have a greater appreciation for what a wood professional does. I think this forum will be a good resource of information for do it yourselfers. The info won't make the task easier per se, but at least people can do things right.

Yes, too good to be true. Search this forum or the web for products like SealMaxx.

Chaz, its because the deck is wet (high moisture content). It will lighten as the moisture is displaced and evaporates.

Ironically the only episode of that show I ever watched showed them wanting to build a composite deck with the low rails like that and it would not pass code. That definitely looks like a DIY special. Jon, great job. Those deck in a day deals do rock.

You'll go through one $30 pump sprayer per job. You'll actually be lucky to make it through one full job without it breaking, clogging or your shoulder falling off. Save your money.

I don't get to do too much work anymore but got the muscles working again yesterday. I do sometimes miss cleaning a deck especially a hardwood like ipe. The stain used is WoodZotic. Deck cleaner and wood brightener was Restore-A-Deck. Took me (by myself) about 6 hrs from start to finish because of all the cutting in (and allowing the deck to dry a bit after cleaning)

Some of the best org's (the ones that are not advertised or have websites) cost up to $10,000 and over per year. This is where the big dog's swim. I have a solution for the org's that will overcome price objections as well as the skepticism of joining while still putting some dollars into the org's cash flow. I'll reveal at ACR.

Well, it goes without saying I am not qualified to judge how safe it is but the boardwalk is 80+ years old. I'm guessing a million pairs of feet cross it every year. Here is a pic I found on the net (of the actual Ocean City boardwalk). What I saw was not this bad. You tell me.

Get away from using water borne stains. Oil/Alkyd based products replenish wood and keep it more "conditioned" while locking in mildewcide and pigment. Oil based sealers are also a bit more forgiving with leaving lap lines. Get away from rolling. It overapplies product. Your goal is not a thick coat with a penetrating sealer. As in painting.. two lighter coats are better than one heavy coat. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Spraying a deck gets the best coverage between boards. Otherwise you will spend a good amount of time dipping a brush. If you can't afford to get into a sprayer yet, use the softest bristled truck brush you can find to do the floor. Even if you have to get a cheaper sprayer it will pay for itself quickly when you have to do a ton of spindles. Just looking at your technique I am guessing what would take you six hours my guys can have done in two.

I've never been to a town meeting though we are fed up with the ever rising dunes in front of our view of the water so I should probably get involved. I did hear that they were going to replace a block of the boardwalk but I didn't know they were debating using ipe. I had heard they replaced a few boards with some domestic hardwood as a test. The last time I was on the boardwalk section of the beach I noticed exposed rebar under the walkway. They should spend their money fixing that and let you and me and OC Powerwashing restore the rest ;-)

Thanks Kev. Nope, it was built of (the name eludes me now) that stuff that is synthetic with color al the way through. You can sand out any nicks or abrasions in it. Doesn't need to be painted. I personally would never use it. Even though the deck was finished a week prior, the stair risers already looked pretty crappy.

Carlos, yes. These are the cleaning and stain products we sell. Beth, it is a great yard. Real estate is at a premium up here so people get crafty with smaller footprint yards. Not seen in picture was a great pool and 500 s/f flagstone patio with outdoor kitchen. I'm actually excited about the next project which just got moved back to next week. I think I am going to strap on the boots for that one as well though I'll probably bring 2-3 guys with me to stain it. Ipe lattice, stacked stone pillars, custom wrought iron spindles, two ipe balconies coming off the front and back of the property. Should be a nice one.

Thank you for the positive comments guys. Randy.. I haven't been that far down the island for a bit. Is it real bad there? (besides being the activity hotbed)