PressurePros

Clean and Seal. PM me.

I'm waiting to hear back from customer. It could be her as I forwarded her your info. I'll double check and get her info to you so you can verify.

Welcome to the dark side, Ja-Rod.

I think a new guy should test EVERY deck. I still test about 30% of them. Wana lose your shirt on a job, bid removing a semi-trans oil to find out is Behr with silicone. Now THAT makes you look incompetant. I carry a couple of spray bottle with varying strength strippers. I don't want to get a call, "Ken, man we can't get this stain off this deck, we're not gonna be able to get to these other jobs today". I'd rather spend the extra five minutes on the estimate. After awhile you start recognizing products by the color of the pigmentation and you don't have to test as often. Ask any woodie if they have ever ben burnt not doing a test.

Without seeing the pics I am going to make an educated guess. Its not sealer, its effloresence. When they sealed they probably did have overspray and blasted the brick with high pressure to remove it. That drives water into the brick. When the water leecehes back out it brings soluble salts with it. Thats the powder you see on the surface. Do a search for effloresence (if I'm spelling it right) and you will find the right comapnies that will sell you the right chems to remove it. Thats why you should always hit brick and stone with low pressure.

You really can't leave the staining money on the table. It costs more money to get a job than it does to maximize each invoice. I have never gotten a call to just clean a deck.

Put the rug back down and apply your acid again. Like BNR mentioned, it is unlikely the spots will ever match. If you got more time than jobs, go for it. It will be a good learning experience.

Qualified only ( licensed, insured and have done work on ipe or other hardwoods). Previous contractor must have used high pressure and left lap marks. Possible sanding.

good post, Mike

Ever hear the term "see you next tuesday". The lady was a chump and treated you like one. Don't let it bother you. I'll contribute $100 if others will jump in and we can give Chris the money he would have made on that job so he can go back and tell this lady to get bent (if this were a private forum I wouldn't be so PC with my choice of phrasing)

Again this will not be a free lead but it will be presold.

Probably too late for this one.

If you are interested email me at pressurepros@mail.com. Please include pertinent information like company name, license info, amount of liability insurance, time in business and wood restoration technique.

What you are asking for does not exist. Pigmentation is the only thing (that I know of) that can provide UV protection and prevent graying. I think you are referring to some type of seal you can put over what you are calling stain. Exterior wood products (most of them) are actually tinted sealers. If you were to apply anything over Wood Tux you would be creating a film which will peel and leave you with a maintenance nightmare. Now, to answer your question as you asked it.. the best combination you can do with wood would be to apply a high pigmentation parafinic oil and then apply Wood Tux (which you can get in clear) Call Russell at Extremem Solutions. He will set you up with both products.

You can use bleach. It needs to be done often. You can seal Trex. I recommend you do. Makes cleaning much easier.

Sam what are you trying to clean off, grease or mold? Be careful with Trex, very easy to remove the color from it. Never use HD-80.

Call a local landscaper and explain your dilemma. Ask him for his opinion. It doesn't hurt to have a relationship with a landscaper anyway. Everything up here is peril. It was warm, then cold, rained then it snowed. Many of my perenials are not in active bloom and they should be this time of year. Thats a pretty complex housewash mix. I'm surprised you are able to kill mold with that low of a percentage of sodium hypochorite.

On your machine a 4010 would probably serve your needs best.

Shot in the dark here... I'm gonna say bleach, high pressure wash, and either a crappy water borne sealer or an oil applied to wet wood. I don't know how old that fence is but whomever did the job took about half the life expectancy from it.

I don't know if I can help you with that, Pete. My area is different than most. With gutter brushing and that white brick that might require some special attention I'd be at least $600 depending upon the scope of additional work.

These are what I consider cream of the crop customers. They have an expensive property and they have the money and desire to maintain it. You have been around long enough to know that you cannot clean gutters without washing what's underneath them. This is one example where I would go heavy with a neutral cleaner (like carwash) and soap everything up. The windows will get clean, you'll wash any dirt/pollen that is sticking to the brick and the customer will be satisfied. I would price it like I do any other job. There is no discount for "less dirty" as the procedure is the same. I'm not sure what you are saying when you mention worrying about the integrity and reputation of your business. The customer obviously called you to do the work. They want it done. The only issue is in your own hang up. Be up front with the customer, explain what you are going to do and why you have to charge her to wash the entire house even though the results may not be as dramatic as on some projects. I think you'd be surprised at what you wash off. Pollen gets into mortar and then mold grows. What you are doing will save them expense in the long run.

Clean and seal. PM me.

Ding Ding! The HD-80 has much less hydroxide than one would think. Its still a hot product but a good stripper is more about the buffers and surfactant package than the caustics. A certain shiny, happy company that is infamous for cloning makes a product they tout as a good stripper. I tried it and it sucks. Guess there is more to making a clone than reading an MSDS sheet. :zipit:

I feel bad for all the people that fell for that marketing schpiel (sp). "buy this industrial looking plastic deck and you'll never have to worry about maintenance" Yeah.. other than black mold spots, tannin bleed, color shift, and scratches, its beautiful in five years.

Oil penetrates and absorbs. You will probably not be able to remove the spots without leaving faded spots. Composites suck.