PressurePros

You're right, Greg some great points though I'll go one further. Are you selling a service (deck restoration) or are you selling a finished product that benefits the consumer? What we do is important, ie how we get there, but ultimately the customer wants a visually appealing, usable deck that they can grill on, that the kids can play on and where the owners can have outdoor gatherings. Those are the most important things to sell.. customer benefits.

No more high fees paid to Comcast. Broadband internet connection totally free. Don't miss this one! I wonder how many calls they got today from this? How TiSP Works

Tim the toolman would probably tell you its perfect as is.

You probably forgot a COLON in your URL

54 minutes.... I always get like this when the countdown begins.

I'm very happy for Charlie Roy being a member since the board began. As I stated already it was a misunderstanding on my part. I thought he was a new guy. That aside I still find the post to be rude. I don't give a flying front door if someone has been in business 50 years. Rude behavior begets rude behavior. If Charlie knows and speaks with you guys then he could have pm'd you or talked to you on the phone about his issue. He put it out here to make a statement. You put something on the net, you never know what to expect. "Mindless blabbering" is not a kind sentiment. Maybe it is Charlie that needs to offer apologies?

Okay, my bad, Charlie. Thought you were a new guy. I read your back list of posts under this screen name and see you are a man that prefers few words. Simple piece of advice given to me many years ago.. "If it doesn't apply, let it fly" You don't have to read a post if you don't think it meets your fancy. Just like changing the channel.. Click.

I'll tell ya what, Charlie. Give your life to this business for a few years, write articles to help other contractors, post pictures of your work, partake in healthy debate, respectfully get to know everyone here, and then maybe, you can comment on what this board needs. Who is this guy?

He has been here all of a month, I guess he has the right to start making demands. Get Bent.

Rick, you are analyzing cause and effect from the wrong standpoint. My goal for Restore-A-Deck is to offer the highest quality products that will most benefit do-it-yourself'ers. I do not and will not ever recommend a product, let alone sell it, if I do not believe it to be the best out there. I approached ESI, like I approached Baker's (for different reasons). It will rarely be the other way around unless someone has something that they can prove to me is the best for a given application. I will tell Russell to his face, figuratively speaking, what I do not like about ESI products and give him opportunity to rectify or I move on. I operate purely business. I like Russell very much but he also understands that I do not put friendship ahead of conducting business. I do understand your definition of film former now. I don't believe it to be accurate and it is a bit misleading. You have every right to redefine anything you wish to, but as this is a forum filled with many guys newer to wood restoration and green to the "technologies" of stain making. Its pushing the envelope to make a sweeping statement and then justify if with your own definition. If you place a brush laden with Wood Tux on a wooden surface, the wood will draw the WT from that brush into itself. Thats penetration. Its not twisting a definition to suit my needs or point of view. It is what it is. I think the definition of wet wood can be brought into a semantic discussion. Does it mean 40%? .. 25%? .. 18%? WT can be used on any moisture content. I don't recommend it on saturated wood for my own reasons. I like to let the surface dry so I can see what I am doing. Wood that is soaked at the surface has its own deceptive color imparting tendency. When using a lightly toned WT its difficult to see where you are stopping and starting. That risks the quality of the job in my opinion. My solution is to strip one day, seal the next. You can also strip a deck, roll up your hoses, eat your lunch, do your prep work and begin staining. That's just not as efficient for our techniques. Another thing I have to touch on, Rick, is where you mentioned ease and speed of application. That is where the stubborness of the RS crowd seems ingrained. Its the battle cry. "Goof Proof!" Wood Tux: Spray on, backbrush. One coat, then its on to the next job. Pure paraffinic with low pigmentation: Same process, yet repeat three times for it to be done properly. That's ease of application??? You mentioned not being able to remove drops of WT from a painted surface. In the world of a perfect contractor, hey would not be there to begin with but f ocurse, you work with oil, you get it where you don't want it. Using Krud Kutter, I have never had an issue with a call back removing cured drops. In fact, the very worst issue I ever had was last year when a new guy balled up a piece of plastic and laid it on wet EP Henry Pavers. A week later I had to go out and see what the customer was complaining about and it was hideous. I applied some HD-80 and washed it with 200 psi. It dried like new. If that were Baker's or RS I'm fairly certain I would have had to pay someone to replace the pavers. I leave this for you to answer. How many times have you had to seal a deck and turn around and strip it three days later? Is being able to do so a selling feature? I fail to see the benefit. Doing that kind of thing would put one out of business. I will grant you it was not the best business decision, imo, for ESI to offer one color/size fits all last year because it does not. The warm honey gold in my opinion is so loaded with transoxide pigmentation that woods like white cedar will not come out nicely. This is true of all honey colored stains from all manufacturers. A newbie will not know that. Nor would a newbie want to get into tinting for fear of ruining an expensive pail of stain. The end result? A contractor applied the only color ESI offered and he got spanked. He had to strip it. ESI's fault? in my opinion, yep. Extreme Solutions is now offering premixed stock colors. That should alleviate having to seal a deck and then having to strip it three days later. Here is my final thought/feeling.. Rick, I throughly respect your abilities as a contractor and how you present yourself as a human being. I'm not trying to be harsh or attack you personally though my passion for the topic can outshine my willingness to be PC or a fence walker. I offer you this. Late season, when things slow down for you, you and I will join a crew on a stain day. We will discuss face to face what we witness. Its really the only way for you to see the same things I see in the field with WT. I would then like to join you on an RS job so we can accurately compare notes. Let me know what you think.

UPS would be the only one making out on that deal, Doc. Thanks about the suit. Its my favorite other than the fabric toughening my nipples.

This is a yawn conversation. I am not sure where you guys are getting "film former" and "no maintenace". You are a very smart guy, Rick. You cannot be that brainwashed. What are you being fed that says WT is not maintenance friendly? Show me one post, guide me to one name, that has used WT where it has cracked, peeled or done anything that is indicative or leads one to believe that WT is a film forming sealer. It isn't. I know you have that stuck in your head, but it is just not true. I would not use a film former unless it were a solid and conditions absolutely dictated its use. I spend a good deal of money making sure I build a d-base of happy, repeat customers. I certainly understand the annals of running a service business. Our goals are identical. I have customers that love the appearance of their deck. Their finish outlasts everything out there. Wood Tux penetrates wood. A simple quick procedural clean like you do, a light recoat and the customer is happy for another two years. Where are you perceiving problems? Wait, you're gonna mention stripping, right? My new guy called me and told me about a two year old WT finish that he left EFC_38 dwelling on a bit too long (15 minutes before a garden hose rinse) He said much of the finish washed off. I went and checked it this morning. It looked almost stripped. With a light dilution of F-18 or HD-80 it would have been gone. Oops, there goes that arguement. (I was curious about the stripping as well but I now see no problem) This is almost a dead horse but I will whip it once again. Paraffinic stains that do not have enough pigmentation are money monsters. Covering 70 s/f per gallon and having to three coat for a decent aesthetic finish is an expensive proposition. In a very short time a paraffinic finished deck's surface integrity is compromised. Non-drying = leeching. Leeching means with every rainfall there is less and less product protecting the wood. Now factor in that application mandatory 12% moisture which doesn't even exist during a humid summer or in a spring of cold nights.. losing proposition for a professional. Rick, I have no problem with you using whatever product with which you feel fits your needs and those of your customers. What I do have issue with is someone spouting rhetoric about something which they know little about. I ask you to back up your claims with factual information. How many decks have you done with Wood Tux? How many have you maintained? How many have you stripped? More and more profesionals are starting to understand what Wood Tux is about. More and more quality jobs are appearing on these boards. More high end contractors are coming on board. Large distributorships are picking up the product. Are we all idiots? Maybe you and another contractor that swears by Ready Seal believe so. That's your prerogative, I won't lose sleep over it. Just be fair, Rick. Ready Seal does not like when I mention their product by name, I'm sure ESI is not real fond of blind disparaging either.

hahahahahaaaa El Jeffe

Every time I see Russell's damn ad my heart races! (the one with all the thunder clouds) I hear ya, Rick. Though you know I have to break your stones and say "we were still staining". Sorry man, couldn't resist.

This is just my warped sense of amusement.. when I opened TGS and there is that little column of newer posts listed.. this one says "Pressuretek Bob blows me" Definitely did a double take there.

Rick, have you peaked at the forecast? Looks like our nights are going to be back in the thirties for the next two weeks.

Thank you, Dr Lechter. PS: Did you move that tank yet?

Do some research on quarternary ammonium. Not sure if that is your answer but should lead you in the right direction.

I think you have to be a franchisee to purchase. I would think think if you were to put a vapor barrier on wood it will rot unless you coat it on all sides. Moisture neds to be able to pass through wood. Thats why paints and even solid stains eventually peel. This is a chemical petrification process. I cannot claim to be an expert by any stretch but from what little I do understand it is a silica that cures in the wood. This process occurs in sunlight.

Thats stock WHG on the floor, Paul? Looks a littler "redder" than I am used to seing on ipe. Could also be the picture like you mentioned. I am actually going to break my vow and get some field time on a big ipe project we have coming up.

This will be my third year applying Wood Tux (wet formulation). Time does fly. Rich, give me a call when you get the chance. PM me for the number if you don't mind.

$1 per s/f of total wood is not going to make you rich. That is the minimal the job is worth. There is something going on in your presentation that is preventing people from giving you their full trust. Keep in mind, people have no idea what stuff costs. Your going to think I am crazy but start by acknowleging what they are saying and agreeing with it. Put yourself in a homeowner's shoes, everything costs so damn much.. but, that is not your problem or burden. You are there to sell them a service and you charge what you need to charge to stay in business. Here is a link that may be helpful. Its on another board and will save me the time from writing it out again. Your Price Is Too High! - Cleaning Talk - Professional Cleaning and Restoration Forum

SealMaxx: Deck, Concrete & Masonry Sealant The power of fluff marketing at its best. I have heard of contractors getting $8 per s/f to apply it. I doubt it will be enough to keep them afloat. Their customer service is lousy based upon the hundreds of homeowners I have had contact with around the country. I was in a campaign gathering evidence against them after their attornies sent me a letter to stop bad mouthing their crap. I've since given that to the hands of God. Companies like that hang themselves.

Thanks Chris ! I have a ton of customers from Garden Web. Good people over there.

Dan, the time you spend tinkering with formulations could be so much better spent on things that would make you money. You have to go back to the drawing board on the EFC-38. You're not even close. Even if it were as simple as adding surfactants, you better choose the right one or you will be rinising away soap longer than it will take you to strip.