staudend

Hey guys, long time no post. I bid and completed a job last weekend that I completed in 6 hours with one hired hand. I xjetted 7 vinyl rental houses on the same street one right after the other that turned out beautifully. I bid the 3 one stories at 125 and 4 two stories at 175 as well as a garage floor for a total of $1125. Should I feel guilty? I don't think so with the overhead these days but still. I thought it was going to take me two days. I even discounted my usual price a little because of the volume. Nick

4 gpm @ 4000 psi is about perfect for decks with the right tip and siding with an x-jet. Just a thought, but if you perfected your residential techniques and made enough for a professional hot water unit, you could do residential with the smaller unit while using the other for commercial applications and possibly have both on one trailer drawing off your tank. A decent 5 gpm hot water system by itself won't cost your more than 5 g's if you shop around, and you can make that in a short time with good residential work AND write all of it off. One way to build without going into debt. You have to start somewhere. Nick

If you spray and backbrush, which I think you will on a deck this size, you definitely want to cover the majority of the back of the house with plastic, to be safe. Some say overkill, I say it's necessary. 10x10's on a roll at Walmart are easy to handle for one person or 2 and are cheap. 2 hours max with 2 people will save you a world of hurt or lawsuits. Oh yeah, don't leave out the bench on the lower level, they add a good amount of work and I've been burn't in the past over looking them. After all sq. feet including railings etc, are added up, for God's sake don't go below $1.00 a square minimum!! For precarb cleaning, brightening and staining with Wood Tux. Here's a horror story from a few months ago to back up plastic. I brushed a 1700 square foot deck by hand with wood tux because it was too windy for even plastic to stay on that week. I didn't think I would need plastic, but even with brushing the wind blew it all over the vinyl, I noticed later. It was a devil getting it off. My sixth sense told me to, but my need for speed stopped me. Word to the wise, use plastic and masking tape!!

If you have to use a ladder, this job will require more focus (being hooters) than on your average job, if you know what I mean, so be careful!!

Anybody here have a rocket? I bought a 600 honda cbr this summer, not much of a cruiser but it will get after it. It's a little faster than my Kawasaki KL 250 enduro!! Bikes rule.

What is the problem Jon? It looks good from the pics unless that third finished pic is stain on the surface and not dew or rain. I have used that exact product for 2 summers until wood tux came around. The only thing I know you have to do with this product specifically it is brush out your drips and use only one coat because the first will quickly seal the second coat out with the oil based SW deckscapes. Nick

120 lb heavy bag and the gym!!!!

When I seal a deck, I use light wal'mart plastic and Sam's masking tape, it's only about 10-20 bucks a deck. I seal off the bottom around the siding with masking tape and 3 foot high roll so none gets through, then tack 10 x 10's up above that, then go tack 10 x 10's below the deck as well if siding is there as well as 10 feet on the sides, then put tarps on any concrete below. It takes a while, but I explain to the customer that this is how many companies cut corners when spraying, jeapordizing windows and siding. Anybody who's done decks know of the "Cloud of Doom". For x-jetting houses I just pre-wet with plenty of water and rinse with plenty as well afterwards. Unfortunately it has been 15 degrees here in MO the last couple of mornings and below freezing several times, and in the absence of flatwork, my season has been done for over a month. Nick

I envy you math smart types!! I'll stick with business.

Ryan, here is what I am referring too. www.wernerladder.com/showparts.pl?accessory=PK80-2/APK80-2

I usually throw in the patio chairs or small stuff like that. Little time spent and the customer is pleased with the extra effort on your part that didn't cost the an arm and a leg. Nick

Hey Ryan, you've got to install a set of Werner ladder leg stabilizers!! I wouldn't be in business without them. All you do is set it down like you would a regularly equipped ladder and it automatically sets as firmly. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but once installed, it works amazingly. I've even put it on steps on a deck to reach the tall side of a house. Once set down they are locked, when you pick it back up they unlock and can adjust again. Sherwin Williams has them here and I'm sure you can find them elsewhere. I wouldn't plug them if I didn't think they probably saved my life more than once due to a solid base consistently. Nick

I wish someone could figure out how to get rid of the pressure treated film without it fuzzing up after a first time wash with EFC. I always sand my butt off on these projects. It still doesn't come up as easy as I'd like. The easiest decks I think are the ones that have been washed and treated with clear previously- leaving out the fuzzing. Nick

Let's talk about pilgrims and turkeys!! Happy Thanksgiving everybody. It's good to see that some of us pressure washers are deeper than just washing dirt off of stuff.

I have had a 28 foot werner aluminum with werner auto leg stabilizers and ladder horns up top for 5 years and have never needed another. It is light enough, and the auto stabilizers are a must. Nick

Not a bad idea, I wouldn't have even thought of that. Fortunately I carry an extra (purchased at Orschlens for about 12.99) which works better than the one that came with my dolly shurflo unit. Nick

For as little concrete as I do, I really don't need 3 surface cleaners, but I have a high speed 10 incher that cost more than my hydrotek 17 incher and my 27 inch hydrotek. The small one has 0 degree nozzles, cleans well and flies with my 5 gpm 3000 psi hydrotek hot washer. The 17 incher is a little slower, and I don't even use the 27 inch one because it is way slower than even the 10 inch. In fact, I have used the small one for most of my jobs because you can fit it in small spaces and use it on vertical concrete surfaces too if you want. It quick connects just like any spray nozzles to the end of your gun. Unless you have a huge machine, I would never go above a 20 inch surface cleaner. Nick

Henry, do you include masking time in that 40 min? That's what takes me the longest- preventing anything from getting on the house, with any sprayer, even a pump there will be a slight mist that the wind takes. I think 8 hours between stripping and staining would be about right for my methods at least. Wow, sounds good Reed. I would love to get that here in mid-mo, but when the biggest deckers in the area would do it for $500, it makes it kind of hard to sell quality with such a wide margin. With their record of quality though (zero masking before spraying!!), they might not be around too long. Nick

Exactly Classic, you have to charge more to chemically strip, more precautions are needed and some areas need reapplication. I wouldn't touch an HD-80 job for less than 900 for a deck that size. A precarb cleaning is a whole different story in my opinion, so obviously less work and precaution is involved. I wouldn't go below 600 to precarb clean and wood tux finish a deck. For wood tux, we are talking $75 or more for stain maybe $20 for EFC and citralic, Plastic, masking tape (I use a ton) Gas to and from for 2 trips (I travel an hour one way to get to good areas), PW gas, and then of course the fixed costs such as insurance and other overhead. That leaves you with less than you think. Many homeowners in this area are willing to pay for good quality work that will last them longer than most deckers in the area. Nick

I usually go 1.40- 1.50 a square to strip and seal with HD-80, Citralic and wood tux. If only Cleaning with efC-38 and staining, I go around 1.10 a square. You're right in the ballpark at 995 compared to 1.50 x 650 = $975. You will probably have to sell them a little on getting what they are paying for, because low-ballers with equally low quality run rampant in these parts, Mid Missouri, zip is 65203 for Columbia Missouri. Nick

I am 22 and invincible!!

Hey Celeste, I think Saferestore (I haven't properly thanked you for that tip yet) does something like that. In their sample pamphlet, it shows restoration of brick back to original color. It foams up and takes just about anything off any masonry surface that can come up (even rust and copper stains on concrete as I experienced personally). You also don't need a respirator or gloves to use it either. Patz, I would get a hold of eacochem and first ask them, and get a sample of a few of their products for 25 bucks or so. It would be 25 bucks well spent as I found out. www.eacochem.com Nick

Eacochem's Saferestore is pretty amazing stuff, I've used it several times and it rocked on limestone and copper stains on limestone and concrete. It's supposed to remove just about any stain there is on masonry. Nick

If I didn't already have a ton of the blue stuff from another project, RV would surely be it. I filled my 120 lb heavy punching bag with it and overestimated what I needed. I might use the blue for the semi-cold months and switch to red when it gets really cold. Nick

how about the blue washer fluid stuff? I ended up with a ton of it plus it's way cheaper. I've been using RV fluid up to now, but cheaper is better for some applications. Nick