staudend

Cabot semi transparent stains? I have used new redwood cabot semitransparent, and it looks nothing like wood tux. It is not rich in color and is nearly solid. It is a long lasting product though.

I bid on a 2200 total square foot deck for $1 a square foot and lost it to a lowballer. They are getting ready to sell the house so they didn't care if it was quality or not. I use EFC-38 with hang time for spindles, citralic to neutralize and wood tux to finish. It gets pretty expensive as ya'll know and I thought $2200 was pretty reasonable for a huge deck in mid-missouri. I even gave her a paper spelling out each step of my process and she actually went and looked at some incredible looking wood tux decks I recently did. Is that a reasonable price? And we are talking a huge deck on a huge house. Just venting.....

Here are some pics of the rain deck that I blended already. I put a really light coat of warm honey gold over everything and wiped out the shiny's today. Thanks Jesse and Rod for the advice. It turned out fine, but is not totally cured to its final color in the pic as wood tuxer's know (it will lighten up and get richer within 7-14 days).

Thanks Rod, I'll try to blend it. Can I blend with a little on a brush instead of spray? I brushed this deck because thankfully it didn't have spindles, just cross boards. When you say, "Once you have blended the affected areas, then recoat the entire affected area," is that two coats over that darker area or one where it needs blending and one over the whole thing? If it didn't cure even, I'm hoping I just have to blend. I find it very hard to avoid shiny spots too. Is there a way to remove it if it cures shiney? Thanks Rod, Nick

I should probably be starting another thread for this.... I tried ignorantly to predict the weather and got caught on another deck halfway through. I got the floors wood tux'd about 10 minutes before it popped up and poured, but also put tarps and plastic over it just before it did. I used some blue tarps and clear plastic. I went back today and took the plastic off and some water had gotten through. Most of the tux had already soaked below the surface though before it rained, but it looks really splotchy. I am thinking the clear plastic covered part might have cured faster. I'm hoping the other sections will brighten up to the rest of it given a little time. What is the alternative if the floor does cure the way I want it to? Will it cure up? I'm thinking a full strip and re-application if not, but pipe in anybody who has gotten caught in the rain too. I will spare no expense to make this customer happy. She runs a property management company and I have done extensive work for her before on her properties. Reed, Rod & Beth or Jesse feel free to pipe in here or anybody who uses Wood tux, I used Warm honey gold.

Using a lower end sealer wouldn't cut substantially of the bid, maybe 75-100 bucks or so. My time and effort is in the process, as in protecting the house much more than lowballers, and using high quality cleaners and neutralizers. Therefore it wouldn't help me or the customer that much to use a lesser product anyways. I think many customers can be sold on quality. I gave a quick estimate on a deck without having the time to really explain my process and products. She didn't call me back, but when I was in the area a again, I stuck a paper on her door explaining my products and process. She called me soon after. I'll tell the guy that can't afford it how to do it right and what the best consumer grade products are in the area and let him do it. I've done it in the past, and it shows the customer you care about the quality even if you can't lower standards enough to get there, and sometimes you may get the job because of that.

Yeah CCPC, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks Jesse, I have some marketing under my belt that deals with target market and various differentiation techniques, but my degree is in finance (stocks, bonds etc..) Should have gone the marketing route. This before and after idea is an attempt to differentiate from the other quality deckers in the area and set way apart from the lowballers. Website is a good idea, but I have never actually had a full season of work because of school (this year still being a partial). Because of this and school loans my bank account will begin to suffer over the winter season, so any excess marketing tools have to be scrapped til' next year. Great idea though. Nick

I am going to add this service of before and after photos to my deck portfolio. Should I tell the customer this during the bidding process or when? As of now it's new, so I'm going to just spring it on my first customer... see the result. It will take a little while to prepare this portfolio, it's not an instant thing. It might be a couple of days before I can have it prepared and delivered. I don't know if this would be a problem or not.

How should I go about telling the customer before hand that I am going to do that? A informational paper? There will also be some lag time between deck finish and portfolio delivery. I'm still trying to figure out the logistics of this. Nick

I gotcha totally, but dang, I just bought a $375 digital camera for before and after pictures, and now I need a $600 computer to handle it cuz my old one is about spent. In thinking of these recent purchases, I thought it would be nice if I could swing the deck. Otherwise I would have let it slide. This deck was the one where she wasn't really looking for quality, just to sell, so I should have let it slide. The lure of a big deck is sometimes too much!! Off the subject at hand, I bought this camera for before and afters to put in a portfolio for the customer. I got this nice little folder for 15 cents apiece, then card stock with "before" and "after" on it with some more info. I figure I can put this together for a couple bucks a deck after developing at Wal-Mart and the customer can then show their amazed neighbors and friends or keep it for future reference (hopefully). We'll see what happens. They ought to be pretty professional and convincing. Plus I can write it off and use it for fun too!!

So I made the mistake of pursuing this deck because it is slow this time of year for me. I called and told her I could cut 200$ off if I used clear wood tux on it, easier to apply, less drips etc... She told me she had another contract and to please not call again. I can bet you she had an extremely low bid from a low-baller. Some customers just don't care about quality. Somebody tell me I'm charging the right price for a 2200 Square foot deck!! I feel like she thought I was cheating her after a much lower bid from a low baller. Anybody else feel my pain? I can't work for nothing....

Ryan, I don't think they know who they are going to sell it to yet, good idea though. Dale, That's what I get for putting my flyers in Real-estate agents boxes..... Still not a bad idea for house-washing. I take the same approach, I'd feel guilty for using an inferior product at a lower price trying to low ball the lowballer. There's a company by the name of Weathershied here in mid-mo that usually bids 60% of what I or other reputable companies in the area bid. They seem to do a good job of prep and staining, although I don't know if they use quality products or not. They spend a ton on marketing and have alot of work, but my observations watching them do several decks nearby have been that they brush and roll the floor and a couple spindles out, then they spray the rest without covering anything but the concrete patios beneath. I went back and looked at the house and there was spray everywhere where the wind caught it. The plastic prep work is what takes me the longest, which is a corner they cut. I don't know how they stay in business!! I consider them a low-baller with a professional image. I'm done venting nowww.......

Thanks Reed- I feel better now.

Hmmm. lemme put top 3, 1) wood tux 2) SW deckscapes 3)Cabot bottom 3 1)Thompsons 2)Flood CWF 3)Behr My experience with wood tux is limited to a few decks, but they look awesome and should last based on what's in it. The bottom three might give you one good season, then start looking like crap soon after. They all might look good initially, but durability is a huge issue. Readyseal is supposed to be good, but I can't find a dealer around here so I can't rate it from experience. Each brand may have products that I have not used that are better than the ones I have. I like wood tux for its looks better than any of them though. These ratings are all based on the semi-transparent finishes. Nick

With the adjustable tip I was using it seemed like there was less than what I get from my airless, but way too high of flow.

Flood CWF is junk. It sits on top of the wood kinda like Thompsons advanced, and makes a sheen. It starts to peel sometimes. I'm not sure how long it would last if applied by a professional, but from what I know and have heard from others CWF is not a good product. This is where you might be able to show what you know and recommend a superior product such as Readyseal, deckscapes or wood tux. I've used it once in my earlier days and will never use it again. If the customer insists, it might make for a tactful "I told you so" moment next season when it starts to look terrible.

Seymore, I know of the pressure switch, but when I turn the pressure down, the switch wears out much more quickly because it cycles on and off. I've had to replace two of them because it was adjusted incorrectly. I have never done any projects as big as you describe, fences etc. The decks I do are usually no bigger than 1000 ft2 total. The real problem I had was finding a good tip for the shurflo handle. Yes, the airless does have an extension which comes in pretty handy on the floors. I couldn't get the control I wanted from the shurflo tip or handle I tried. when it comes to needed volume for huge projects like that, I think I could use a shur-flo, but the airless does a beautiful job when you need control for railings. I'm itchin' to buy a decker because of it's flow control and patterns. I think it would be the best of both worlds: low overspray of the shurflo and controllability of the airless. Nick

I would not recommend the shurflo for sealant application. Here's why.... I spent an entire afternoon at orschlens turning my 1.2 gpm 60 psi 12v into a sealant sprayer. I tried the step up wand for 36 bucks and tried forever to find a fan pattern for it, but finally decided to use the regular adjustable tip. I finally got it home and tried it with some wood tux. It pumped fine, but the bottom line is even 1.2 gpm is wayyy to much for anything but the floor, and the pattern is wayy more wasteful for anything but the floors. one gallon was gone before I knew it (50 seconds to be exact) and the pattern was crap. If anyone has ever been able to adjust the flow on a shurflo let me know!! None that I have ever seen can be turned down. I would recommend to go with a decker or an airless and plastic the heck out of everything, 10 feet on allsides (including underneath if applicable). I got my airless 4 years ago at home depot for $380 and haven't had any problems, even with overspray because of plastic and masking tape, both obtained at Walmart and Sam's and passed on to the customer. A Decker is next on my purchase list because I hear it has a lot less overspray. Even with a decker it is probably still a good idea to plastic a bunch. Optimally you might want a decker for right now. My airless comes in handy pretty soon on a barn painting side project for a local farmer though.

As for the two tone, I applied no less than 50 gallons of Sherwin Williams deckscapes, formerly Cuprinol solid extra-white water borne decking stain this summer. The first coat acts as a primer, and the next makes for a great looking finish. I have never done a two-tone, but I've put a ton of this stuff on 60, 5x10 apartment decks including rails and floors, two coats on everything. It will stick to anything and looks great. Nick as a side note, I applied Wood tux Western Cedar on my first wood tux deck today. It looks good and a ton of it soaked in. I'm hoping for the customer's sake it's all its cracked up to be. As another side note, I will never clean a deck without using hang time again!! It rocks. I wish I had been sold on it when I started using EFC-38 and HD-80. I cut down on my cleaning time because it stuck the cleaner up in those hard to stick places a ton easier than without hang time. The old finish melted right off. even on the under side of the railings.

I have a funny feeling I am going to get burned on a job I just took for painting two huge barns barn-red. I have never painted before, but it will be a good learning experience. I told him 30 bucks an hour and he provides the paint, so I can't get burned too bad, especially if other work is slow. This is because I have no idea of the time it will take, so hourly works for me. In regards to price per square footage, my limited research has come up with .70-.80 cents a square not including materials. Any painters feel free to jump in right about now.... Nick

How long will wood tux last? I've been talking it up in preparation to use it on my first wood tux deck and would like to know some real world results from anyone who has used it for more than 2 years. I've heard 3 years or more, but I'd like to know for sure what the customer can expect. Is it significantly better the SW deckscapes or cabot's semi? Also can it be applied with an airless? Thanks, Nick

I've seen it before. I think has something to do with the mortar, maybe a mineral of some kind, but I have no idea what will take it off. Heat and pressure don't work. I wouldn't mind knowing what does if anyone has an idea. Nick

Medic- I live near Columbia, MO and have been doing this for 5 years. If you're ever in the area, I can show you my stuff and explain the basics if you want. I started when I was 17 right out of high school and have been doing it every summer since between college semesters. I spent 1000 on a cold water machine, 300 on a good ladder with auto stabilizers and horns, a hudson, an extendawand (200). I basically just started going door to door, no flyers, no cards no experience except for sites like this and a little help from a guy I know in the business. I didn't have any bills from living to pay, so it was easier for me. It will take a while to accumulate knowledge, experience and confidence in the business that is necessary to sell the bigger jobs, as well as better equipment for those bigger jobs (or even a bunch of little ones). I would say being a salesman is the key. If you can't sell your professionalism and knowledge, you won't go anywhere. I didn't start making real money until really my third year when the learning curve kicked in and I had accumulated the real equipment I invested in that costed me around 6,000 that I made with the little machine. Call me if you're serious about starting up. Nick

I had the same problem with my Hydrotek's horizontal cylindrical burner tube. On one end, the insulation came down and cause me the same problems you experienced. My stainless is brown now from the excess fuel that kept burning. The shop fixed mine correctly because Hydrotek had a remedy of a metal grate that once installed, kept the insulation from ever coming down. They had it standard on their new models, but not mine. It could be something for you to ask Landa or your shop about. Mine is supposedly fixed for good, knock on some wood. Nick

The new tetris score is unattainable by any man or machine!! On a different note, I would also be interested in an educational package for homeowners. My experience is that the majority of the decking in this area is done by low-ballers who don't really know what they are doing wrong, or by the homeowner, and neither really know what the hell is going on. It would be worth it to educate an entire neighborhood and see if enough people would read it and trust you enough to call you for an estimate. Nick