seymore

Damm Ken you are soo damm right and for sure you know your SHIzNIT about our biz and all !:cool: I need to find some time to up to Pa. in the Winter and pick your brain in your slow season.There is still soo much more for me to learn even after 9 yrs in this profession.I think it's more of the marketing side of the biz side i need to learn more about rather than the restoration/applicating part that i think i have that covered i think....ummmmm yeah i could say for the most part i can clean about any job i come up against! We used to get so many waste of time calls 20min-45 min.They will listen your process of the cleaning and sealing a deck then guess what they get a wild hair and try it themselves.Now i'm not against a homeowner do it yourself project if they atleast buy the stain we use that is pretty easy to use if the deck is prepped right there should be no problems.It's them going to the Depot an buying crap that seems to never turn out they the way they planned."Help Me my deck looks horrible" There were times that when i gave a bid and didn't get a call back when i had a good feeling i would have.Well lets say in my beginning I didn't handle rejection to well and you could say i took it personal not being able to get the job i quoted and spent time talking to the customer selling my services.It was hard to swallow having the feeling of "what a waste of my time".I'm thinking that most people don't have a clue what it will cost them to have you restore and transform their backyard.I think it's the sticker shock that gets them and they look for a quick and easy fix and we all know the quick fix never last long and is a waste of time/$$ in the long run. I guess I'm not the only guy who thinks that their work is the best that any customer will find right?It's all in the confidence and attitude you must have when selling your services BE FAIR but FIRM.I think it's VERY important to stick by your prices and not to let someone talk you down price because they have so many other expenses they have.Hey it's sure not one of the most glamorous jobs but taking pride in our profession is very important and should never be forgotten "Now i will say it is very humbling to hear everyone here on the TGS and the deckguide compliment my pics i post" It's actually pretty damm :cool: The most important reason that i like to post really nasty before/after pics is to show that it's not really as hard to restore decks,fences etc.when it's done with the right chems/stain and certain techniques. Now I'm not saying every job will be always easy to do everytime especially new jobs that you had thought you had seen the worst nasty job till the one you are looking at.It never gets easier to work on those HOT muggy days,soaking wet,and even better driving home smelling like you have just been dipped in a barrel of bleach :D Well atleast you are clean and sanitized but damm i can still smell like bleach for sometime after that day.Then on the bright side i've just cleaned any bit of stain left on my hands from the staining job the day before Now if it's a $$ thing and you are losing out to a job quoted $100 under your bid There is not much you can about that someone trying to cut corners and save a few nickels for a service that we all know is worth every penny we can make.So in that same breath i don't feel bad about charging a high/fair price in my mind for a tough job that i know the homeowner will realize after i'm done that they got their moneys worth after you are finished.Then now i'm getting more customers undertsanding how important it is to get on a clean and seal maint.program.So they will not have to spend so much money to get a major cleaning and restain if they wait like 5 or 6 yrs before calling you again. I'm sorry for all the rambling and hope most of it makes sense because there is ALWAYS A REASON BEHIND THE MADNESS in our jobs we do everyday!! :cool: I think all the SPICY CRAWFISH i cooked tonight has me in a typing mood

I wouldn't sweat it especially if you are asked to use a light color stain that i would be sure to say 1 yr warranty because it's so light. trust me if the deck grain looks even and it's dry the sealer will stick.

I take it that was PT pine deck? How big is the deck? Is it pretty old and dried out? What kind of sealer you gonna use oil base water base etc? My only thoughts that the deck might look uneven or look a little dark if you had any leftover stain.You also said the deck looked pretty good after stripping like it was all yellow again? If it was me and I would bring some bleach when you go back to stain and if the deck looked uneven.You could spray a really light coat of bleach to even the deck out and just let it dry don't rinse.The deck will even out hopefully it will be sunny for you that day. Now you might hear from someone that the finish will fail too soon if you don't use Oxalic "I'm sorry I believe that causes the failure"

I'll take $50 on Bob and John to win please..:cool: I don't bet on the ponies for real but that's who my moneees are on. Rick are you having a best HAT contest??

Nice looking clean roof Pete :cool:

I'll tell you what i'm doing now on some new jobs/bids that are pretty far away or i'm just too friggin busy .Ask the homwowner to take some pics and e-mail them to you so you can see what you are up agianst.It's easier than throwing a price out there but like Mike said you give them a range of price and see how serious they are so you don't waste your time.It's hard to hear the word NO but after a while you will notice there is another job to clean around the corner. I don't know about you but i cover 100's of miles around Houston and if i can look at a pic and I will feel better when I'm charging xxxx..more because of the pool,plants etc i'm working around. Now I only work on decks,cedar houses etc and after 9 yrs i can just look at a deck and guess the size within 100 sqft or so.It all comes with exp.and i imagine it's the same for washing houses. You say you are still marketing yourself now and If i was you try to find a specialty type cleaning service that you are not fighting for every nickel and dime on bids.It's worked for us in cleaning and sealing decks etc. to do only wood restoration and now the repeat biz is non stop.It also lets us justify charging a premium price for such a service that is not so common around town. :cool:

Lou it's the deck and fence stain pads and i get them from Plano when i order my stain. You can call Padco for a distributor in your area and might luck out and find one. link to the ones i use.... http://www.padco.com/default.cfm/PID=1.1.12

If i can can get a stain to hold up in the HOT humid capital of Texas like Houston. You shouldn't have a problem in bluegrass country of Ky.:cool:

haha you never know you might be related :) Well for contractor price at $75 for 5 gal plus shipping that's one hell of a deal as it is :D

www.bakersgrayaway.com IT's not the best site there is they are workign on a new one.If you want pics looks at all my jobs. His name is Tom Baker is he a long lost cousin? :D

You can't go worng with Amteco oil for preserving wood

Yeah that too...:D

Total Wood Protection...TWP

Noo please not CWF!! Look for TWP in a paint store if you can it's a oil base sealer.

GO GET em McGRufff...:cool: While you out looking for the bad guys please go arrest the Saints for stealing Bush from us...:(

It's gonna be ok Ken we'll all come back as white Bleeech boys from the beach..;) ohh ohh your original post is lost in internet space...:borg::alien:

I wanna go too stop in Houston on a layover pick me up i'm minutes from the airport! where did the thread go Ken?

It looks great from here Ken nice job :cool: I think it's only going to look better as it cures in a few days or so.It is a pain to stain in the heat of the day sometimes on a bone dry deck it's not only you i run into the same problems.I just end up using more stain at times on older decks that soak up the stain like a sponge. You had that much solids on the bottom to mix? I use only paint pads Ken the ones from Padco that work great and last afew jobs before tearing up. What's your grade from your first time applying the BGA?

That's a whole lotta brushing and rolling,padding however ya'll do it.I'll take my shurflo and paint pad and my 12'x200' roll of plastic along with water. :cool: 6000 sqft deck i've stained in 12 hrs but it didn't have all that friggin railing!

That's a sweet looking job Rick very nice! :lgbow: I know what you mean about the sun and taking pics it's tough in the afternoon!

Sorry Rick I can't take all the credit for this one.The DBA "non profit organization" by the way was the brainstorm of our world famous wine maker Mr.Foley :cool: We haven't disscussed the DBA rank of order yet in our board meeting but it is on our agenda tho.:cool:

Oh you mean the NHL playoffs are on now??Jsut let me know when the Stanley cup is then i watch..:D I'm still in shock over the NFl draft...:lgtear:

I i know stripper would work to clean a grey deck with no problems at all but yeah it's a bit strong especially for redwood. I would use a bleach/soap solution to kill that dead grey wood the use a brightner after you have rinsed off real well. If you could do test spots and see how the wood reacts would help you.

I bet Beer and liquor sales go down tomroow..:D

Tim it's a bleach/soap mixture spray on the wood letting "DWELL " to remove mildew that can be very effective and easy to use to clean wood. It's been a chem i have used in cleaning wood for 9 yrs. P.S Bubble bath optional..:D