Littlefield
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Posts posted by Littlefield
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Ken, I think that would work for me, as long as the call 'right back' happened right away. I'm sure YOU would call right back, but would they get the message to you in a timely fashion?? I had looked into this, and they can be quite sophisticated even sending text messages, etc....
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Big jobs are just little jobs all together. REally need a sq foot number on the job. On a public building like thisbiggest hangups are schedules and tenants. Make sure there are not other contractors there in your way, lot of times things are done at the same time, be sure to specify this in your bid. Try to stick them with the lift rental, if it breaks down its their problem to get you another one. Keep in mind you can only put one or two people in a lift. Plan on a ground man to gas the pw, move things, flag areas and people that walk under flagging, etc....I'll give you a bid when I get a sqft number. Remember triangles are base/two x height. Get the exposure on the shingles and use that to estimate a few gables, then you will be able to eyeball them from there...Now go measure, or PM me the number.
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Different things work in different areas. Cost is also different for certain things, so don't go thinking I'm a big spender. Things that have worked well for me:Yellow pages under cabin staining, sob blasting, painting contractors. This is a gradual build type of thing, not a lot right away. Stay in it for the long term. Billboard- sound expensive, but not in my area. This pulled quick with lots of response from when it went up in June, to end of Oct, and haven't got a call since. It will pick back up the end of March, and I'll be slammed thru the year.Letter your truck and/or trailer. Great value, pulls all year long, lasts for years, not really very expensive if you amortize it over a year. Make sure the contact number is the largest thing, then what you do next. Try to combine them if possible like 678-PAINT or 546 DECK or something. The less you have on the truck, the easier it is to read, so be careful not to overdo it. Less than 6 words max on truck or billboard, rule of thumb.
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Jarrod, have blaster, will travel. ;)Hows $6/ft sound?
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Reply to #17- Ken, I respect your take on this. I was doing a little devilish advocating myself. I too work in the real world, believe me. East coast log restoration is not a piece of cake. Southern Appalachian work is harder still. I work in an area that is filled with baby cabins. Not a lot of cash floating around. However, I do focaus on giving my customers the best job I can, hence a lot of my cob blasting. Please don't mistake my use of alternative prep methods as evidence that I work in an alternate reality where market share, demand, and good salesmanship don't work just like wherever you're from in PA.
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Jon, mine too. Five choices is too much for anybody. I don't think different levels of quality are a viable tiered system. Stains that give different long term results, with homeowner educated, is a different matter. Guys, please keep in mind that the "wood resto market" is a lot more than just staining decks. Once you get into vertical surfaces, the choices really go up. Due to differences in number of coats, application method, etc, you can very easily offer a tiered COST system that makes sense to everyone. I think the big difference here is tiered cost, not quality.....
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Jon, Yes I like to offer a couple different levels, but not bronze , silver, gold. I like paper or plastic. ;)
And doesn't all this only one way to do it right salesmanship go directly contrary to the everyone has a different way thread about using hot water or not, etc, etc.
How about theres more than one way to skin a cat
What if my customer has to have a gloss finish to one up the Sikkens job next door?
How about if they can't stand the candied look?
What about offering and explaining the difference between brush buffing, pad buffing, and sanding?
Cob or chems?
low maint coatings or regular maint coatings?
Water or oil?
On verticals or horizontals? How about humidity levels and sun exposure?
Are all you guys telling me you have only one way to prep wood, ever??? And after you do that prep, only one stain you would ever use for every application???? Say it isn't so...
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Sorry if I came out with that rudely, Jarrod. Just ribbing you a little bit about being able to NOT have to take the PITA jobs. Although I have to admit, I've been refusing all Sikkens jobs for a couple years now, unless they want to remove and go with something else. recoats I send out to my competition that loves them. Keeps them busy, and away from the work I like. ;)
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Dave, Amen Brother!You said what I was trying, (and failing) to say. If I want to call myself a professional, I can't make myself walk away from the tough jobs. What I have, (gradually) learned to do is charge what its worth on the tough ones. Thats still a work in progress, but going in the right direction.
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Sprinkler Guy,Several stains can be applied close to freezing. Readyseal applies down to freezing, with a quick "set" in the 40's. Permachink waterbased stains apply down to 40 with a 2 hr cure. Those are only for verticals at this time. A big thing you can do to minimize temperature impact on stripping is to use a dry method, such as cob blasting, in conjunction with a low temp penetrating oil finish. It is then possible to strip a house by blasting one wall at a time, buffing, and immediately coating with the low temp stain.
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I've used warm and hot (up to 150 degrees F) to strip log homes and decks. I will say that there is a point where the extra heat stops making a difference, right around 150 with ambient air temps around 45. I apply chems mixed with the hot 180 deg water, out of a 30 gallon drum that stays warm for a while. I then rinse with no more than 150 degree water. Got normal furring for the finish I was stripping. It all buffed off. Life was good. On another note, you guys that can "specialize" with just penetrating oil removal have it made!! Although I'm a little jealous of someone that can stick with only easy jobs bragging about how fast they are...;)In my area, if you're not attacking Sikkens Cetol, Behr, etc, you're just a painter, not a wood rest. pro.I advertise right on my cards, "Complete Sikkens removal" Hows that for a specialization?
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I realize the thread is about decks per say, but I have to agree with Jon F. Alot of people think that there is only one way to do things right up until they see another way work well. Compared to chemical stripping, blasting and sanding an entire house down might seem ridiculous to a deck guy. However, alot of things can chamnge the efficacy of a particular method. Consider access to a large wall with steep hill in front that reqiures climbing a 35 foot ladder every time you want to re-wet the wall. Not for me, I'd rather blast and sand. No chems raining down on me, no slipping off a ladder thats too slippery, no running around trying to keep things wet enough to strip 3-8 coats of Sikkens Cetol.....Blast it once, take the time to sand, and you never will want to get wet again ;)
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Wow! Ken, I hae to say, thats one of the nicest strip jobs I've seen in a while... Good thinking on the plastic idea.
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Beth, I'm following you with the moisturizer vs. protecting coat. Getting samples going as soon as possible.
You know the water based film forming log home products have gone in this direction with pigmented and clear coats, because different products excel at different things. Instead of trying to put all characteristics in one product, we're talking about a system...
Maybe we're getting some real progress is stain system formulation here.
Hey Rich,We had a similar expereince to you regarding RS. However, think about the parafinics (sic?) in general as moisturizers. We like them for that property. We have been Wood Tux users for three years now and our clients LOVE it. Adding a moisturizer in some cases before the WT on top will benefit the wood and add to longevity. Wood Tux does last well - real well.
Beth
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Hey Henry,
Sorry for the confusion. I was quoting someone else and edited the quote to highlight the area I was referring to. Further back in this thread, Pressure Pro said the comment about the one coat coverage being bad. Just clearing it up.
Hey Rich,When you had those call backs on Ready Seal, were the decks dry enough when you sealed them? I've heard that if they aren't dry enough this can happen. Ready Seal and similiar sealers should be applied until the wood won't take in anymore product. Using just a light surface coat will often cause problems like this also. It's the same for products like ABR, you want to fill the woods open fibers.
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Thanks, PP. Are you doing both products, or just the WTW? Does any of this remind anyone of the TWP 500 series approach? If so, any feedback on longevity of that system vs. the WT one?
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Sorry, Pressure Pro, I stand corrected. I misunderstood the below post. So have you tried the WTW and DMC? What do you think, as one who has tried lots of different stains?
While I found Ready Seal to be child's play to apply, I found it's one coat coverage to be less than adequate. I did maybe ten decks with it and got two call backs. That ratio was enough to make me run. One call was, it's been three weeks and my deck is very faded.
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Wow, long read here. I'm actually getting kind of excited about a two step oil process that moisturizes the wood, then helps seal at the surface. (Still can't get myself to ever use the dreaded film word with an oil. Visions of peeling Sikkens dance in my head....)
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Don't want to sound like I'm jumping on anybody, just want to make sure if someone is new to using RS, that they don't get the wrong idea. Part of the problem below with fading could be that Ready seal is not intended to be a one coat product. I find that 90% of the time I've had a problem with a product, I could have read the can and avoided it.
I sympathize with the tracking issue, I've been really warning people about it, and giving them a towel to wipe the feet on, but so far, no actual cases of this happening.
Finally, I'm amazed that you offer a two year guarantee on deck surfaces. Just out of curiosity, have you found a product that will do this to the point you will guarantee, yet? Also, does anyone else offer this length of warranty on decks?
To be fair to Ready Seal, the experience with the tracking problem could have been my fault. It was done after the first customer complained about fading so I put much more down on this lady's deck. The other eight decks I did with Ready Seal initially had no complaints and I did maintenance on all of them this past spring. Unfortunately, all were very faded, and in keeping with my two year gurantee, I stripped and applied an alternate product at a reduced rate. Knee jerk reaction on my part...Like Jon said, different contractor, different results. It just doesn't meet my needs. Cost of sealer is irrelevant to me, I pass it on to the customer. I need a product with one coat coverage and durability. Customers already know that using any quality retail product is going to cost them $30-$50 per gallon if they were to buy it themselves. -
Just my personal opinion. I used several Osborne brushes down to the nubs before I ever ordered the bufffing pads, and I was surprised by how much better the surface looked with the pads. Maybe with splintery wood you get lots of black fuzzies, but after practice, not so much.
By the way, quick way to change pad: hold lock down button and with bufffer upside down, spin pad with flat of hand counterclockwise. Put Nut thru new pad. with pad on top of nut, look thru backer pad to line up angles on nut. Squeeze together and flip over, holding them together. Hold the whole assembly down to the mandrel on the buffer, and very gently kneel or use your toe to tap the trigger. Presto! pad changed in about 30 -45 seconds. Also, if you put the old pad behind the new one, the extra padding seems to increase the effectiveness of the new pad. Not the longevity, but the effectiveness.
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Also, from experience, make sure to work your way up from a percarbonate cleaner to the stripper on the tough areas. After you apply brightener, the tannins that the stripper pulls out more than the percarbonate should even right out.
Did anyone plan on doing any buffing or sanding on this job? Even with the best of methods, IE low pressure wand, careful chem usage, you still get some furring some of the time, and you don't want to be doing that for free. Keep in mind you will probably be doing some of the work off ladders, so decrease your production rates or increase your sqft rate for the high areas. Rule of thumb 20% more above 8ft, 30% more above 15 ft, etc, etc.
Reiterate Jon's comments on porch ceilings being tough, they are big time wasters and I have a separate line in my spreadsheet just for this. Try doing them last in the day, as you will get wet, and don't want to be soaking all day....
By the way...$1,982.25
Figuring 25% of the 3600sqft off of a ladder, buffing 25% if it furs up, prepping 10 windows.
It would take 2 of my old employees 2 days or about 30 hours, but I'll get it done in a day and a half.
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Tronman,
Oil based polyurethane is common. Minwax makes both an oil and a waterbased for floors. Waterbased takes more coats, but is more fun to use. Be SURE to read the can for the proper product, as different poly's are formulated for different applications.
Other choices if its really not sealed yet, Tung oil with some stain mixed in or high end water based epoxies that actually strengthen the surface of the wood....
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Busy, busy..:)
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Jon, I know you're looking for a rotary, but Porter Cable makes a good orbital that does 6000rpms. Has pretty good power. Maybe look at a 4 inch angle grinder, they're actually pretty light, very powerful though at 10000 plus rpms. You're right about the little air powered sanders, I've done the footwork on them, used one hooked up to a 185 CFM compressor, the innards have a check to not allow you to abuse them, shucks. Even with that much air flow, not enough power, as soon as you lean on it a little, it would stop moving and let the air bypass. Keep in mind I was using 60 grit on cedar to sand smooth cob blasted wood.
Estimates - how do you handle them?
in Residential Pressure Washing
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I charge for estimates. Its part of my fixed overhead, which means everyone gets to help defray the cost. I plan one at least one day a week to do estimates and other "support" functions in my business. Figuring only working 4 or even 3 days a week in the winter helps me adjust my pricing accordingly.