Littlefield
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Posts posted by Littlefield
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Thanks all for the support, I'm on the upswing again, looking forward to a great fall season!
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Had a bad experience with Woodguard and Oxalic acid. After applying and pressure rinsing off a new log home at around 1500psi, I coated the home with Woodguard. After 2 months, it looked covered with mold. Round and round we went, with the final result looking like a chemical reaction with a residue from the acid.
Folks, I know how to rinse, and I was on this job personally. This is not an isolated spot on the place, but all over. The chemist recommended in the future to buffer/neutralize the acid with sodium bicarbonate. Check out www.primeshop.com and look through the prep sections for more on this....
I hesitated to post this, 'cause its egg on my face, but the way the owner is approaching it right now is that its an industry accepted chemical, and they need to inform applicators of the dangers of this reaction.
I hope this helps someone, and remember, its worth a call to the tech support numbers to see if they know about this before you proceed with cleaning.
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Just wanted to let everyone know why I've been incognito for the last few months. I figured that I'd put it in the wood care forum, since thats like home for me here on TGS.
Right at the end of June, my parents-in-law were in a serious car accident in Shreveport, LA. My wife and I just got back a couple weeks ago from several weeks at the hospital, with both of them in ICU, and then several weeks reorganizing their house to be wheelchair accessible, and then taking care of them to a point where some local friends and family can pick up the slack.
Whew!!
As I come back, I find things have pretty much fallen apart while I've been gone, business wise, even though I had someone managing f(I thought) for me while I was gone.
Suffice to say that of the 7 I had going when I left, 1 remains, and he's down to part-time status....
However, I've had good comments from current and past customers that they see ME back in my truck driving around town. The "red paint truck" rides again!!
So, I'm sorry if any of you have tried to reach me in the past three months, but I'm back!
Fire away, and I'll help when I can.
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Sell every deck in the condo, get the pool covered, and have a field day...
I had a call from a nice old lady the other day. She told me her deck was in desperate need of cleaning. I went over there to Bid the job and found that she was on the 5th floor of a condominium building. below her deck was 4 neighbors with the same deck. On the Ground at the rear entrance was a swimming pool ---just about as full as it could be. Looking at her deck she has a worn coat of stain. It will need strippers. I told her i couldnt do it For those reasons. What would you do? -
Carlos, interesting question. As far as a third pary doing QA, who would pay for it? If you do, I think the customer would have a hard time thinking they are impartial...
Maybe you're talking about quality checks on the work itself AND the total customer experience. To me, that is part of the account manager, or business owner, etc. I would definately have a specific program in place in which perhaps you call a week after the check is cashed, ask if everything is still great. Most guys won't call after the check, because they have the money, and don't want a trip out, but that really locks in a customer. "He called back a week later just to check on me..."
By the way, www.thepainterschatroom.com has a program where they will use the customers email address, and conduct a third party survey. They say people are more likely to complain to a third party, because of social stresses if you know the person. Make sense? They then forward the survey to you for evaluation....
Does anybody have any type of Q.A. program as it relates to their power wash services?I have been thinking about this topic for awhile now and also evaluating whether or not it would be practical to implement some sort of Q.A. program in our company. Ideally we would want a 3rd party to conduct the Q.A. as it relates to our companies overall performance in the power wash arena. The Q.A. would be more focused on our Commercial Accounts than anything.
Thoughts?
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Russell has told me during a wood chat that 2/3 of a cup comes very nearly to 8 oz of weight. The thing with hd 80 is that if you go too strong, it doesn't work as well. Hope this helps, didn't they mention something about a booster for hd 80 coming soon??
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Paul, I particularly like your idea below of pricing by the constant. I've been battling with how I will do this as I've recently gotten a lot faster in several areas with addition of specialized equipment. Now I'm facing redoing my estimating spreadsheets to take into account the extra equipment and speed of performance...
Good thoughts...
I firmly believe that a contractor in this field should learn to estimate by a constant such as square foot, linear foot, per 1000 bricks, etc. (recognizing that there may be some exceptions). After arriving at the (minimum) constant, then one would apply adjustment for difficulty or other factors.The reasoning behind pricing by the constant is so that as you increase your speed, you also will be increasing your profit. This would be in comparison to someone that is pricing by the hour - as they pick up speed, their pricing would most likely be lower (therefore reducing potential profits). Of course, if you have to deal with stiff competition, then price adjustments are possible in the sq ft, lin. ft, methods.
There is a somewhat lengthy but very good post that this link goes to that explains pricing in more detail. You don't need to go to the PWN web site, just start with the second post (Allen) who copied the post from the other web site.
http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11675#post11675
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Wow, ryan, some stiff indifference here. I think some are worried about being brought up on charges for conspiracy to price fix, not understanding what you are doing. Sounds like a good idea. Maybe one way around this would be to base everything on production rates, and percentage of difficulty adjustments. Even travel can be converted to an average percentage of jobs, etc. thsi way no one really know exactly what someone else charges. The fear there is kind of absurd anyway, people aren't buying from me on price, so what do I care if they use my price to try and win??
The only thing I would be afraid of, is that I will find I'm not the highest, but rather considerably below everyone else. How embarrassing. I'm sure I actually am lower per sqft, so I run that risk right now.
A few observations
Pressure washing decks, good condition 500 sqft/hr
ditto, average condition 300 sqft/hr
ditto strip semi stain 100 sqft/hr
Keep in mind, I am also stripping the house they are attached to for this price, and it is wood too. I use a 35% SUBD average figure, for setup and breakdown. this is an adjustable modifier on my spreadsheet, to account for difficulty of customer, access to work area, and travel.
Pressure washing houses, wood sided or log cabin,
Good condition 500 sqft/hr
Average 300 sqft/hr
Strip failing stain 200sqft/hr
strip difficult stain 100 sqft/hr cob blasting
Divide the production rate for the above in half if working above 8 ft.
How am I doing so far???
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Don't think Hd-80 would have helped there, Brian.
Further on the paint stripping. Man, you go for the hardest thing first, huh. :)
there's a lot more to painting than people think, especially when it comes to surface prep. Take some advice from someone who learned things the hard way, learn before you bid. Bidding and planning on learning there, is in my opinion, a fools way in.
For technical painting advice, I've found www.thepainterschatroom.com to be helpful.
By the way, I would plan on using a poultice stripping system if I faced a job like this, but I haven't yet, which would have me calling up Ken at AFP, for advice....Sorry Ken. :)
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Lastly, Jeff, the sodium hydroxide in the HD-80 can dissolve the tarpaper under the cedar shakes. The other chems are allright.
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My fuel is at 1.63 for 87 octane, and rising. Scary at the pump when I'm filling up my van at 32 gallons or so a pop, but not really affecting the bottom line much yet. I'm raising prices faster than the gas station, trying to get "there" first...
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Greg, I haved a background in high rise as well, and I second what Frenchy said. You've got to learn this hands on, not from a book, or bulletin board. I've seen many rock climbing gurus freeze up on the sheer face of a 30 story building, and have to talk them down the side as I clean their windows for them.
Again, no pointers except work for a few months with a reputable company, and then get back with us....
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Bid $20,613 for clean and seal. Extra prep and protection of adjacent surfaces not included in this price. Some pics would be nice...;)
labor and materials breakdown?
labor 6758
materials 3548
other funds breakdown for company profit, owners pay, sales commision, advertising, overhead.
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Mark, first off, nice website. I used to work in Metarie, lived out in LaPlace. I did high rise in NO for 2 years, working for Cliffhanger, Ramelli, and Acme.
Second, a couple questions. When you say you charge by the unit, are you telling the customer what you charge per unit per hour, or is this just how you figure your bids?
I charge by the man-hour, not the unit, and I give fixed bid prices on all jobs. I find that the smallest crews seem to work better, so I use two man teams as much as possible. Why don't you figure up a crew/hr amount, with one experienced person and one helper? Then plan on having teams perform all work as much as possible. If I send a helper, I want to see an increase in time of at least 70%, otherwise, I send men solo. I've been killed in the past having large numbers of people on the job and not seeing the production increase I expected.
Minimum charges range all over the place. I would figure half day minimums for one man. If the job is bigger, you can then add a man to bring the job in quicker.
I would think the trip charge would be under minimums, unless you are charging for touchups, etc.
For figureing the insurance costs, average your last years gross income, and divide the last years insurance cost into it. this will give you a percentage amount to plan for insurance cost.
Hope this helps.
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Hebrews 11:1 states "Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld."
Bearing that in mind, we should be able to contrast the realities of creation vs. evolution, and get some sort of factual basis for our faith.
Perhaps the easiest place to start with the evoutionary theory comes with the beginning of the universe. Many people do not realize how insignificant our solar system is in the universe. The Milky Way galaxy contains over 100 billion stars, and is only one of over 50 billion galaxies in the known universe.
The principle element of the universe is hydrogen. Commenting on this fact as it pertains to creation, Sir Fred Hoyle explained in "The Nature of the Universe", "To avoid the issue of creation it would be necessary for all the material of the Universe to be infinately old, and this it cannot be... Hydrogen is being steadily converted into helium and other elements...How comes it then that the Universe consists almost entirely of hydrogen? If matter were infinitely old this would be quite impossible. So we see that the Universe being what it is, the creation issue simply cannot be dodged."
The fact, then, that the most of the universe is comprised of hydrogen, demands a beginning point. Using the scientists principle of cause and effect, what could have "caused" a beginning, when there was in fact no matter present at one time? Only a Source of great energy, as Einstein helped us to realize, as his theorizing proved that since matter could be converted to energy, energy could also be converted to matter, given enough of it.
Isaiah 40:26 "Raise you eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom He calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, He also being vigorous in power, not one of them is missing."
By the way, it is interesting to note the many comments about the bible being perverted by human translation, interpretation and the like. Having done some serious research into this matter I would like to offer that there is abundant factual data the text of the Bible now remains virtually unchanged from the original writings, you just have to be willing to look, and accept that you won't be able to pick and choose what you want, based on the idea that the Book is somehow "flawed".
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Alan, thanks for the enlightenment. I see I was wrong again. :) I thought I had the flow/pressure thing figured out, but was not taking into account unloader type. Also, with wood restoration, all my efforts have been toward increasing flow and reducing pressure, I didn't realize I could reduce flow by dropping the orifice size. Obvious now that you point it out...
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You're right, Mike. Don't know what I was thinking. Trying to think with the flu is probably a bad idea.
Still, looking at the thread above, what exactly is the reason someone would buy a 8gpm machine, and then reduce flow and pressure???
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Atlantic,
Just a thought, could you put a reduced tip on a dual lance to drop the water flow, and bypass the extra pressure at the gun?
Although I must admit I'm confused, why buy an 8gpm unit, and then reduce flow?
Originally posted by Atlantic Power WashingWhatever you are comfortable with, that is all that matters, but I have never had a problem with the throttle except for when I was running my 12 volt burner, now I’m running propane so the charge is as a big a deal.
As far down sizing the tip, I know this will reduce the flow but you will be putting out the maximum pressure that your pump will allow. I want to reduce both flow and pressure. If I use a # 4 tip with my pump (8.5 GPM) I will get about 4 GPM at 3600psi..the extra flow goes into bypass.
Happy New Years to all.
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Hey Ben,
Noticed a couple questions that lead me to believe you may not understand exactly how exterior staining works. Its weird, but I don't know of any deck stains that use a stain coat and then a sealer. Usually you're looking at a product that is doing both at the same time. Hope this helps. By the way, what are you staining?
By the way, I pay between $20-$40 gal, depending on what I'm using.
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Jim, :p
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Diamond Jim master window cleaner !!! [/b]
Sorry, Jim but I think I already have the title of master window cleaner sewed up tight. Maybe too much organ music going to head?
To be a master you have to do res, comm and high rise, right?
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In the interests of human safety and business sense, I would discourage mixing your own chems, Sci. Many ready made chems can be had for less than $1.50 a gal. At that price, even if you are very busy, your not saving much even if its given to you for free, and time ain't free!!
Not being a chemical engineer like my cousin, I still know that the active ingredients in a formula many times don't show the real picture of what the product will work like. There are many other ingredients that perform specific tasks, such as surfectants for example.
I know its fun to play with making the prefect knockout formula, but I have to agree with Ron P. spend the time and few cents you save on learning marketing for winter. :)
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Just so you know, of you coat spots, you will get nasty overlap lines around each spot. This will not cover up as you apply additional coats. Use this opportunity to strip the Sikkens, and apply a more maintenence friendly coating, if possible. If not possible, inform owner of exactly will happen, and get them to sign a release on appearance and durability. Better yet, call Sikkens, and ask them what to do. 1-866-SIKKENS
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Below is a quote copied and pasted by me, and not a repost by Russell.
We've been playing again!
OK, here you go. . .
I found a way for the average contractor to increase the strength of the HD-80 past my original formulation. Before I go any further put your goggles on! I don't even want you to read this post without eye protection.
I discovered that through a super high speed blending process You can introduce up to one full pound of HD-80 per gallon for what I call Super HD-80 or Liquid Death. The really neat thing is after I did it in the lab we went out in the field and tried to mix it without the high speed mixer.
This is what you have to do for a 5 gallon batch. Protect yourself like you mean it! Respirator, Gloves, Goggles, Rubber Rain Suit. Start with a small amount of water (1/2 Gallon) Add 10 LB HD-80. Use your pressure washer at about 2000 PSI to mix the powder into solution. Obviously you want to do this without blowing the liquid all over. We did it in a 5 gallon tote with a 3" opening.
This formula is not very stable but it is STRONG! You will notice it begin to settle out. While it is in solution it is the strongest stripper any of us has ever seen. You can expect it to hold it's integrity for about one hour. We were able to completely remove about 10 layers of paint in under 30 min.
As a final word of caution, do not even attempt this if you are not completely protected. Do not mix in this manner if you are alone and do not try this unless you have a good amount of experience using caustics. This is not for newbies, you can be severely injured if you get this mixture on you in any way. It will kill any kind of plant life you get it on and it will dissolve aluminum VERY quickly.
If anyone is interested in trying this mixture please call me direct first for more specific instructions.
1-800-336-7924
Best of Luck
Russell Cissell
PS. We are working on a way to stablize this formulation so we can blend it here and ship it ready to apply.
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Russell Cissell
Extreme Solutions, Inc
R. W. Anderson, Inc
1-800-336-7924
Heads up on this combination!
in Wood Cleaning & Restoration - Decks, Fences, etc.
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Got an update today, and I think I'm going to try to get some independant verification before moving this into my warranty folder.
Woodguard hired a guy to come look at it, after finding out that I used oxalic and he's the one on the chemical reaction kick. He's not claiming its mold, rather that its not mold or mildew. He says the acid is reacting with the stain, and turning something black. I don't know if its the acid residue he's claiming is on the surface, the stain, or the wood.
Bleach doesn't touch it, acid will clean it up in 5 minutes or so. It keeps coming back on the surface of the stain, or I'm assuming thats where it is, since it can be cleaned off without stripping. Chemist recommended neutralizing the acid with sodium hydroxide, which I thought was ironic....