Barry M

The M5 is the newer x-jet.

Sunday I washed my first house, your average 2000 sq ft 2 story home. Anyway when I got done the homeowner said his neighbor behind him wanted an estimate on one side of his house. So I went over to talk, he said they were moving and just wanted the north side done, it was slightly green. So I told him it would be $75, he said go for it. Before I even wrote up the proposal for him to sign he came back out, handed me a wad of cash and said we're going to the hardware store. I was packed up and gone before they got back, I left a reciept with a business magnet on the door. That was well worth the effort to me.

Hey Ryan, I wondered if anyone would give the Little Giant a thumbs up. Did it seem like it was heavy duty enough? I finally went with a 28' aluminum that I picked up used for $70. I still need a good 8' step ladder for x-jetted 3 stories.

http://www.esproducts.net/

I'll be using the WT wet for the second time this weekend, hopefully a one day job, wash, brighten, and seal.

I started my first job two weeks ago. I used F18 to remove the first layer of gunk. Then a mix of 12% and dish soap to kill mold and mildew. I used F8 to brighten. I was planning on using RS but couldn't get the weather to cooperate. Two weekends later I got the job done in between rain showers using Wood Tux Wet. I am happy with the results and so are the homeowners. Next weekend I'm starting their other deck up by the house. I think this was a tuff first deck and I learned a lot, it took me 15hrs total, but my bid was close to right on. Thanks to all for your help.

No I didn't, it was a private lake and the guy wasn't concered about it. Of course I wasn't stripping off latex paint, just some spots of a failed sealer and mostly mildew. But I do wish I had used citric instead of oxalic to brighten, my bad, I have since switched.

No, the fish all died last winter.

A couple more pics of the dock.

I will participate, great idea.

Then you better quit posting and go increase your volume, it sounds like that is the only way you can make money. Good luck.

I think your prices are set right if your landing 70%-80% of your jobs. You don't want to land every job you bid. Charge what you feel your quality is worth don't bid low to land a job. Like everyone else has said, I believe your targeting the wrong customers. If a person's biggest concern is 'price' that's not one of your customers. Target the people who's biggest concern is quality and really don't care what it costs. I simply tell people if your looking for the cheapest price, I'm not your guy. My market strategy is to provide a professional, high quality, excellent service at a higher end price. If you just want some sealer slapped on your deck, you could go buy some at Lowes and hire a couple high school kids to do it for you. Don't be scared of not landing every job, it pays to get no's. Walk away with your head held high and a smirk on your face because you know they will get what they pay for".

Does anyone have any pics of a finished deck using Wood Tux Wet or Cabot's SPF? What was your experience with these products? I need to seal my first deck that I stripped/brightened last weekend, but it's been nothing but rain and looks like rain hit and miss all next week and weekend. I was going to use RS but there is no way I will see 12% moisture in the wood anytime soon. I just want some input before I order anything. Thanks.

I did 6 months of research before starting. I read books and read articles online and of course got involved on the boards and talked to folks on the phone. I am working on my first real job right now and I still have a lot to learn. There is a lot more than just doing the work, like licenses, permits, insurance, taxes, bookeeping, and all start up costs. I couldn't image doing all this without access to a computer or someone else's help. It took me awhile to get all my ducks in a row and get rolling. As far as experience in using a PW I had, and still have, very little. You don't need to be experienced to do a quality job. But you have to have the knowledge of what you are doing and know the steps to take to get the results you want. Personally I would tell the friend there is a lot involved that he is probably not aware of and that it will be all uphill for awhile, but if he seems determined I would tell him to go for it if that is what he wants. Because he will most likely do it anyway no matter what you tell him and he'll just have to learn from his own experience.

Don't you apply the WT when the wood is at 20% or less? That doesn't seem very wet. Is 20% possible a couple hours after washing or a rain storm?

Yea, how much? Surely the tide doesn't kill mold or mildew. RPC's rinse aid and foamer are pretty cheap a gallon will last a year or so.

Hey that crap is as good as their sealer. Which I believe to be nothing more than diesel fuel.

Same here, I've been researching since October of last year and have never heard anything bad about Ready Seal. Only how great and superior it is to all other sealers. So I buy "the best" to do my first deck job and now all of a sudden people I trust are saying it's not all that. Go figure. So now wood tux is the stuff to buy, huh?

I got my first job! A 700 sq ft dock. It didn't look like it had ever been sealed and it's in bad shape (I will take a pic). Some of the boards are warped and a couple are loose and popping up. At first I thought it was painted because it is black! Mildew I suspect. I'm not sure what to use on it. I have the combo kit from Beth and Rod, will the F10 remove this crap? Is two pounds enough for a dock this size? Do I need to worry about anything contaminating the pond? I have till next Sat. to figure it all out. If I do an awesome job I will also be doing the deck, the house, and the drive once they are done with the re-roof.

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

Does everyone up sell the wax with an extra charge? If so how much more on the foot do you charge?

From Steve at RPC ($10.50) a gallon.

If I was hired to wash a customer's roof, exterior gutters, vinyl siding, wash/seal deck attached to the house, and wash concrete drive that runs right up to the deck, in what order would I clean these in?

I don't think that warranty is suppose to cover commercial use only regular homeowner use. Maybe I'm wrong. Coop if you can't afford the belt drive now than don't get it, but you asked is there a "better one out there for the price?" Well for a few hundred extra bucks a belt drive is a far better investment. I had to ask myself, am I doing this long term or short term? It's the long haul for me. I plan to upgrade to a nice hot water unit too, but I still will need a dependable cold water unit for certain jobs and I know my belt drive will be there for me for years to come.

Get a belt driven unit like this one. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=523786&R=523786&issearch=157822 It will last much longer. Direct drives wear out much faster because the pump is operating at the same RPM's as the engine and it is also prone to vibration. I was in your shoes a few weeks ago, and my start up budget was tight. I decided not to purchase a few things until I was profitable so I could afford a belt driven unit instead of the $1000 direct drive unit I was looking at. The more I read these posts and other peoples opinions I'm glad I did. My .02 cents.