Adrian

This deck has already been stripped and pressure washed by another firm. The customer said that it was all Behr products originally. The customer applied a 33 sq ft section of handrail with Behr sealer, and called it quits. The deck has been exposed to the elements unprotected ( exception...33sqft of handrail) for approx 4 months. I had given him a bid to re-do the entire project which I am almost certain I will close on. I also know that I can improve on the work done by the previous PW firm. I am sure I can get the 33sq ft section stripped with no problem and am confident that I can get both sections to closely match it's natual finish (with a little luck). How can I get the deep penetrated charcoal grill drippings from within the wood. This deck is the lower 16x20 section of a joining upper enclosed deck. Plus stairs. I have not been able to successfully ever lift this type of stain to a "natural finish'' Sorry I don't have a pic, but this deck also has a very large and very tall tree that comes up through the floor of the deck. Very nice deck job..... I can re-clean it and strip it 4 month old sealer confidently, but the charcoal has me a bit worried that the customer might not be completely satisfied, as myself.

Delta Force 2 is a great online game. It's a few years old but very addicting. Also, Half life has always been one of my favorites.

I let it dwell for about 25-30 min on the handrails and started working the deck on one end and kept applying as the other sections were trying to dry on me. HD-80 works pretty darn good as the sealer on the rails was only 3-4 months old and still a little gooey. I didn't mix real strong to avoid the fuzzies.

I started at 10:15 this am and finished rolling up at 2:45. Yes I thought the same thing about the drive as well. But I can always put the dirt back if he doesn't like it.lol. It is actually a very very long driveway and this section is past his carport and house. As far as the upkeep in general, the homeowner is pretty lazy, and the whole place needs a facelift, but, I betcha I get that driveway and he ends up paying my mortgage for Feb.

Her are few more pics

This is an update on the re-do deck job. I am going to try and not flub up posting a few pics. I am very pleased with the results of the HD-80. I did have to scrub just a little bit for the grill stains and the existing sealer. Overall I liked the finished result. I also gave the customer a free sample on his long overdue driveway ( about 150 sqft.) Hopefully he will accept the bid for that as well. Please forgive the pictures as it is not my forte. My goal was to get back as much of the "Blonde" look as possible. Plus the deck is still a little wet after the rinse, but definately a big improvement. Thanks for everyone's help on this one.

Oh, ok, they are both from the same minor parrot family ( or some call them parrolets). I was told a long time ago that I should be able to get anywhere from 25-75 years out of mine. Hope you have gotten alot of good times from yours. Mine is a coca cola and peanut addict and loves to play with our cat believe it or not. He's a tough little coot. There I go off topic again. Take care.

James, I have always been curious about the bird on your head in your avatar. Is it a Senegal? Reason being, I have owned a Senegal for 25 years now. He's been a great friend. Didn't mean to drift off topic, just thought I'd ask. Take care.

You may want to use a 8-10 extension wand to get up to those last few feet at the top of the house with xjet. Also, there are 2 different types of xjet. I believe they are 3000 psi and below, and 3000 psi and higher. If you have the larger xjet and your psi is lower, then this may be the reason you are not getting optimal height. or vice versa. And even with the right specs for your unit, sometimes a ladder will still be required. ( from my experiences) and they do end up misting to some degree at the presipice (spelling?).

Service Magic told me that since I am now a 5 star rated firm that when customers call from my referenced profile that comes up on a search, that they actually have a representative answer on my firm's behalf to take the info.......... ummm..... to me an automated robot prompted vox machine is not a representative of my firm. I called it myself posing as a customer and did not like it at all. In my opinion whoever answers the phone for any business is the most important person to the caller. That's who you have to get through to get to the purpose of your call to begin with. an automated answering service is not my cup of tea. Although this is pretty much my only discrepency so far with them. Through this experience , I would never hire an answering service for many of the reasons mentioned in this thread. Does anyone remember the movie War Games? the computer sounded like this..... wou - you - lik - t -pla - a gam? I always do my best to catch the phone by the 2nd ring, and always use proper etiquette (spelling?) .... ok manners. I'll just do the phone work myself. My customers do not want to hear a robot, even if it is a female robot!!!! Is that too biased?

I hear ya loud and clear Celeste. I have actually had people drive right over my cones like they werent even there. It's funny about the real estate agent , all they have is closing the deal on there mind. But I think when "acid " is mentioned that people automatically invision flesh falling off of their bones........ that'll learn 'em. lol

I think space available in the 8x4 would really be determined by the dimensions of your tank. If it is a small, square , and high tank, then you should be able to get all the gear you mentioned in the 8x4 trailer. But, if the tank is a low, flat and round dimension , then it may eat up most of your space. But keep in mind that the van makes a great storage space as well. Good luck!

Just my opinion........ since you already have a van then you could probably get away with the smaller trailer since you can store alot in the van and secure it when you are not around. The size of your tank should not be an issue since it is a bit smaller tank. 8.8 pounds per gallon (i think) multiplied by the total gallons you can haul.. Although both sizes of trailer should serve you well. Just take into account your company's rate of growth by this time next year or so and will it be beneficial for the services you offer. Saftey is most important though. Make sure you have a reciever type trailer hitch if you go for the larger trailer. Hope that helps.

I ( & my cpa) have finished my taxes for '05 and show a 65% profit over expense for the year. I feel good about that as this is only the close of my 2nd year in business. My profits are nowhere near the %'s of the larger firms on this site. But I can attribute my earnings and practices in part to alot of the feedback and info. and instruction some of you have given me this past year. Also my % is up from last year by 20% (if that makes sense at all). So my little boat is still afloat. I have added more accounts with regular service, and am expanding on the services I offer. Winter is nowhere near being over yet, and business has slowed substantially. That's all part of the biz, I know, but , I have yet to move lateral or backwards back into the blue collar environment. I really enjoy the challenges and enjoy even moreso not working for "The Man". Not quit sure what I will have to pay the "man"yet as my cpa has not done the totals yet. But the best advice I can offer to anyone (from my experience so far) is to save all reciepts even if it is toilet paper to cases of bottled water and Gatorade. Save it all!!! If you are small like my firm is then it will benefit you to do your documentation daily. Makes for less of a hassle at the end of the year. Maybe next year I can boast some better %'s, but this is the best I can do right now with what I have. Just wanted to share and thank everyone who helped me along the way. And thanks to the administators of this great site. I'd still be climbing 30 ft ladders with a 12ft extension wand if it weren't for you all. Did I mention I love my X-Jet?

Thanks Ken for your help along the way as well. You got it..... advertise like a madman and recycle the profits in more advertising. It's kind of a cool feeling to be "swamped" with a backlog of work like I had this Summer. Where is it now lol? My goal is to not lose any jobs at all next Summer but to learn to schedule better in advance so I don't lose any customers. In other words try and not be lead around on a nosering by the customers schedule, but meet somewhere in the middle to satisfy both of our schedules. I do have a helicopter account that I was thinking about having the owner drop a bunch of fliers over one of these big time georgia sporting events they have all the time down here. Brings a whole new meaning to distributing fliers. Thanks again.

I have had some of the same questions mentioned and I always keep in mind that alot of the general public still are not aware that PW industry even exist. Some have never seen this type of equipment we use and are just curious. Plus,... for my own self improvement and self government I always try to adhere to a verse from a certain "Good Book" that states ...... Always remember to be kind to strangers as some have entertained angels unaware. Trying to stay politically correct on the above statement. But the thing that gets me most is when people walk right through the cone setup or caution tape that I have setup for my work zone. I would much rather have a stupid question.

after you apply the goof off you could spray some carnuba wax on the areas cleaned. It would have a shiney finish. I do it to vinyl with every house wash and it leaves a shine like glass on any color vinyl. Just a thought, hoping that helps a little.

Thank you, That is the first thing I said to myself is that it will need about an hour of dwell time whatever product I use. The seal itself is just old enough to not leave a residue on the fingertips, but does not yet fell rock solid to the touch. The weather should be ok, high 40's to mid 50's. I have had good results with Northerns nuetralizer it has oxylic init's mix. I really wish I hadn't forgotten the digi camera for a pic. But, if HD-80 will strip the seal and lift most of the charcoal stains, it sounds like one- stop shopping to me. I guess while I am getting some good info (as always) i need to ask about a good brand pumper. I really like the backback style, but I go through alot of sprayers and wonder if backpacks are better or last longer than handheld. Tips always clog at some point and they become useless. Thanks again

you got it Steve. Thanks again, and I enjoyed our conversation

hd 80 it is then.

Yeah , I can get the berh off, and you are right, it is still a little sticky. I have never liked using berh but that's what I will use to take it off. I have used berh stripper before on berh sealer with good results. As far as recleaning the rest of the deck , it will be a piece of cake since it is still clean for the most part. My mix should brighten it up pretty good. And if the stripper does it's job well enough I will have a pretty good overall match. Steve suggested HD-80 for the charcoal stains, with surefooted confidence that it should come close to 90% natural. Those are good enough #'s for me. ( I guess I just missed the guys at Sun brite Steve, but thanks so much for your help) Shane, do you think the berh stripper is the way to go? I am trying to keep the "same name " products as they are geared for each other, plus the advantage is I still have some of that stripper left over from another 'Berh" project. If not then point me in the right direction.

You got that right about the H.O.A.'s. I am currently a member of some H.O.A. website and post about once a month, specials and stuff like that. I just thought that there was actually a directory of subdivisions. Kind of like the business to business directory of vendors. I forgot to mention that I also like to go to high volume businesses and get permission to leave business cards and a holder for the front counter. I have actually gotten some pretty good jobs that way. Take care

I have an ashtray mounted on the handlebars of my exercycle, I have an ashtray mounted on my shower, I have an ashtray mounted on my guitar and amplifier, I have an ashtray mounted on my treadmill, and my punching bag, I have an ashtray mounted on my ashtray and I have an ashtray mounted in every hole of the pool table, have an ashtray mounted in the hot tub. ..... but now I only smoke for pleasure........... sorry, I was just kidding and should have read the whole thread. As far as the smoking ban goes.......... it's a changing world and big brother is always watching so I have to play by the rules. Not that I agree , I just don't want trouble, so ,I always smoke away from anybody.

Right on Ron. You hit the nail on the head! a combo of both is what it takes just starting out. Later you can up grade to job specific equipment, i.e. hot water unit for this job.... cold water unit for that job, trailer for this or that job. high pressure.... low pressure. Limeade, if you are in Houston then there are about 5 million people in that area and probably only 300-500 (just guessing) PW companies from there on down to Galveston. Do the one time mailer or advertise in freebie papers and The Chronicle and spend a few bucks and just keep recycling the revenue alotment for your advertising budget. Repitition and getting your name out ther eall the time. Good to see your Post Mr.Muskgraves. Thanks for your help earlier this year. It paid off and they are starting to know me by my first name!!!!

Hey Phil, How do you get ahold of a " subdivision directory"? Or is that just in your area? Does it H.O.A. managers names and #'s?