big mike

Mark, A disclaimer, or "waiver" is useful to cover yourself from frivolous damage claims. We usually don't use one for residential work though. When doing commercial work, the liabilities are higher for the contractor, and proof of liability insurance is usually required. In the residential side of PWing, it will have the reverse effect of what you're looking for. What I mean, is that if I have Joe Homeowner sign off on a laundry list of disclaimers, he will really be looking for damage closely after I am done. Plant damage can be avoided easily, and plants are replaceable at a low cost if damaged. Any other issues that appear need to be brought to the attention of the property owner ASAP. If claims of damage are frequent for you, maybe you need to look at changing techniques or the chemicals you are using. As for a disclaimer to use, PM me and I'll e-mail you a copy of ours that you can use if you like. We got it from a member of this BBS a few years back.

Mud duck, I've used Deckscapes in the past and it's OK. No real problems with it except cost. It will fail, just as any other stain, in about 2 yrs, and can be removed easily with a mild SH stripper. We exclusively use Deckscapes SOLID stain for 2-tone projects. It hold up real well. Our stain of choice is RS.

Jim, I think it really depends on your location. Here in MN, if i washed a house in November, it would be ice covered for the next 4 months. Also, the hypochlorite doesn't do squat when the temp is under 32 degrees. I agree about the plants and such, but I like to do my house washing in the early spring, before those delicate annuals are planted. Guess it depends on the climate. just my 2cents....

We use Safe Restore, NMD 80, and Ef-fortless often, and with great results. They have good tech support, and their products are spec'ed in many new masonry projects in my area. Safe Restore alone has made me thousands of dollars on restoration cleaning. Highly recommend carrying their line if you can.

Had a can of mace in my back pocket and sat down on a crowded public bus one time......OUCH, and the tears. Lots of angry folks :->

Matt, If you're having trouble keeping it wet, apply the stripper then cover the floor with some heavy mil black poly and leave overnight. Be careful when removing the plastic, but it should keep the stripper active as long as its covered. Also, there's a product called Peel-Away that uses the same theory. It's a cream and you cover it for long periods. Works great on masonry or concrete, not sure if you can use it on wood though. Something to try anyway.

OK, my 5.5 gpm hot water skid (honda 20hp, general TS2021 pump) took a dump on me today. I've been working her for the last 3 1/2 weeks at 10-12 hrs per day (at least 8 hrs steady run time). We've been using turbo nozzles and removing paint - yes I'm hurting. This skid is 3 yrs old, and has a fairly new unloader, newer coil, newer flow switch, etc. I am pretty handy, and a licensed engineer to boot, so I've covered the obvious stuff. So while spraying, the pressure will dip real low and back to normal several times, then ultimately the motor dies. Its only doing it under load, and after it warms up. Belts are fine, and there's no water restrictions or flow problems. I've narrowed this down to either a blockage in the fuel system, or maybe my pump is going. I've never had a pump go on me, but since I'm really taxing this unit lately, I think it might be going. I'm going to pull the tank and clean the entire fuel system from tank to carb tomorrow, but if you know its something else, please chime in.

Well, a big THANK YOU to Matt Johnson. Governor spring had come off, and it was hard to get at under the air filter shroud. Couldn't really tell it was off because its a real flimsy spring, and supported by a linkage piece, but close examination proved it. Again, THANK YOU MATT!!! My helper will be real happy not having to use one of the small portables to finish the job. Should finish mid week, next week.

Jayson, Thanks for the kind words. Give me a call, and I'll help you with that bid.

Jayson, Call me for pricing info. Hope you get it!!

Try tapping a first floor laundry room for water,

Good humor, EZ- I do the sidewalks across the street from the Imperial every year, and I've seen this guy before. I actually went and asked about it, and was told that their "handyman" does all that stuff. I'm sure they saw my rigs set up doing Target Center, or The Refuge, and wanted theirs done too. Certainly doesn't help with the industry image, does it? Question -where's their recovery equipment??

My vote is for wand marks. I do lots of downtown sidewalks, and the retail stores and hotels around here, either have their custodial staff do the work, or like was stated earlier, a national chain farms it out for a hundred bucks. Looks like some cream was removed IMO. Either way, it looks bad.

Hey EZ, Saw one today at HD. Total piece of junk. I've seen better swivels on garden hoses. And it is only like a 12" cleaning path, with cold water no less. I'm sure they'll sell like crazy, LOL.

Matt, Don't worry about it. You know you went above and beyond, and she's just one of those people who are never satisfied. Move on. My experience is that is is usually the female who is a problem. Not trying to start anything, but that's my experience. I usually get one bad apple every two years or so. Hey, at least you got paid....

Rick, I've done hundreds of regular formula decks and fences, and I know what to expect from the regular RS. My question was - How does the redwood only formula work on other substrates such as cedar or PTP? I would rather not have to use two different formulas of the same color if at all possible. Of course testing is the only way to tell, but I was hoping someone has used the redwood formula on something other than redwood.

I did my in-laws redwood deck last spring with RS dark brown. The deck is over 20 years old and built with dimensional lumber (2 x 6's). Went on pretty dark, but not black, and mellowed out beautifully in about a week. That was with the regular formula. I felt it behaved the same as any cedar deck I've done. That being said, I just bid a redwood sided house with 2 cedar decks. I would love to just use the standard formula for the whole project, but I will definitely do a test first. Maybe Pierce can enlighten us on the difference between the two. Also, what can you expect from the redwood only formula on say, cedar or pine? We don't see much redwood up in these parts, but plenty of cedar and PTP.

Trust me, I used to seal my driveway every other year myself, and its a pain in the rear. Just hire someone and you'll be money ahead. It's relatively cheap. My drive is 20' wide with a 12' side extension that goes around one side of my garage. 75' long, last time I had it done (last spring), it cost $190. They came in and had it done in about 1 hour, where it would take me several. Some things are actually cheaper to hire out (just ask any of my deck customers!!)

FGDave, Your's is a recipe for going out of business. Good luck. Also agree that this poll is hurting anyone who does wood refinishing. When will we all learn not to post pricing on a public forum?? Newbies use these as pricing guidelines and end up getting called lowballers. Do us all a favor and erase this thing Beth.

Mudduck, If you want the low cost, and functionality, build your own "Deckster". I'm still using one I built 4 years ago, and it kicks butt. Cost me about $120 total. Easy to do, and I believe that the plans for it were gleaned from this BBS. Do a search for homemade sprayer and see what comes up. If you can't find anything, PM me and i'll give you the info.

Good example here. I just bought a shovel (long handle spade), the cheaper one for around ten bucks. Got it home and was planning on moving a couple of plants around. Looked at the thing and the metal had a 3" long crack in it. I turned it over and guess what? "Made in China" was stamped on it. I'll never make that mistake again. I've had similar experiences with the cheaper version of stainless QC fittings. They've all failed in record time, and usually at inopportune times. Buy American, I'm sure they do!!

OK here goes, I'm gonna give you the same answer as in your other thread "what's wrong with me" : July is slow up here for residential. Hang in there and you'll get work. Not looking to bash anyone, just trying to motivate. You asked about CL, and I gave an answer. Seeing as we're in the same market, I think I can answer that better than someone in GA, or CA. You need to get your rig hooked up and do some demonstrations for some commercial work. Go knock on doors for residential (with your rig parked out front). On another issue, the reason you want your info in your signature line is that there are lots of lookers on here who are not contractors, but potential customers. Most don't want to dig around the site for your info. Use your words carefully and watch the name calling, its unprofessional. Now i've given you education also. Mud duck- Not trying to p*** off anyone, but obviously you were offended. I suspect that anyone can be a lowballer if they need money enough. If it was a question of feeding my family and I had to do $99 housewashes, i'd do it and so would you. Also, I don't view someone making a living as "stealing" anything, and if you are doing $99 washes, you're not taking any business of mine. As for whining, I calls 'em like I see's 'em. Things are tough all over, and I certainly don't envy anyone trying to start up a new biz in this economy.

EZDAYMAN- First, no one running an actual money making operation in our area is going to waste there time calling a hack off of CL to price shop them. Pay for some real advertising, and you'll get results. Every post you make you whine about not getting work, well its not just gonna fall out of the sky into your lap. You don't even have you business name and number in your signature, so how can any of us take you seriously? Sorry if this sounds harsh, but you're my neighbor if you're really from Anoka, MN. There's work, it just isn't as EZ to get as you want it to be.

We use a 55 gal plastic barrel and pull from the top. Any fittings or bulkheads will eventually leak, and that can get ugly in a hurry.

I feel your pain man. We are always slow on residential stuff in July. Hang in there, it'll pick up.