big mike

I believe it was SW Deckscapes semi-solid on the front porch, and a failed redwood colored solid acrylic on the back. The front porch was a tough strip because of the 40 degree temps (long dwell time, and second application). The back deck required a good housewash mix, then stripper application. I washed the house as well.

Here's some more pics of the rear deck.

Ususlly an RFP is given out, and many hoops are jumped through before getting this type of work. I just recieved an RFP for MN State Universities, and quickly decided that it was too much BS to consider submitting.

We offer $50 Visa gift cards for any deck / fence referral, and $25 Visa gift cards for House or roof wash referrals. No limit. It's added into my costs, so I don't really notice the money. Plus, they're only paid when we actually book a job, so it's much more cost effective than a referral service such as Service Magic, where you pay for a lead that you may, or may not get, the job. Referrals are THE BEST way to get a job.

Joe, it's easier to have them be acceptable to a higher price if you do just the opposite. Besides, it will give you a feel for what type of customer they are ie; price shopper vs. quality and service

That's why you should only give them a one page estimate. The rest of the selling should be done prior to giving them your price. Joe, Ken is good at what he does, and has carved out a good business in wood restoration. His methods have a proven track record. He's generally regarded as "an expert" is the sales department. I would advise you to really listen to what he's telling you. Cutting corners isn't something new business should be looking at. I agree, but..... Only time will tell if you have the sales skills to sell your services to someone without meeting. It can be done successfully, as I am proof. Understand though, I have a strong customer base in place, and do LOTS of repeat business. I worked hard to get, and keep these customers. The real key to success in this field is retaining customers, not finding new ones.

Joe, my roof setup cost very little (under $500). A Delavan pump, hose reel and some 5/8" hose. Works great.

Forecast for SNOW tonight here...:goodgrief

Here's a deck we finished this week with RS clear. The customer was concerned because the cedar looked "too colorful" after the clear stain was applied, LOL.

Ron,Most species are easily identified, even if there's a stain over it. Just take a look at the underside of the deck. Pine will have long veins, widely spaced, and few knots. The knots in pine are generally elongated. Western red cedar has very few round knots, and lots of closely spaced veins. Redwood is pretty obvious (deep red color), but can appear as pine if weathered. (actually they are all from the conifer family). A simple fingernail scratch will tell you alot also. Cedar and redwood are softer, and will scratch easily with fingernail pressure. Pine is a softwood, but harder to scratch.Here's a couple of pics (sorry, I'm on the laptop and don't have any redwood pics on it): [ATTACH]13293[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]13294[/ATTACH]

Here's one we did this week. First pic is 2 yr old clear on WRC. Second is during cleaning. Third is partial application of clear. Fourth is finished deck.The last pic is the enclosed porch we also stained clear 2 yrs ago. It looks incredible and I'm going to recommend RS clear for any enclosed structures we do in the future.

Max, I'll second what Adrian said concerning waiting to stain. Most PT lumber is too "green" to accept stain properly, and many times a finish fails prematurely. If you have intense sun, as you mentioned, I would recommend letting nature take its course and dry the wood a bit.

OxiOne is simply Percarb, Metasilicate, and soda ash (yes, I read the MSDS on your site). Please explain how these chems will back up your claims. Paul, if you want folks to buy your product here's a little tip: Spell it right Oxi One, and don't make outrageous claims to INFORMED cleaning contractors. If you can fool Joe Consumer, good for you. Anyway, hawk your goods in the appropriate forum please.

Well, I like to use a diluted housewash mix ( hypochlorite, SC) for the maintenance on all RS decks. It will remove the clear and gray just fine. I don't like to use oxalic before the clear because it brightens too much, and the wood looks unnatural. Never had an issue with bleach for maintenance, you just have to rinse, rinse, rinse.

Nice work rick. I really have come to like the clear RS. It highlights the wood's natural beauty, and keeps me coming back at least every year. I generally only offer clear, natural cedar, or dark brown. I can custom blend with the clear if someone wants a lighter tone. I'll be doing another clear maintenance job this week, so I'll bring the camera..

Tracy, this house is owned by a gal who lives in SC for 9 months of the year, and in MN for the other 3. It's a yearly contract for clear RS, just have it done before she arrives every summer. My favorite type of customer - know what they want, and pay to have it done right.

Joe, PM me or call, and I'll get you set up.....

Reminds me of the great tool called "the water jet" LOL. Is that this made by Ronco???

Joe, In Minneapolis try Hawkins. Here's a link to their site Hawkins, Inc. - Home

Absolutely not. This has been discussed dozens of times. The calcium will leave a white residue, and it is nearly impossible to achieve uniform strength. It will kill the algae, but sodium hypo is much more effective. I realize you are majoring in chemical engineering, but don't try to reinvent the wheel :D

Joe, Try Fleet Farm. You can buy small quanities and it's pretty fresh.

I agree with that 100%.

Ken, I can always count on you for the quality response. I agree completely. I just wanted to throw that out there as if it was a homeowner making that observation. Now everyone has a good reply to that, in case a homeowner questions "why maintain my fence?".

As far as vertical wood goes, I think that any staining is purely aesthetic. If you leave a fence unstained/sealed it should last 25-40 yrs (low end for cedar, high end for PTP). If you stain it, and maintain it, it may last just as long, or maybe less?? Maintenance including pressure washing, will remove layers of wood fibers every time, thus shortening the lifespan? I understand that horizontal wood, like decks, benefit from maintenance due to the fact that sun, moisture, and foot traffic, take a toll on those surfaces. Vertical surfaces don't take nearly the beating that horizontals do, thus need little or no maintenance other than adding color - aesthetic. I'm sure I'll get blasted for this response, but I actually have a fence in my backyard that was built in 1971 (PTP arsenic type) never stained, and a fence a neighbor built in 1988 (cedar) and stains regularly. The old unstained fence still looks good (although grey), and the neighbors fence is on the way out, and usually looks crappy because the stain is always in some state of failure. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and the PTP fence boards are close to the end of the road too, but there's a 17 yr difference in age. Also, the PTP fence has never been washed to my knowledge, and I have never seen mold or mildew growth on it. The stained fence gets mildew as the stain fails. Just a real world observation, and food for thought......

Sorry Joe, they're right. Search the roof cleaning threads, HINT: search applesauce......