Celeste

UPDATE!!!!!! The way this interfaces with QuickBooks is BEYOND COOL!!! You select the receipts you want imported to QB - you map what you want it filed under...push the button and POOF, it's in your register :) You get to select the receipts you want added so no worries about overlapping expenses. Gotta get back to playing with this :) I am a happy woman!

We're actually going to use this in the booth at Charleston to scan cards directly to the computer rather than collecting them (saves our contractor colleagues $$) I have NOT tried to import stuff into QB yet. Still trying to get the file system set up so I can find what I need but I am having way to much fun playing with it :)

Dan if you can wipe it with your fingers - it's topical. Mildew happens on ALL surfaces, you have to assume that it's going to come back on a problem area that is still primarily organic. Especially since it was wipeable, it certainly is not an indicator that the finish needs to be stripped, just that you have a deck that provides great mildew growth conditions. Or it could be dirt :) Also it's my understanding that the "cides" that are present in stains are not a "continuously" functioning component - their primary job is to prevent invasion during the curing process (which when THOSE fail are the ones that mildew growth is NOT wipeable and the problem is indeed in the coating).

+10 :)

Pitchwitch.com

I can't keep up with what I've signed up for.......Make sure we're on!!

We have recently run into a situation that has only strengthened my position on YES, there should be some form of licensing. Look for a thread that not only talks about unlicensed & uneducated people using pressure washers, but also the ramifications of messing with lead paint :( It will be easy to find after I write it :)

We have seen this product demonstrated (at the Georgia RT this year). It's interesting. What I have HEARD, is that the guys that started it have since left Gulf Synthetics and are with another company. FWIW, Roger will be working with another contractor installing the "new and improved - and possibly renamed" product next weekend. If the other contractor wishes to pipe up, he does come to this forum - otherwise, we'll provide our experience on it afterward. Celeste

A little longer than NY I suspect :) We can generally work until about Thanksgiving if our market is still active. It's more the people than the weather. Residential is the larger percentage of our market.

You can probably do a quick search here using "labor for learning". Maybe Beth will pipe up - I think at one time she had an area set up where folks could specifically indicate that they made this offer and in what area. Our door is always open in North Carolina.

:rant: We need one to combat the illegal idiots blasting paint all over:growl: I can now say that I am one of those that calls the EPA. :soapbox: Stupid non-english speaking hacks.:bullistic

You can probably find one in a pawn shop around NC - ours was stolen >:-{

Don't need hot water with wood! 10 GPM's of cold runs circles around our 5.6 hot too!

Sign us up :)

Our deepest sympathies to Morgan and his family......God be with you. Roger & Celeste

Nation's Building News The Official Online Newspaper of NAHB Cyber Thieves Targeting Home Building Firms, Other Small Businesses At a time when cyber thieves are increasingly targeting small- and medium-sized businesses, including home building firms, NAHB is urging its members to monitor their bank accounts closely and on a regular basis. Members should also review and understand the agreements they have with their financial institutions and know when they may be liable for fraudulent online banking activities. A common criminal activity is tapping into a firm’s online banking system and transferring funds from its accounts. Patco Construction Co. Inc., a Maine-based construction firm, was the victim of a major heist when its corporate bank account was raided over a one-week period in May of 2009. Cyber thieves gained access to the company’s online banking credentials and initiated a series of automated clearing house (ACH) transactions, netting the thieves more than $500,000 in fraudulent transfers. While the business was ultimately able to collect about $230,000 of the stolen funds, it was left on the hook for more than $345,000. ACH transactions are electronic checks that are processed like paper checks, and they do not travel directly from one bank to another. It typically takes one or two days to credit and deduct amounts at the originating and paying banks. When Patco was unable to work out a satisfactory resolution with its bank to recover its lost funds, the company then filed a lawsuit against its financial institution, Ocean Bank, a division of People’s United Bank of Bridgeport, Conn., for failing to protect its customers’ funds against theft. “We want to get the word out to the home building community that cyber fraud is a growing threat and any business could fall victim to what happened to us,” said Mark Patterson, president of Patco Construction. “There needs to be a legislative solution so that firms can obtain similar legal protections that consumers enjoy, so that they won’t be forced to absorb losses when their online banking credentials are hijacked by cyber thieves.” Most consumers who dispute any fraudulent charges on their bank account can generally receive a full refund if they notify their bank within 60 days of receiving their bank statement. However, businesses are not afforded the same legal protections, and have a much shorter time frame to detect and report any fraudulent activity if they hope to recover unauthorized transfers from their account. The problem is that it can sometimes take days or weeks to discover if any unauthorized transactions have taken place. And even if the theft is discovered promptly, there is no guarantee that the firm will be able to recover all or any of the fraudulent transfers. Patco’s litigation case was featured last fall in a story in The Washington Post. The company’s lawsuit claims that Ocean Bank did not detect and prevent the fraudulent transfers even though they were the largest ACH credit transfers ever made from Patco’s account; originated from an Internet protocol address that Patco never used; and sent funds to numerous individual accounts to which Patco never before had transferred funds. In addition, because Patco’s available funds in its account did not cover the fraudulent transfers, the bank drew more than $200,000 on the company’s line of credit to make up for the shortfall and then called on Patco to repay interest on the tapped credit line. Small businesses tend to have fewer technical and financial resources to protect their computer systems against hackers. To help ward off attacks from cyber thieves, companies that use Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer browser may want to consider using IE 8, which contains the most-up-to-date security features to guard against attack. Firms need to stay current with software patches and use the most current firewalls, virus protection and spyware removal software. To protect accounts, it is recommended that companies ask their banks to set up “dual controls” on their account, where one person initiates a payment file creation while another approves it for release. Limiting administrative rights on users’ workstations will also help avoid the unintended downloading of “malware” — malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system — or other viruses. Experts also say that companies should check their bank balances and scheduled payments at the end of every work day, rather than the beginning, and contact their bank immediately if they detect any discrepancies. Additionally, companies are encouraged to review and understand their agreements with their financial institutions to know what rights they have in the case of cyber theft. Businesses should also urge their banks to provide the latest in online fraud protection and also consider adding insurance coverage to protect against fraud losses. Builders seeking more information on defending against online bank fraud and on how to proceed if they fall victim, can contact Mark Patterson at mark@patco.com.

Wow - why did I even click the link.

Residential housewash (single story brick & stucco - painted wood eaves, facia boards with mildew) Please call me directly - 336-516-6356. Experienced & insured only please. (nothing personal to newbies but if I am providing your information to this woman - she's going to remember my name as well!) Celeste

NO KIDDING - the Banana spiders could carry away a small child. Funniest thing I EVER experienced was watching a dozen hard-core Marines (screaming like little girls mind you!) busting out of every opening in my dive van because there was a banana spider in it. I feared for the safety of our country at that moment :)

Ipe is an annual thing - you're not going to get two seasons.

Anyone who wishes to support our troops - send things that you think may brighten the day of a soldier over in Iraq, send it to: Ross, John D. 3565HHC 105th MP BNAPO AE09342 Thanks everyone!

Ouch :( Definite over application - particularly since mfg instructions state ONE COAT. Applicator should never have tried to make the new & old boards match with anything short of a complete solid. The old wood, even with one coat was unwilling to take stain evenly - leading to the presumption that it may have been improperly prepped or over sanded. Minimum suggestion would be to follow the mineral spirit instructions or do a mild strip to see if some of the over application could be reduced to a not-shiny state and that is still going to be some work. At this point, I'm not sure if I would agree with Charlie on going back to the original contractor unless he hasn't seen the deck dry and may be unaware of what he left. Have you spoken to him since the deck cured?

Still sounds like applicator error! Pictures are going to be very helpful :)

Mildew will grow on ANYTHING over here - between the pollen, the infinite number of bugs & birds pooping everywhere - things don't even have to be natural for mildew to begin (vinyl!) I have to agree with the Diamond here - don't see a solvent canceling out a mildewcide - it's what pigment is made with. LOL, maybe it's the LACK of solvents that contributes to the mildew problem - stupid VOC laws :) (I giggle everytime I think of Ryan's cow fart post in a VOC conversation!)

Celeste has fainted at the sight of that beast.