Aplus

I agree with Morgan 100% Hudson and Chapin both make some nice sprayers. I look for ones that have a wide mouth for easy pour in, and a metal durable sprayer mechanism. Typically, about $25 is what I'll spend for a pump sprayer. If they go bad after a year, I don't feel bad.

Selecting the right pump is dependant on your application. If you are truck mounting, and running 200' of hose, then 100+ psi may be most appropriate. If you are cart mounting with less hose, then 40-60psi may be most appropriate. I can say that too much pressure while spraying chems can make it tough to control.

If Beth does not carry them, and it is OK with her, I would be happy to name a company that carries pumps at a great price.

CONGRATS! I'm glad everything went well. I also got a grin out of your description....big little fella

I don't have a set amount for the upcharge. I've done so many, I usually have a gut feeling how many extra hours it will take, and charge based on the extra hours. So if you look to earn $75/hr, and it takes 2 extra hours, the upcharge would be $150. And in case you're wondering.....yes I've underbid a few over the years and learned a painful lesson.

Russ, I don't actively advertise for fence restoration. Most of the time, I will try to sell it as an add-on when already onsite doing a deck. Maybe 2-3 calls per season specifically for fence restoration come in. Actually, looking back the past couple seasons, owners of new wood fences requested my service more than complete restoration. I don't measure for square footage, but rather lineal footage. I would bid anywhere between $2-4 per lineal foot, per side, depending on condition, with a brand new fence being the least expensive. As you mentioned, wood fence restoration can be a hard sell, and the margins may not be what I normally like, but that's the way it is, and as long as I don't have to do too many, I don't worry about it. Plus, I think that labor-wise, vertical fences are physically easier to do than many decks I have done. So although I may use a little more product on them, they often take less labor. At least that's what I've found. Hope this helps!

I agree about backpack sprayers. I don't like the idea of caustics or acids being on my back, and in a place where I can't see or get to them adequately. A regular pump up or sureflow system is the safest way to go.

I use the Emulsifier Plus from Espec. Works very well for me. Of course you have to do your own testing to determine what strength is required to get the results you are looking for. That's the only chemical from them I use. Actually, it pays to have working relationships with several vendors, to prevent yourself from getting in a bind. Mike, what is it that you use?

Paul, If your chemist/customer provides something that works, please let us know.

Sometimes a little flyback is unavoidable. Just remember to keep your mouth closed. If you don't it's like riding a motorcycle thru bugs with your mouth open.....:)

Flower pot stains are tough. I always tell the customer that we will do the best we can, to reduce visual evidence of the stain. A brightener is necessary after stripping or washing. I don't think a typical brightening will remove most flower pot stains. Even increasing the brightener is not going to remove some stains. Use an orbital sander with a defelting pad, and lightly feather out the stain to try make it less noticeable. At this time, if you can't get all the stain evidence out, at least you've discussed it in advance with your customer, and they know what to expect. If you do get it all out, then great, you're a hero, but if not, hey it sometimes happens. Just put the pot back in the same spot, but at least elevate it on lifts, so you don't keep contributing to the bad spot.

I don't worry about a difference of 30 minutes or so washing a house. Here's why....As much as I'd like to truthfully say I can always wash a 2000 s/f house in two hours, it doesn't happen that way.Environmental conditions play a huge role in worker productivity. I contend that workers are faster and more efficient in the morning when they are fresh and temps are moderate. But by the third or fourth job of the day, conditions such as high heat and humidity take their toll, fatigue sets in, speed & efficiency falls off. It's a fact of human nature. When I go to a jobsite, I work steadily and efficiently, but I don't watch the clock. The job takes whatever time it takes to do the job right. I don't micro time manage every job, some go well, and I make more $$, and some take more time. Nothings perfect, it's the nature of the business. The main idea is to become more accurate, and reduce mistakes when pricing jobs. Spot potential trouble spots, and price accordingly. That happens by experience. I'm more interested at daily rate totals, and weekly totals. Looking at individual job costs and profits doesn't really reflect a true picture of overall standing.

If a stronger solution of oxalic doesn't do it, the stains may not ever come out. When dealing with rust, I tell customers in advance that the possibility exists that I won't be able to completely remove the stain.

One trick I employ is to weigh out 1 pound of product. Pour it into a plastic measuring cup. Then, draw a line around the level of the product with a permanent marker, like a Sharpie. I can then scoop out the product in one pound increments, as long as I take a moment to fill the cup right up to the line I drew. I keep a plastic cup/scoop in each pail of dry product, marked accordingly, so whoever is mixing the chems only has to know how many scoops to mix per gallon, or pail. It's too cumbersome to drag around an expensive scale to every jobsite. Wouldn't it be nice if Extreme solutions made available a scoop that is just the right size? Even Tide puts a little plastic scoop in each box of powdered detergent.

I use a scale to measure dry chemicals by weight.

Workmans comp is handled differently in every state. Here in Michigan it's sold by independant insurance agents. However the rates, and fees etc, are predetermined by a state agency. So no matter where you buy it, the rates will be the same. I'm sure other states are different.

NONE.....let the users work in the dark!

I did one quote for removal of Defy (pronounced deffy) which began peeling within months after the homeowner applied it. After discussing how they prepared the surface, it was easy to see that it failed because the wood was not clean or dry. The homeowner said they chose it because of some articles they read somewhere saying that Defy was a "Green" product because it had no dangerous VOC's and reduced cleanup, etc.... So far, I have not heard any stellar reports regarding ANY latex, or non-oil based products, and as long as we have a choice in Michigan, I won't be using them.

Never let brake fluid and chlorine mix. Not that you would normally mix the two, but it is possible that both could be stored on then same shelf. If the two mix, a fire will start. Naturally I had to see if that was true, so as a test, I poured some of each into a styrofoam coffee cup, and it went up in a blaze in about 2 minutes.

Adjusting the unloader affects both pressure and flow. I would think you want maximum flow.

Bryan, You do have to give the deck a good wash to remove all the loose materials, but you won't get it all. If you effectively could, then you wouldn't have to two-tone. Up to this point, I've done at least 15 two-tones, and I've never primered any one them. Furthermore, none have experienced premature failure, and I know this because I've gone back to look at them, and a couple I've had to re-do the semi-trans on the floor. For the deck in the pictures above, believe it or not I used Behr solid stain, because that is what was used on the house, and it was still in perfect condition. The homeowner had a partial can in the garage and I was able to obtain the recipe for the color, and have more blended. The match was perfect. I've used HD house brand with good success, and Olmpic solid with no problems. I did my shed with Benjamin Moore solid stain, and it worked well, but cost $30 gallon, which is too much. I did not like the Wood Pride brand supplied by ICI Dulux, it had poor coverage. Be aware that if you ever solid stain a deck floor, no matter what you do, it will not last well, mainly because the floor flexes too much, eventually causing splits in the finish, and premature failure. Railings however, do not experience that problem.

John, I see two scenarios. One, change the unloader to a flow type. This keeps the pressure out of the hose when the trigger is released. I don't like a flow unloader for doing decks, for example, because it slows me down. When having to start/stop the flow frequently, like when washing railings, time adds up waiting for the pressure to ramp up. Two, check your pressure with a gauge and see if it is as high as rated. It may not be. Check with your hose supplier and see if the hose has enough margin in the rating to allow for the pressure your machine is pumping. For liability reasons they may tell you not to exceed the 3000psi, but it's worth a call.

You'll like those nice sized tanks. I'm always amazed when I see hot water rigs with 8 or 10 gallon tanks. Mine burns 2-3 gallons per hour, depending on how hot it's running. Yours will likely burn alot more due to their size and higher btu's. It's way too dangerous to refuel a hot machine, especially if it's in an enclosed trailer. Better to have enough fuel in the tanks.

Bryan, Here are pix of a two tone. The deck had several coats of a dark colored Behr product. I don't know which exact product. The spindles would not come clean enough to allow for a typical staining. It wasn't the finish you're dealing with, but still it had to be done two tone to be cost effective for the customer. He did not want to spend the extra $$ for what it would have taken to hand sand the railings. I'm just trying to point out an option if the finish ends up getting the best of you.

Paul, Two toning would be a great option, if the customer will go for it. It's much easier to get the floor looking good, but the pesky spindles can be tough. The ornate spindles are the worst. They almost always fur up when using strong strippers, even when the pressure is moderate. I wash all decks with a 2509 tip, which gives me about 750psi max. Even that, or less can make spindles look like wooden porcupines. Here's my take on using BIX..... I'm confident BIX will do a fine job disolving the finish. But you still have to scrape off all the toxic goop on every square inch of the deck. Where do you plan on disposing of several gallons of toxic ooze? You know what happened to the Ninja Turtles. You are still going to have to wash the deck, because you can't leave any film or remnants from the BIX before you stain. Now when you actually wash the deck, where is all the toxic runoff going to go? I'll tell you where.....all over everything within 10 feet! No matter how much you rinse, you've still deposited that methylene chloride (spelling?) all over the ground. IMHO, BIX is more suitable for use in a controlled environment, like stripping an old dresser in your garage. It's not for large outdoor structures that kids and pets will be using right after you're done. I'm hoping that Mean Papa will jump in here with his .02