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Aplus

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Posts posted by Aplus

  4. Posted · Report reply

    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!

  6. Posted · Report reply

    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?

  9. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    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.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    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

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Chuck,

    I read the article in Cleaner Times about cleaning bird droppings and abatement. Previous to reading the article, I had not thought about the histoplasmosis threat and didn't wear a respirator. Now I do.

    Anybody who isn't getting Cleaner Times should be. I learned enough from that article alone to justify the cost of the whole annual subscribtion.

    Please pass on my thanks to whoever researched and provided that information. It might have saved my health.

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