Jason Reider

You can cut the F-13 to a 20-1 ratio. I usually use it around 10-1 and have no problems getting the black streaks off. I had to use it at full concentration one time. The gutters were over 30 years old with heavy oxidation and were never cleaned. I haven't used it for anything else though.

Thank you everyone!
 
Also, thank you Jake!  Your advice and professionalism is always top notch.  Plus, I landed a 3k deck restoration job because a customer was referred to us by you.  I really appreciate that.  The scary thing is, the customer almost changed their mind and wanted to put Restore on instead for a while.  Luckily I was able to educate them.
 
Have a great start to the year everyone.

The issue with low temps ,moisture and getting a sealer to absorb and dry . Low temps slows the process down tremendously. If it's in direct sunlight all day helps a lot . Just pray for no rain for a week and for temps to rise?
I run a heater sometimes . I ran it last year late November to finish a mahogany porch . Worked very well but took away 25 bucks in fuel and about 3 hours in more time for the job . I stayed there longer running the heat to dry the sealer. You also can heat up the sealer which helps and I did for this job. it's a super high end area and was well worth it.
Did I say wood care blows! In reality wood is from May to October .

Hey Jason-- a little tip.... If your using an oil base stain make sure it's nowhere near freezing at night or you may have problems. Like Jim says, in our area you want to get to May for staining. The horrid call backs you can get because the stain didn't cure correctly do to freezing is not worth the headache.

Jim's points are exactly what anyone should be considering.
 
Wood at 50* or lower begins to tighten up as a response to the temperatures and won't absorb well.
Also, oils are like bacon grease, they begin to congeal at that temp and don't penetrate.
 
Combining these two factors makes it a difficult assessment for when to start.
Getting temps during the day is fine but remember overnight temps can literally squeeze out the sealer that hasn't dried/cured by then.
This leads to tacky finishes which will never set right and leads to a premature failing of the product.
 
Acrylics have a little better performance ability but again need to have consistent temps above their application range to ensure proper curing.
Some can be applied as low as 40* but keep in mind the substrate. If it is a hardwood. Forget it. Wait for warmer temps.
 
I acknowledge Jim's predicament over the years and that he has had it very difficult where temps AND rain have been concerned.  He and other in the northeast corridor have been hit with some unfortunate weather which has impacted their businesses and complicated their ability to do quality work without having to resort to alternate measures to get the job done.
 
Here's to hoping all have a decent weather year.
 
Rod

Hello Jason and other Armstrong Stain users,
If you have a deck staining job when the temp is lower than 50 degrees there are several things you can do.
1) Keep the stain at room temp (60 degrees or warmer)
2) The wood needs to be free of dew and water content no more than 20%
3) Apply the stain in the direct sunlight and the heat of the day. The 50 degrees is measured in the shade so the wood will be well above 60 degrees.
Following these helpful hints of the trade will give you an earlier start and later finish to your season.
Many thanks for using our stains,
Jake
1 209 541 6579 cell

Thank you everyone!
 
Also, thank you Jake!  Your advice and professionalism is always top notch.  Plus, I landed a 3k deck restoration job because a customer was referred to us by you.  I really appreciate that.  The scary thing is, the customer almost changed their mind and wanted to put Restore on instead for a while.  Luckily I was able to educate them.
 
Have a great start to the year everyone.

I couldn't talk my neighbor out of using Restore completely, but was able to at least get her to test it on some wood lawn chairs first.  After doing the chairs, she finally agreed on what I was trying to tell her.  It is a terrible product plus looks awful, and like Beth said "If the coating is not permeable.....RUN."
 
All of these companies keep trying to develop a product that can beat Mother Nature.  The fact is Mother Nature will eventually win.

Rita - I agree with Beth.  Contact Keith at KBK Design.  He does great work for me, and in my opinion, it is always best to have a professional create you promotional material.

I couldn't talk my neighbor out of using Restore completely, but was able to at least get her to test it on some wood lawn chairs first.  After doing the chairs, she finally agreed on what I was trying to tell her.  It is a terrible product plus looks awful, and like Beth said "If the coating is not permeable.....RUN."
 
All of these companies keep trying to develop a product that can beat Mother Nature.  The fact is Mother Nature will eventually win.

If the coating is not permeable.....RUN.
 
Beth

Start going to the gym today and work out , wash the truck and start working on those machines. There is enough fat pressure cleaners and softbellywashers out there. Start lissening to motivation tapes to get going. Go after your old customers and customers who need wood maintenance.
If your in great shape forget what I said.

As always Shane, VERY beautiful work!

We've been scheduling Spring 2014 for a couple months now.  We take 20% down to book as well.  Things get incredibly busy very quickly.  So much so that we unfortunately lose some clients that simply don't have the patience to wait 6 to 8 weeks for service therefore the deposit separates the serious from the tire kickers.  Been doing it that way for 17 years.  I know of a few companies that take 50% down and sit on it for 4 months.
 
We always try to encourage a credit card for payment this time of the year though so make customers feel a little more at ease.  Rarely is it ever a concern or problem though.  Reputation goes a long way though too.

For those in the mid-Atlantic area or similar regions, when do you typically quit accepting/completing deck jobs?
 
I am being bombarded with quote requests, and am afraid to take them due to the recent colder weather, frost, leaves dropping everywhere and my tight schedule.  I thought about possibly offering a small discount if the customer signs a contract and waits to have the work completed in Spring of 2014.
 
What are your thoughts or advice.  I am still a solo operation and plan on hiring a helper for next season.

I didn't accept the 1/2 down they offered.  It just felt like too much, and I did have thoughts like Adrian stated above. 
 
I went with my standard contract that is required by Pennsylvania.  The state doesn't specify a % down for these contracts, but suggests 20% as a common down payment.

There is no drawback from doing the right thing.
The drawbacks come from when people want to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Personally I think it goes against what god wants people to do to brag about how you donate or help out a service organization and expect to get positive exposure or a tax credit.
Do it because you want to and be done with it. If you recieve a donation letter from them so be it but don't go looking for it.