Jarrod

Today, I recieved a call from a cust. from last June. We stripped, brightened & stained her deck with TWP (2 coats on all horiz.) She claims that there is "premature" ware in some areas on the steps and other parts of the deck. This deck gets all day sun and they do have a 10lb. dog. I'll tell you all what I told her, but first, I wanna hear what you would say/do in this situation. Thanx!

DTHOMPSON - Brushing is the best way to remove oxidation. Home Depot stuff is for do it yourself home owners - not contractors. Contractors should use contractor grade products. There are plenty of vendors on this board that can help you. There are some products that will remove most or all of the oxidation without brushing. I just don't think you will find them at Home Depot.

Looks real nice!

That's the equivalent to getting a hair cut and coming back 6 months later and saying that if it was cut right the first time, it wouldn't have grown back. - So many people, soooo few straight jackets!

Thanx Rod!!

Well, I went to the customer's home today, I was in the area anyway (did not have my camera - crap!) Yeah, I caved! I touched it up while I was there. I used a pad and a sample spray can. It only took me 5 min. I also left 2 spray cans on the deck. The cust was not home - thank God! I'll bet she calls tomorrow and still complains, I'll let yuo all know. The wear spots were NOT my fault. One spot was under the rim of the IRON umbrella holder. Gee, I wonder how that got there? Anyone that has 2 brain cells to rub together can figure that one out. The other areas were on the edges of a few stairs where people scuffed it with their feet. It was a little lighter but not worn off. All in all, it looked really good. This deck gets all day sun too. It was funny how this cust. acted like her deck was ruined or something, when all it was, was a few worn spots. I really don't feel that I was responsible for this at all. Nor do I feel that I was supposed to touch it up, but Beth said that I was a nice guy and I didn't want to make a liar out of her. LOL

I wanna say THANKS too! I have really learned a lot here.

I offer 2 - honey & cedar - that's it.

Shane - LOL

You have a point Dan

Shane - I have left touch up stain in the past, and guess what - the PITA people want me to come out anyway. They calim they lost it or there isn't enough. OR - my favorite line - what did I pay you for! Answer - "For doing what I already DID!"

No offence taken Rick. I was just typing my conscience. ALL - I used to think that everything was my fault in the beginning. The thing is, sometimes people (customers) are taking full advantage of my kindness, or they are just ignorant. Some people call us at the first sign of wear. The fact is, the stain will GRADUALLY wear - and not evenly. Does that mean when a wear spot occurs, we have to go and touch it up? IMO - certainly not! Otherwise we will have to "come to the rescue" every time a "spot" appears. Break pads gradually wear out too. Does that mean that we should get them replaced every time a millionth of an inch wears off? I can just hear the mechanic now - "Sir, you better get out of here before one of my boots comes up missing!" It would be nice if the stain would last 24 months looking perfect the whole time, and then 1 day later, fail totally. It just doesn't work that way, and most of us know that. 1 thing I have learned over the years is this - Yes, it is important to keep customers happy - to an extent. Lines must be clearly drawn. If we spend all of our precious time running around making everyone "happy" we will end up broke and wearing a straight jacket! I'll give you all a very good example - A fellow deck guy and friend of mine got a callback from a customer several months after he did her deck. She said that the deck looked great except for 1 section of railing that was really faded. When he got there, he noticed a bunch of towels draped over the railing. The cust. then removed the towels from the railing and said something like - "see, it's really faded here and I want you to fix this." Now, for the big question - Was my buddy responsible for this? (Jepordy music) The answer is - ding, ding, ding, NO! The "premature ware" came from people getting out of the pool, drying themselves off and hanging the towels (containing chlorine) in the railings. Is the cust. really ALWAYS right? Certainly not!

I have to wash a Trex deck tomorrow. It has the typical black spots on it. I'm thinking of using E-Plus or SH on it. Is there a better way? Thanx in advance, Jarrod

Rick - We stripped, brightened & stained the deck. We applied 2 coats (wet on wet) to all horiz by hand. We did nothing wrong. This is a excessive wear, constant sun, or something else problem. Let's face it, some people just have to get their decks done every year. I did 2 of her neighbors the same day last year - they havn't called. (Great, I just jinxed myself! Crap!! LOL) I will post pics soon. You guys be the judge.

Thanx for the replies everyone. I will update you soon.

Dan, call me

Because he's still floating in her sea of bullsh** on HIS arc, and he can't be reached.

Jon, I have not looked yet. She lives 30 min. from my office and it has rained all day. All - Let's face it, some people HAVE TO GET THEIR DECKS DONE EVERY YEAR. I tell everyone that I have bi-annual and annual customers. I also inform them that the stain's longevity will vary depending on various conditions - sun exposure, pool, hot tub, useage, dogs, # of kids, blah, blah, blah. This is not a workmanship issue. It is a wear or product issue. Dog pee will eat stain off a deck almost as fast a chlorine. Mabe it's the dog?

Hey Jon, we posted at the same time. Did you get my pm?

So far, I'm with Ken. The stairs always wear b4 the rest of the deck. As far as a "redo" or "fix" - she will be charged or I won't even do it. I remember her being nit picky and demanding and most of all IGNORANT last year. Today she told me that she got 4 years out of the last stain job. Last time was TWP too. - Screw the boots - I'm building an arc!! LOL

Just the floor, the facia & the hand rails - nothing underneath. Sucks to be in Florida

Shane - Sorry, I forgot my camera! The deck was about 600 sq. ft. I charged 400.00 to clean it. John - I will call Trex! Thanx for the tip!

Well, today I cleaned the Trex deck. I used E Plus with 10%. Worked great. BTW, how much per sq. ft. do you guys charge for this?

Thank you all for the info!

Don't worry about it, in a few years Trex will have to be stained anyways. Messemer's (spelling) already makes a stain for it.