Able Hands

The finished project!! Thanks to everyone for your help!! Matt

FINALLY, Thanks to everyone here, I have completed my first deck. I moved all of the pictures to this post for convenience. Pics in order are beginning, not quite, middle, and the completed project in the next post (since I can only attach three pics in a single post). While I am proud of my results on my first deck... Please feel free to shoot me down, and let me know of any imperfections seen in the photos. I had way more overspray on the pickets than I was comfortable with, I cleaned it as best I could with mineral spirits on some and HD80 on others. My friend is painting everything anyway, so I wasn't sooo worried about it (nor was he). Is there anything I can do after the fact for over spray on painted pickets? For future reference I will brush in at least one more board width before I start spraying. I've had a few beers in celebration so before I start blathering on about this thing... Here are the pics!!! And again please point out any screw ups I commited. The final "AFTER" photos are in the following post. Matt

I will look into the sprayer, but I'll probably roll this if it won't go through a pump up. I used a 4008 tip which should have gotten me down to around 800-1000 psi. Held the tip 6 inches away. Believe the problem to me really old wood. House was built in 1986. At some point near to completion the deck was PAINTED. Since that time the boards were flipped. If there was any sealer (probably Thompsons) it would have been in 2003 or earlier. My friend has owned the house since '04 and the deck has never looked great... Until now!! In my original before pics you'll see sort of a black outline in the center of the deck. That area is where the outdoor fireplace sits almost all the time. They keep the fireplace elevated off the deck surface on 4" solid cinder blocks, plus the height of the legs gets the thing about 8" off the deck. I think I have finally convinced them to get some sheet metal to put under the fireplace and on top of the cinder blocks to reflect some of the heat away from the deck. Once they saw the original before/after pics they recognized the damage they were doing. This area where the fireplace sits is also where all of the rain from the roof hits. No gutters. The deck boards in this area are all cupped with extremely raised grain. Lastly, this deck gets full sun from about 10:30 on. The poor thing is baked. Did't take any pics before I started sanding, but it was definitely lighter than the last strip. Rodney, I'd like to help you on friday, but I have another job I'll be on. Matt

Followed advice from above, and used HD80 2oz per gallon... Let dwell about 6-7 minutes (not 15 THANK GOD) and this puppy furred up enough to make a coat. Had to sand the whole deck.:lgangry: Must say I was less than happy about that. Followed with 7oz of oxalic mixed with a gallon of h2o and it did brighten up imensely:lgsideway . Was very happy about that. I will be staining this tomorrow. Need to get all of the sanding dust removed from the surface, so a couple of questions. Should I use a backpack leaf blower to remove the sanding debris, or power washer to rinse. Do I wan't/need to apply WTW to a wet surface or dry? This is the last step on this SOB so I'd rather not mess it up. There is also a party scheduled to be on this deck on Friday. Will it be dry in time, given full daily sun? Plan to brush edges, and attempt to spray center section with pump up, unless directed otherwise. I don't own a sureflow so that isn't an option. Please fill me in, I can't afford anymore screw ups, or lost time on this one. I know I'm learning, and thank God that it is for a friend so I don't look like a schmuck in front of a customer (only everyone here). Matt

Here are the pics of the strip after the strip.

I've read here a few times, about offering different levels of service to the customer. There are those that disagreed with that thought process, but it made sense to me. As far as pricing gutters, for me, it's not an exact science. I hope to get it there at some point, but for now I look at it as an extension of time. As I walk around the property, taking pictures and checking everything out I visualize how long it will take me to wash. Make a decision on what you want to make per hour, and experience (of which I have little) will tell you what to charge. Just an opinion Matt

Just make sure when you install the new piece of siding that you don't sink the nails to tightly. That siding has to have the ability to expand and contract. There are two directions that the siding can be too tight. If you pull up on the nail strip too tight when installing, or sink the nail in too far the siding can't move. Sink the nail in, in the center of the elongated holes, and leave the head away from the vinyl 1/8". Once you have completely installed it, and snapped the top piece in to the new piece, you should still be able to slide the siding left/right pretty easily. Too tight and it'll buckle in high summer heat. Matt

Based on the posts above it has become obvious that I have a little more work to do before staining. I would like to thank everyone for the input. For those of you who were worried that I may take offense to your comments... Fear not. That is precisely why I am here. I am a firm believer in knowing ones limitations. My limitation on this type of work comes stricktly from lack of knowledge and experience. As a result I have to open myself up to critiques from others that know more. I have no problem being told that I have no clue what I am doing because, simply put, it is the truth. In the next few days I hope to finish up the hand rails on the steps that I added and rewash the deck. I will post new after pictures when the wash is complete. So, before I screw it up again, a few questions. I was told to use HD80 at 2oz by weight per gallon to re-clean the deck, and remove the balance of the crud. I can use the scratch test to make sure the last of the crud is going to come up before rinsing. Any thoughts on approximate dwell? My next question is about oxalic acid. What dilution rate? What dwell time should I be looking for? I realize the dwell time questions may be a bit subjective, I'm just looking for a ballpark idea. I will be picking up a supply #8 orifice QC nozzles tomorrow, hopefully that will help in getting everything to look better as well. Lest anyone get the impression that I am charging a regular paying customer... This deck belongs to a friend of mine and is being done for free. That is not to say that I'm willing to accept sub-par work because it's being done for free, quite the opposite actually. I spend a lot of time on this little deck and I want to be proud of the work everytime I look at it (weekly). If I left anything out that I should have asked, please feel free to add in your thoughts. Believe me, my skin (and BRAIN) is thick enough to handle the toughest comments. Matt

I picked up some Wood Tux from Celeste today, and I'm looking forward to applying it to this deck. The whole thing will need a quick re-wash as the homeowner put it back into use ahead of schedule, plus I installed the new steps that need cleaning. I'm still looking for some advice on teh citronella candle spill... Any thoughts? Hope to finish this one day this week. Matt

The photos below are of a deck that I've been asked for a bid on. I'll be washing the house on Wednesday of this week, and I would like to be able to give the estimate at that time. Homeowner has no idea what the stain is on the deck or how long it has been there. He is the second owner of the home, and has done nothing to the deck in the 3-4 years he has owned it. Does want to go back with similar stain. Any and all help would be appreciated. My thoughts: Semi-trans film forming? Remove with HD80? Brighten with Oxalic? Apply new stain>>> Suggestions taken How do I price it out? Matt

I want to thank Celeste for taking the time out of her schedule to meet with me today, and hook me up with chem and stain. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... It simply amazes me how everyone here is willing to share knowledge. I have received several PM offers from folks here to call for more info, or come and work for experience. I have taken several up on the offers, and as schedules permit I hope to do more of it. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Celeste today, and I hope it will not be our last meeting. Unfortunately, it was cut short. The busted pipe was a pain in the rear. Finally got it done and was able to see the last 50 laps of the race today. Thanks again Celeste. Matt

I knew the pressure would be WWWWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY to high straight out of the machine, that's why I held the tip so far away to rinse. I didn't figure the chemical nozzle or the M5 at full fan would provide quite enough pressure, so I chose a middle of the road approach. I do plan to buy some different nozzles before my next clean/strip. Matt

Ken, I used a product from Xterior called CPR to clean followed by oxalic to brighten and neutralize. PSI was full bore out of my 4gpm 3700psi machine. I used a 40 degree tip and kept it about 2 feet away from the surface at all times. I had a small amount of furring from the degreaser used on the BBQ stains but no raised grain, or damage of any other kind. I need to buy some different nozzles though, holding the tip that far away was awkward and got tiring quickly. Matt

I was really happy to see how well the stains came up. Matt Atatchments moved to post dated 04-12-06

I actually need a local source for HD80, or equivalant. The stain on the decking is all but gone, shouldn't I be more worried about the hand rails and pickets? I would think if I can strip the heaviest stuff, the stain on the decking should come up relatively easy.

Toothless Banjo Guy... Yer killin' me!! Had to walk away from computer I was laughing so hard. Believe it or not, the deck is solid. I know it looks like crap, but structually it is sound. Part of the reason for it looking awful is that the homeowner added the screened porch after the fact. The supports are metal posts underneath what you can see. He added the "framing" underneath to hold a "roof" inside the screened portion so they could use it in the rain, that's why everything looks to be on a agnle away from the house. Hopefully they will let me do the job before too long so I can post after pics. Will definitely be added to the portfolio. Matt

These are shots of a deck I'll be doing in a few months. Another friend... It's amazing how many friends you gain when you have tools and know-how. The paint on the hand rails is literaly blistering off everywhere. And the other shot is just one of 5 grease stains. Will post follow up shots when done. Matt

I have a customer that wants his painted deck washed. The deck has been about 80% painted and he wants it washed so he can finish painting it. I know it is a sin to paint a deck, but that's what he's done. In any case he has new grass coming up around the deck and into the yard. To get the mildew off from the deck I need to use a good bleach solution, but the customer is concerned about killing all of the new grass that he has planted. If I pre-wet the area, cover with plastic, and KEEP the area wet, can I avoid killing the new grass? Is there something else that I should do? I am assuming that the new grass will be quite vulnerable to bleach. Thoughts? Matt

I lost this job on price$$$ This deck is a two tiered deal, with both tiers about 16x16. Hand rails everwhere, 4 sets of steps, and lattice around the whole perimeter of both tiers. Lots of mold and mildew on the paint. I know it's tuff without some photos to gauge, but what would any of you charge roughly for a wash of this type. Please send via PM or email if not publicly. I'm not overly concerned that I lost the job, just curious if I went overboard on the pricing given the PITA factor with the new grass. Customer is actually a friend of a friend, that I see on a semi-regular basis. If it turns out that I tried to screw him (out of my own ignorance), I'd like to know, so that I can apologize and adjust pricing if necessary. I've got my house wash prices down OK, but decks are still to new for me to have confidence in pricing. I acutally have a deck job for a "real" customer coming up that I have to give an estimate for, but I think I'll start another thread with pics for that one. Need advice on strippers and such, as well as some pricing help from the NC locals. Matt

I used gutter zap on a house yesterday. I did a freebie for my ex-brother in law, and his new wife, they use an outdoor fireplace on their deck, and it left a thick soot stain on the painted wood soffit and fascia (they have since moved it further away from the house). Not sure if gutter shock/zap would hurt cedar or not but zap did a great job on the painted pine. Matt

Does the pollen season affect your ability to PW? Here in NC, starting about now, and going for at least a month or two, everthing turns yellow/green due to the pollen falling from the trees. I'm not sure if this happens anywhere else in the country (don't remember it in NY or NV). Does the pollen inhibit deck cleaning/sealing? House washes? Matt

Does the pollen stop you from doing deck clean/seal?

Please don't ever approach a condesning unit with a PW, unless you are using the black low pressure nozzle, and even then make sure you are perpendicular to the fins. I realize this is a really old post but! I did commercial A/C and refrigeration for 5 years ending about 7 years ago. Frankly it was the second worst job of my working life (first being roofing). In HVAC-R the only thing worse than doing spring start-ups (coil cleaning) all day is doing fall start-ups (burner/combustion cleaning). It is RRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY easy to flatten the fins on a condensor with only garden hose pressure, let alone 4000PSI. Never done it, but at 4000PSI I would bet you could break the refrigeration lines on an old unit. Now, speaking from experience, you've never had a headache with the EPA until you blow about 100lbs of refrigerant into the atmosphere because of an accident with the property owner standing over your shoulder watching. If you think a house/deck can get dirty, you should see the crap inside a condesnor coil on top of McDonalds, Burger King, or the like. It would likely make you puke! As with power washing, get the right chemicals for the job. Do it right, or leave it to the pros. JMHO Matt

What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is a FEMCO? Been doing an awful lot of reading but haven't seen that one yet. Matt

I am interested to hear what the pros say abour liquid nails. My guess would be a power planer. Matt