Able Hands

If I remember the pitch correctly, the only time SPF needs to be applied wet is for the initial coat. Subsequent layers MUST be added dry. Furthermore, again if I remember correctly, Kevin stated his maintenance plan was to wash his two year old coating and apply a maintenance coat. Let's see what Kevin has to say. Matt

Don, From what I've read on the BBS, the following is the best way to figure your final ratio: Get two buckets; Fill bucket 1 with a known quantity of water. Insert M5 draw tube, run power washer into much larger bucket (2) until bucket 1 is empty. Measure the quantity in bucket 2 and with a little math you can calculate the final ratio for your machine. Matt Here is another source for info: http://store.yahoo.com/sunbrite/howawix.html

The problem with taking what I know and running with it is... What I know about power washing could fit on the pointy end of a needle. That's why I'm here asking questions and trying to digest info. I realize everyone has an opinion, but if enough opinions are the same then it seems more like "fact" to me. In time, with experience, I will form my own opinions. Until then I have to rely on the experience and generosity of the folks on the BBS that freely answer all of my kindergarten questions. Matt

Russell, FYI, all of the picture links in this website are broken. At least none of the pics in the site come up for me. Could be something wrong with my ten year old 'puter but don't have any trouble on other sites. Matt Have many family decks coming up, may need to get in touch with you for a chat.

I guess, once again, I'm in with the ILLEGITIMATE crowd. Currently, I do not have W/C. I hope some day soon that I reach the point where it becomes a necessity. As a sole proprietor, I am not required to have W/C. I suppose I could pay $800 for the W/C certificate that covers everyone except me… But WHY? I fully understand the marketing aspect of W/C. However it is really expensive for a complete lack of real world value. I can sign a W/C waiver that accomplishes the same thing at no cost. If a home owner requires it, then I would be nervous going in and probably not take the work anyway. If a homeowner is going to be a stickler for W/C beyond a waiver, then I know they are going to be a pain in the A$$ during the job, and I don’t need the headache. I’ve had two commercial relationships ask for it, but when they realized that I am a sole proprietor with zero employees they both offered their W/C waiver form. If/when I have employees, I will have W/C in place before they go on the first job. But until then I see no reason. If a potential high dollar commercial account wants it then I’ll have to evaluate the ROI. Matt

Went to the same seminar... The rep must have stated 15 times that he has had SPF on his own deck for two years. Is it possible that he got an early sample from Cabot's to act as a guinea pig? I'll grant you that I'm new to this and I don't know much of anything, but this guy at least seemed to know what he was talking about. I've never done any deck work (at least not properly), and I have 4 to do for family members. One is in OK shape, the other three are horrible. What can I put on these decks to offer two years of service? Think I may wait to see how SPF plays out for a little while before I risk making my whole family mad at me. I'm going to do the work for free and they are paying for chems and stain. Matt

I did a housewash the other day for a property management company that I do lots of work for. This place was disgusting, inside and out. I'd like to thank everyone here for all of the information that you have given away freely. As a handyman, I pride myself in knowing how to make the best use of my tools. This forum has helped me cut my wash times by more than half, and I'm getting better results too. This house is about 1400sf. Two and a half sides of it looked like the before picture. Took me two hours to setup, wash, and tear down and have it all come out like the after picture. Can't wait 'til I can afford to upgrade equipment. Thanks again!! Matt

Do you guys include gutters in the house wash price? What is your technique on gutters... Spray with XJ, brush and rinse? Matt

To remove the dents, try using an iron with a damp cloth. The steam produced from this in a such a concetrated area will often raise the dent.

I'm not sure what just happened... Butterfingers In any case, I too would like to see what you have. Able Hands 503 Royal Oak Rd Garner, NC 27529 Are you sure I can't send you something for postage and effort involved? Matt

Able Hands 503 Royal Oak Rd Garner,

As a handyman, I get a lot of questions about a million different things. Often I know the answer to what is being asked but every now and then someone comes up with a new one. Without fail, I tell them I don't know the answer, but I'll research it and get the answer. I have also turned down work because I don't know how to do what is being asked. While the customer is sure to be disappointed that I can't do the work, they are almost always impressed that I am honest enough to tell them that I "don't know how". Too many contractors try to BS their way through things and then get caught in the end. It’s hard to make a good name for yourself once people realize you’re full of crap. I have had many customers call me back to do other work, because I was up front with them in our first encounter. Honesty is the best policy!!:lgangel: Matt

Does this stuff not grow on Brick? I have used the recycled mulch around my own house for about 6 years and haven't noticed anything yet. Am I just lucky? Where can I find the above mentioned printed material? Matt

Do you guys charge more for artillery fungus removal? It seems that if you have to brush or towel the surface to remove it, then the job becomes a major PITA! Also, how do you recognize it as artillery fungus? I apparantly haven't run into this yet, and now I'm nervous about it. Matt

Granted, I'm the newest of newbies... But I have a 4GPM 3700 PSI cold water unit that I have successfully run an eaglewash 16" floater on. Admittedly I have less experience power washing than most of the folks here have running a nuclear reactor, but I was truly impressed with the results I got. .02 Matt

Here in NC we have been under mandatory water restriction for quite some time now. It depends on the municipality as to how severe the restriction is. Above comment to check with each town/city is best advice Matt

Garner, NC

I guess the problem I have with purchasing Bleach in those quantities, is that I don't really do enough PWing to justify it. What is the shelf life? If I didn't think it would lose strength over time I might consider buying in that kind of bulk. Matt

Jeff, How far does that $2.00 mix take you in sq. ft. The only thing I like about using the concentrate is that I run it through a proportioner on my M5. Not having to keep going back to mix more chems seems to me a little more efficient. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps the cost savings on the chems balances it out. Honestly, I think the fear of messing up someones property is dictating my actions currently. Need more experience. Matt

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments. Jeff, The house wash the I am using is off the shelf store bought from Xterior. I'd Like to start mixing my own, but I have experience doing that stuff. Don't want to melt the siding off from someones home, but at $41.00 for 5 gallons of concentrate, I'm going to have to learn from someone. Anyone care to share? PM or email Matt

I'm curious... Why different chems than standard housewash mix?

For the beginning of this saga, please reference Thread -->> http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5725 Matt

By “fair share” I mean just that. My belief is that we should pay what our representatives in the government lay out in the incomprehensible tax law. I’m not saying that I blindly write a check at the end of the year for taxes. I look for every advantage I can find to reduce my portion of the burden. That’s why the tax law allows for deductions/write off’s. If we disagree with what they say our share is, then we have to vote them out. By the way you stated your thoughts in the other post I perceive that you are a conscientious voter, and sincerely take these things into account when casting your ballot. Unfortunately, the way our system of government is set up it lends itself to corruption and self-serving greed, that self-serving greed is why our taxes areas high as they are. There is a great deal of blame to pass around. I don’t think this is a Democrat/Republican argument, as both sides of that aisle have contributed to the problem. The politicians are merely seeking to survive in their chosen profession. For some reason, that means spending ridiculous sums of money on ridiculous things. We’ve all heard stories of government grants for studying frog farts and the like. The only reason I can think of for these ridiculous studies is that they fund someone in the politician’s constituency, making them a hero at home. When it comes to natural disasters… There will always be a group of schmucks that try to make a living, or live off the government in times of tragedy. I can’t count the number of people who have told me that I should go to Louisiana, “You could come home rich.” I have no interest in uprooting and moving down there to make money from the people’s misfortune. If you want to talk about a massive government screw up look into the mobile home deal they put together. WE, the tax payers are paying for something like 200,000 trailers for the people of Louisiana to live in, in the aftermath of the hurricanes. The problem, is that it will take two to three years to build that many trailers. The contract has been signed. OOPS!!! Someone didn’t think that one through. When I wrote my original post above, I had just finished an argument with a friend (non-US citizen) that droned on for an hour about how horrible the system was. When I asked how long she had been in the US (20+ years), and if she had exercised her ability to become a US citizen thereby allowing her to vote, she said no. I abruptly told her to shut up. If we are unwilling to put forth the effort to make the system better then we can’t ***** when the system fails. As I said in a follow-up post, I think perhaps I should have kept my thoughts to myself. Matt Think I'll step off the soap box for now.:soapbox: Any one else wnat a turn?

Since this seems to be taking on a life of it's own, I will start a new thread. Please see "Government, what a MESS" Sorry for the interruptions yazbird8 By the way, I'll be looking at a copy of that book tomorrow hopefully. Matt

RowRich, I gound this on another board for you. Hello my name is Richard, i opperate bluesky window cleaning in Alaska and i use S-L-X denatured Alcohol about 2 1/2 gallons to every five gallons of water + a good squeeze of dawn and 1/2 cup ammonia. try it, I work till about 55-60 below. hope your new buisness goes well for you Richard Hope that helps Matt