yazbird8

I just got back from Staples. I had to replace my keyboard, so please keep your sense of humor in check.............NOT................lol.... Any way,....My interpratation...The article is saying that the chlorine is the real culprit in wood degradation because it is used to weaken the pulp? And the sodium hydroxide (or stripper) extracts (or removes) the now weakened lignin?... Not the sodium hypochlorite (bleach)? I've read the article twice and thats what I'm getting from it..............My questions to anyone are,... whats the dfference between pulp and lignin,.. And,... Aren't chlorine and bleach pretty much the same thing?.........Am I showing my lack of formal education here?..........YAZ Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTENANCE

Piper, Saucerfull, Obscured, More, Relics, Atom, Umma, Meddle, DSOTM, Wish you were, etc.......Got em..................The Dvd of "Live at Pompeii" still blows me away..........Can you spell GENIUS BAND...................There are only about 10 all time genius bands.............Floyd is top five.......maybe top three...........maybe.......................................The DVD "Making of DSOTM" is another killer .....The part with the tape loops.........Doris Troy's vocal story..........Man, Floyd rocks.............Kids today have no clue............................Crap Wrap now rules........Talk about manipulation of the young mind....Duh Duh Duh Dumb....................My nephew is slowly coming around though........He thinks Deep Purples "smoke on the water" is cool.............It's a start but he's got a long way to go. Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTENANCE

Adrian, I got sick to my stomach instantly. I had to walk about a mile out of the woods to get to my car. Then the pain would come in waves. And the spasms are the worst.......But my injury is nothing compared to your's. Man that must have hurt big time. No more bungee jumping for you....lol.....................YAZ Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Yah, I went to Florida for my dad..........And I broke the shoulder while running the trails in my area..... A root or rock jumped up and tripped me good......SNAP......... Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Jeff, I think you should be in charge of writing up the official "Thank you and please refer me" letter, for us to pass, or mail out to our customers.....We'll all get rich......I've been weighed down lately with a death in the family and a broken shoulder. I had to drive to Florida and back on very short notice. Man it was painful....Now I have lawyers and probate issues to deal with and loads of equipment and supplies that need to be picked up........I can't carry My ipod, let alone try to lug the 5's to my truck.....So I'm feeling sorry for myself.........Then I read Jeff's latest testimonial and see his thankfulness oozing out all over the place even though he never mentions it.......................Jeff, you have one helluva good attitude..............It's contagious.................Thanks and keep the posts coming. Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

I would like to get a copy also. Thank in advance Carlos. yazbird8@optonline.net Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

How much risk of shock or electrocution is there when washing a house in the vicinity of the electrical in-line which runs from the telephone pole to the home. Is there a danger if you spray directly on them when washing the home?............. How does the contractor deal with this, or is it not really a big deal because they are well insulated and grounded........Them wires creep me out. Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

I had a great friend of mine die when he came in contact with the power line. He wasn't using a power washer (roofer) but I would think that because water is such a good conductor there would be some risk. But then again, I think that if it was raining hard and I touched the siding, nothing would happen..........Make sense? Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Because "Perception is reality". If you were offered what You perceived to be the identical candy bar from three different people, and the price range was 50 cents, 75 cents and $1 which one do you buy.........I'm jumping on the 50 cents candy bar..............You need to convince your customer that your candy bar is best...............SELL QUALITY.......................Sell Godiva, not Hersheys............That might be a bad analogy, since I like Hersheys better........ Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

As I undestand it, one of the great advances in deck restoration in the last few years is the advent of the use of Wood Tux Wet as a same day application........No more waiting a day or two for the deck to dry to come back to do the sealing.........Great advancement right......Hmm...................I am in the process of deciding on materials and quantities and was thinking how wonderful it will be to use WTW on a deck and be able to finish a job in one day.........Great potential for more profits......Beautiful....................Then I read a post that says that most decks, when stripped, will have furring.......If that is the case then I see that as a problem, or at least an issue that I would like to get some feedback on........As I understand it, you cannot do a good job defurring a deck if it is still wet. You would need to wait for the wood to dry first.........I would think that would defeat the purpose of the biggest benefit of WTW..............Same day use....................................Help me out with this one.............. please................. (lie if you must)....lol Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Here is the sq. ft. pricing I am considering for deck work this year. CHARGES FOR DECK WORK $2.00/sq.ft. TOTAL for a simple strip and neutralization/brightening, plus sealer application. $2.50/sq ft. TOTAL for heavy strip and neutralization/brightening, plus sealer application. Simple strip: and neutralization/brightening at $.50/sq ft. (EFC38, then Citralic or Oxalic Acid). Heavy strip: and neutralization/brightening at $1.00/sq ft. (HD80, then Citralic or Oxalic Acid) Sealer: application at $1.50/sq ft. always………. (Ready Seal- Wood Tux- WTW- Wolmans- Cabot) INCLUDES ALL MATERIALS MAINTAINENCE OF DECK: Every 2-3 years on horizontals and every 3-5 on verticals. This is for the North East (metro NY) area.............Hey North East guys, am I in the ballpark?......................... Remember, it's a new year and prices gotta move up a bit................Does anyone charge higher than this?.................................Oh ya, I'm a newbie but I refuse to sell price. Steve Stephen Andrews POWERWASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Rob F and Ken F, I took your combined advice and came up with something more in line with reality. Now I have my house wash and my fence & deck restoration numbers. Thanks a million guys Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Ok, great information all. Here is my take on it. HD80 for solid stains (oil or latex).............What I am getting from all of this is that HD80 will kick butt, and that EFC38 is stronger then I first beleived it to be. ...It seems like the safe bet is, when in doubt go with the EFC38 with different strenghths and dwell times. Move up to the BIGGER GUN when needed...............Experience is the best teacher..............You guys are definately a close second though.............Thanks Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Rod, Wouldn't acrylic latex solid stains have a large PITA factor and solid oil based stains be not quite as bad, but, still be PITA intense? I am not sure what the stain stripping abilities of EFC38-HD80 are. Would you use an HD80 equivalent on either type of stain? As I understand paints verses stains, stain is very pigment rich and paint is very binder rich....... Would either type of stain break down easily using the right stripper?....... HD80 in most cases?.............Thanks Stephen Andrews POWER WASHING HOME & PROPERTY CARE & MAINTAINENCE

Ken, Thanks for the great breakdown of your "method". It's great to see examples such as yours in black and white. It's how I learn best...............Two questions though. 1. How did you come up with the 480 sf for the rails. I would have figured something like 3' for the height and 65' in lenghth (3' x 65' = 195 sf). What am I missing? 2. Is the strip job in your example for a light strip using the equivalent of EFC38, or, a more severe type strip using the equivalent of HD80. Surely that would make a big difference. Maybe raising the price per sf up to as high as .75 sf?........or more.............................Yaz

Ken.........OK, I should base my numbers on sq. ft of deck surface only, for the prices I am asking for. And charge more for extra stairs, benches etc. Should I recommend re-application (maintainence) every other year for deck horizontals?........... The "heavy strip" is the real tuffy for me to figure. Can we all talk about this at some lenghth?....This is where someone could lose their shirt if they didn't have a good understanding in this area. The information at the top of this page probably will not be part of my proposal. It's just some food for thought for us.................

I plan on WTW for it's ability to use on same day as cleaning. I plan on Ready Seal because so many people on this board swear by it. Ease of use is important. Same with the regular WT.....As for the Wolmans and Cabots, I know I can get them locally. With the Cabots I would only use the solid for a re-stain of a deck thats in decent shape. I would pass on stripping solid stain decks though. The Wolmans, again, I can get it in a pinch......I understand the wolmans brighteners are very good, What is the boards verdict on their sealants? James: You mentioned drying and non drying oils. Help me out with that one. I understand that Ready seal can be tracked indoors if it is not allowed to dry for at least 24 hours, but I am not up on the terms "drying and non drying. Deck pricing would be the sq. ft, of deck surface. Railings woud be height x lenghth. Stairs at $5.00 per stair. Bench's etc. would be Depth x lenghth.......Extra for PITA factors............................

I am new to the business and understand that you cannot write-off anything(equipment, supplies, stationary etc) that you buy before doing your first job. I am a sole proprietor and have heard that I am not " official" until the first customer's check is cashed. If this is true then should I hold off buying all my equipment until that first check is cashed? I have access to my cousins pw equipment and I will be washing some friends homes, deck, driveway and fencing..... They will pay me by check. Should I just wait to buy? That is a big chunk of change to not be able to write-off.............Thanks in advance Steve Stephen Andrews Power Washing Home and Property Care and Maintainence

Jon, Here is the link to the book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762730714/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/104-5844137-5570332?%5Fencoding=UTF8 This is the book I will use as my model. It will make my life easy..... and my accountants.......I read this book and used a highlighter as I went.... I just need to buy the 23 folders and then catogorize all of my saved reciepts (at my own leisure). A very easy read and a good confidence builder for me....................... PIECE OF CAKE I am in the process of reading the other book that is coupled with this book. ANY OTHER GOOD BOOKS OUT THERE?

Jon, I need to go to my sisters tomorrow and I will pick up the book that has the catogories in it. It's a no nonsense book without all the tax gibberish that ends up confusing more than helping. It is the first book where I said to myself "hey I kinda get this stuff"...........I will certainly get back to you tomorrow.

Matt,Your square with me.......... Jeff, Great post, Thanks......Also save and catagorize all receipts as best you can.....I understand there are about 20-25 different catogories to place your deductions in. It saves on your accounting fees.

AGAIN.....Before the interuption...I would love to hear everyones input on the subject of DEDUCTIONS..........It's that time of year anyway. Maybe we can all learn some things to keep some hard earned money in our own pockets and not give it to the IRA............No offense to anyone.......but......I'm hear to learn, not argue

This thread is about write-offs/deductions, not theft. No one here has advocated theft.......... Please re-read posts.......Chill.......I ain't mad at you

Good stuff Jon............I understand the haircuts cause you gotta look good doing your estimates, and maybe meals if your away overnight, but how can you deduct the gym membership? I would love to do the gym thing.

So if I gross 80k and spend 50k on advertising (not that I would) I could deduct all 50k of advertising and just pay taxes on the 30k net?................Lets talk deductions......... I would love to hear everyones input on this subject..........It's that time of year anyway. Maybe we can all learn something to keep some hard earned money in our own pockets and not give it to the IRA.