Deck Guy

I couldn't agree more. Luckily, my ad finds people who are genuinely interested in my service and who can afford it. It's not necessarily great closing skills that lead to great closing percentages. It can be the result of the ad placement and advertising type. Among my customers this year were several doctors, two attorneys, the CEO of a hospital, a bank president, the owner of a local manufacturing plant, and owners of a large internet based gift-basket business. Also, referrals produced almost 1/4 of my business this year.

Russ, I'm not certain what you mean by guesstimate, but my materials usage seems to work out when I multiply the length of rails by four, and assume a certain coverage per square foot for a given product. That is my method for estimating the "actual surface area" as you call it. I generally finish within a gallon of my estimated stain usage per job, and have run shy only once this year. My closing rate is about 90%, so I have no worries about how to convey my estimate to my customers. I know some people find selling the job to be difficult, but I enjoy BullSh***ing, so it's not hard for me. It's not rocket science...build a rapport with the customer, show my book while measuring the deck, explain the process, ask for the business, sign the contract, do the work. I have gotten jobs where I wasn't the lowest bidder, but most of my customers never even consider getting another bid.

I'm speechless.

What's the difference between pricing them separately and using a multiplying factor when pricing? Either way, you're getting more for the rails.

Absolutely, I don't charge for the time it takes to dry, but then again, I don't sit there and watch it dry either. Do you? Prep, strip, brighten (with x-jet), 1 1/2 hours. Stain with Deckscapes oil-based 2 1/2 hours. Total=4 hours.

Ken, I generally use oil-based products. I get only a few (2 this year, I think)water-borne each year, and they do make clean-up harder when it comes to the airless. I now use Pump Saver to clean up after water-borne, but no matter how I clean, I seem to get gummy crap around the piston o-rings eventually. I hate using water-borne though, so you may see more posts from me at those times since I need to vent! I have a 50 foot hose on my airless, and I find I can use about a quart of mineral spirits for clean-up each time. I work alone about 50% of the time, so the helper filling the cups is no option for me when I'm a one-man show.

You should have a Coress-type extension wand in your arsenal anyway if those type decks are prevalent in your area. Mine extends to 24'. Most of my jobs include some sort of work off the ground.

What product are you using, James? And how about a signature? You make it sound a lot harder than it is, particularly on the deck he is describing. When using Deckscapes, I shoot one section of the rail at a time, then go back with a pad on a pole and hit it. Takes about 2-3 minutes per section. On the floor, after cutting in near the house, I usually shoot three boards, then pad those three, then three more, and so on... On his deck (300 s.f.) with no rails, I could finish it in less than an hour working alone. Of course when you work with a helper, it doesn't add any time since he just works behind you. I guess it depends on what you're using, but there is no choice but to backbrush with Deckscapes, it evens the color out, promotes penetration, and can allow a one-coat finish on certain jobs. I'm not dogging any method of spraying, and haven't used the Wagner, but I can't imagine filling and refilling 32 oz. cup repeatedly to finish a deck. My airless draws straight from a fiver most of the time. I pause occaisionally to give it a quick stir, but that's about it.

PITA, no matter how you slice it. Hope you charged accordingly$$$.

The change in height probably speaks to our adaptations, most likely as a result of better nutrition and health, not necessarily breeding. Though even today, you would find that most women prefer taller men, don't they? Ask any ten women you know if they prefer a five foot tall man or a six foot tall man. Anyway, my point was that if we can see a noticable change in 100 years, what type of changes could occur in 300,000,000 years? That speaks to our current debate. I'll attempt to be clearer in future posts, though like Phillip, I see this is going nowhere.

I guess I'm getting confused here. Who is it exactly that's looking for a theory to fit their beliefs?

Okay, I searched the threads, and saw that ACR carries them. Anyone have a link for ACR? I just wanted to see what one is, and how it compares to the Deckster. I use an airless rig, but am hoping to increase my use of Ready-Seal next year.

Ok, just to clear up any misunderstandings, Darwin never said or implied that we evolved from apes. That is grossly paraphrasing his theory of natural selection. To also grossly paraphrase him, his theory was that we were once a more ape-like creature that evolved into what we are today. This theory would explain why, from Australopithecus to Homo Sapians, humans have become more suited for their environment. Here is a brief explanation of natural selection for those who can't (or won't) understand. Using deer as an example, let's say that there are four deer, two females and two males, one white male, the others light brown (or fawn) colored. The fawn colored deer have an advantage when it comes to avoiding predators, as they are more difficult to see. Which deer is most like to be killed by predators? I would guess the white one, which also means that it will be less likely to reproduce, and therefore less likely to pass it's genes on. Eventually, white deer become extremely rare, since this is now a recessive trait. Likewise when it come to humans breeding. For about three million years, accocording to scientists, it has been the faster, smarter, most well-equipped for the environment humans who have reproduced the most. The weaker either die, are killed, or fail to find a suitable mate, since they themselves are less desireable to females. It's that simple. Those that live long enough to breed the most will create the most offspring having those same traits, who in-turn live to produce the most offspring ad infinitum. How complicated is that? We can see the difference this makes in only 10 generations. During the Civil War, a six foot tall man was considered a giant. Now the average male stands at 5'10". That's evolution.

Rube Goldberg was known for his overly complicated contraptions that performed everyday functions. So... Here's a chance to show your greatest engineering accomplishments. We all know of the Phelp's Wand, and hopefully AquaBob will post a few pics of his outrageous rig set-up, but let's see what you've got. We all learned quickly from our initial experiences in this field. What is your idea, creation, invention, or contribution that has made your life powerwashing easier? It doesn't have to be complicated, and can be anything from cardboard to PVC to stainless. It may simply be the use of a tool for one purpose when it was designed for something completely different. Let's just see what you've done. I'll post some pic's of my simplest invention when I can find the material to make another (my last one wore out).

I stained a 14x30 two-level second story deck with spindle railings and stairs to the first floor in three hours flat this weekend working alone, which I condsider pretty smokin' for a fat 43 year-old. Cool temps help since I took no breaks. I can imagine that job with ready seal. No matter what, I will probably wait untill next spring to purchase (unless they discount heavily). No point in buying now only to have my money sit in the garage all winter.

They are supposed to have less overspray due to lower pressure and larger droplet size. I am also considering a shurflo backpack. The ACR website doesn't have any info on the Decker.:banghead:

I had a few of those trips myself, and my son, now 17, has made it through those years with a few trips himself. Glad to hear the little guy is okay. I got AFLAC when my son was about 9, and was glad to have it in addition to Blue Cross. I recommend the accident policy for anyone with small children. I think you can get it for about $15.00 a month.

Here's a pic of SW Banyan Brown on pressure treated. Same amount of pigment of any darker SW semi-trans. Good Protection, long lasting.

I just lay a big piece of cardboard aganinst the fence on the ground.

When I was a kid (in Wisconsin), we'd play hockey at night on a pond at the cemetary nearby. We'd bring a couple extension cords (200 ft.), remove the bulb from the flagpole light, plug in there, then plug our light in at the pond over the hill and away from view of the road. Cold nights on a frozen pond with one light laying on the ground shining across the ice!!! We lost alot of pucks in the snow around the pond, but it was the hockey equivalent of the Field of Dreams! I can imagine the guy mowing the nect spring and hitting those pucks! I doubt he ever figured out what was going on.

In my full time job we are severly restricted as far as what we can use. The lemon/honey/whiskey is definitely out. For years I just suffered at work. Now I've found a few things that work. If you have to take something, but still function, try Afrin nasal spray and a naproxsyn(?) sodium. Almost instant relief, 12 hours long. I know it's not a home remedy, but it works. Then when you get home for the evening...definitely try the lemon/honey/whiskey routine.

I would guess it's petroleum based. I've never heard the veggie oil tale. Those goals are mutually exclusive. You need pigment to provide any UV protection. I agree, but you can use a light color matching the natural color of the wood, giving the desired effect, but with ample pigmentation. You will lose some grain definition though. I regularly get people who want the deck to look like it does after restoration, and this is what I recommend.

We stay at the Westin in Indy every year and eat at the Shula's there...mighty tasty!

Sherwin-Williams Banyan Brown color (Oil-Based Semi-Trans) almost perfectly matches the color of the PT decks I do after restoration. You can barely tell you've put anthing on it at all. I'll try to post a pic later tonight or tomorrow AM.

Not much happenning with the Blues last year. I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude this year.