Roger Oakley

As I type the bleach is now on it's way to the UK :winkanim: Roger

I'm in the UK so used to washing in the rain lately. :lgbounces Roger

I know it's only a furniture staining job, but owners are over the moon, say's it looks better then when it was brand new so wanted to show you guys. Didn't take any before photos, sorry but it was the usual algae, and mould etc. First photo is chair after cleaning with a stained chair, second is the full set. All paving stones cleaned as well.

Here in the UK, I would say paving, block, concrete, stone etc. I do decks and furniture, but most only want it cleaned, no treatments, but on saying that the last couple of weeks has been nearly all furniture washes and treatments, trying to educate the UK market slowly. ;)

Thanks Ken, True some clients do prefer it to look not so finished, (I just want it clean brigade). Washed, sanded using 120 grit max to remove fuzzies etc, then brushed sealer on by hand. Product is Cuprinols Golden Teak, nothing fancy does what it says on the tin. Client wants it cleaned etc once a year from now on.

Ken, Know how you feel on this one, I quoted a 5000 sq mt paving job a few weeks ago, still waiting a reply (House is up for sale a 8 Million Pounds about 12 million dollars)) so they want it cleaned up before it sells. Messuring took over 2 hours, I have photos if you want to see them, tennis courts, various levels of patio etc, drive is about 100 mts long. Hope you get it, would look great on the portfollio. Roger

Thought I would post a couple of photos from a furniture restore I finallay finished today. Bleach bathed first as this was in a bit of a mess dirt grime etc, dried out then sanded to remove fuzzies etc, then a Golden Teak Finish applied. Paving area was also cleaned about a week ago.

Rick, It is Cuprinol Furniture Protector. Client wanted it to match this swinging bench. There was also this Green Bench to be stripped and repainted (Bench is Shot/Rotten) but it must have some sentimental value. Also the "Decking Panels" (which had been laid in the GRASS ugh!) finished in the same Forest Green. This was the "Calming Green Area of the Garden" Did not take before photos, as this was an after thought by the client.

Same here, I wear, Nitrile Gloves, Respirator, Safety Glasses, and water proof clothing, when working with Chems, maybe over the top, but I intend to be around for a long while yet, :D Roger

This is mainly Block Paving witha nice York-stone area. All these are the before's.

Here is a before & after from earlier this week. Rick it has that lovely algae, mould, and slime all over it. Had to chemical the hell out of this one. We now have rain forecast for the next couple of days, and I have a furniture, deck stain and a re-sand to finish. :mad:

Congrats TIM No Chemicals at all? GREAT job. Shame they did not want the seat/bench done though. Get that first "Bleach bath" done and you"ll be away. Hang in there mate, Roger

Wallydog, FSC 18" PSI max 4000, GPM around 4 my machine pulls 15 lts per min. 4 Days washing at 10 hours per day, 1.5 days forweed killing and 3 day re-sanding, this took 750 kgs of sand. total of 1200 sq, mts. Rick "Very good looking job. What kind of facility is that, not a private home is it? Had no idea palm trees could grow in England, looks real but must certainly be a replica". Yes it's a private home, CEO of a major company, Yes palm tree is real, Palms grow real easy in the south of England,this guy has 2 full time gardeners the area is that big. The jetty could take the titanic, LOL, it's another world Rick belive me.

Nice Job Tim, Looks really Good. Roger

And some after photos. This was a total area of 1200 sq. mts. Owners very happy.

Rod, Thanks for the reply, yes trying to educate clients that to seal/stain/protect is a good investment, but it's a up-hill task, but 'I'll get there. As far as people being "green/environmentally conscious" goes people are really starting to do so, and here's a point for you, a couple of councils in the London area, you get fined if you don't seperate bottles, newspapers etc from your weekly refuse collection. So you can see the chemicals issue's I have sometimes. Rick. "Limey" mate that is so old hat. If you guy's get "Eastenders" on BBC world out there it might help bring you up to speed. :lgsideway Rick Quote "Many are the same people that bemoan global warming, air pollution, and the increasing price of petrol, yet drive their monster SUV's with abandon. It is very amusing." Yep same over here too. "However, it seems that our UK cousins are lacking in the wood preparatiion products we have available in the States." This is also true, I am looking to import from the USA at some point,as it is a pain trying to get anything even close to what you guys have, over here. Roger

Rod, I use pretty much the same techniques as you have stated. I also use a twin lance and can control the water flow from it. Couple of things that may differ over here are, 99% of the decks I clean are what I think you would call PT wood, and are either scandinavian redwood or yellow balau, have never been sealed, stained etc so removing sealer is not an issue. Sealing is not a big thing over here as it is in the states, people seem to like the natural colour of the wood which is mainly white. Even after washing and suggesting sealing or staining the answer is "No I just want it cleaned", or "I'll do it myself at a later date". People just don't want to pay the extra. When washing deck's I'll bleach bath a deck as the results far outway washing with water only, if people are prepaired for the extra cost. If I am staining/sealing the deck myself then that's a different matter. The other thing the moment you say I'm going to be using chemicals to some home owners, panic panic my lawn, my plants, do you have to use chemicals etc, I 'm sure you know what I mean. After cleaning furniture, I nearly always apply a finish of some sort, depending what the owner wants, as just washed furniture can look rough, yes it's clean but it need's a little extra for the wow factor. So these are some of my reasons for washing with water only.

You guys think fuel is expensive, over here petrol is .98p a litre so 4.5 lts to a gallon = £4.41 x say 1.60 GBP to USD = about $7.00 a gallon. And they say it still might rise even more:mad: :mad: :mad:

Ken, I don't use hot water, only have a cold water machine. We have more algae and general dirt then mold really, over here. Furniture that I cleaned and treated/stained last year still looks good and was not damaged in any way.

Rod I agree with what you say above, but what-ever method you use, you should use great care and caution. I stated above that I use water only to clean furniture, but you need to know your machine, pressure and water flow etc, to get the results.

Tim, Nearly all the furniture I do is without chems, just keep an eye on the pressure, or you will trash the wood. All decks i do are now "bleahed bathed" thanks to "Sir Jim Folley" it is quicker and the results are fantastic. Roger

Tim, Teak oiling furniture, is quite easy. P/W first, let furniture completely dry out. First coat use a brush, then between coats I lightly rub over either very fine sand paper or wirewool, (Check no strands of wool get snaged on wood) then for second coat, I use a lint free cloth and apply. Yes it does take time but the finsh can be fantasic, here is a link to some photos of a teak finish I did a few weeks ago. http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?t=6377 If you do ever go the sprayer route, remember to cover surrounding grass etc, for over-spray. depending on the size of the deck, you could use a pump-up sprayer, but again watch out for over spray. Roger

Just a couple of photos of a very small deck I did today. Again used Diamonds Jims advice (bleach bath), and this is making my life so much easier, Deck was really small, but there was concrete crazy paving to be cleaned aswell, so all in all not a bad mornings work. Nice size 200 sq.mts of paving tomorrow.

Thank you Shane. Just let me know and I'll send address details etc.

Just a few before and after photos of a job this week, all cleaned water only. This is part of the rear garden.