plainpainter
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Posts posted by plainpainter
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I charge between 100-150 for 1 story and 200-275 for 2 story. Accessibility plays a big factor in pricing.Doug ********** 281.883.8470 Clean and Green Solutions via Tapatalk
I wish I could get that pricing. 200-275 is usually the price I get for McMansions with loads of 3rd story gutters. And even then I run across guys that will do those
for half the price.
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There is precious little in this world worth doing for a mere $115. Just running a legit business and doing analysis of your business numbers will show that $115 services aren't the stuff that real businesses are built on. If you work for that cheap - you might as well go 100% cash, and drop all your insurances. Cheap is cheap, you won't win over these customers dropping your prices by 5, 10, or 15% -- these folks want you to work for a company rate of $15/hr. And there is just no real way to run a company on that little.
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Looks great, and looks like a lot of work! Color looks almost identical to the TWP 200 Cedartone I put down on my deck.
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I don't understand using a blend of both acids. Seems to me if you want the same results as a 'blended' acid - then use a lower concentration of OX. You use less and get the same results.
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Did you give the customer a courtesy call to let them know that something came up and you would have to be there later than expected?Well, that's part of the reason behind this thread - I can't keep up with all the customers to constantly give them courtesy calls. One job goes over a couple of hours - and I have to
give courtesy calls for the remaining 4-5 customers, and then the other 3 I can't get to. And then all the customers that were scheduled the next day all have to get calls - thus sets
off a ripple effect.
The problem isn't a big deal when you are working with $1,500 - $2,500 deck restorations - there are intrinsically fewer customers to juggle. But there is no way I am going to give
all that attention for gutter cleaning customers. And them being there was never discussed in the first place!!!!!! See, that's the problem - once you actually have a business with a
bunch of customers, it becomes harder and harder to hold all their hands constantly.
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Rick brings up something interesting about contracts. My problem with the initial meeting was that I was spending a lot of time writing up fully worded contracts - and then not getting the job. So I got to the point where if they didn't commit to a job at the initial meeting, I left them a price list basically. Then folks got back in touch with me. Now the problem is, how do you get fully worded contracts back over to be signed and returned without having to make yet another trip. For larger deck restoration work, this isn't such a big deal. But for gutter cleanings - it's almost like it's not worth it, and maybe just invoice them at the end, and hopefully they pay - even though you never got a signature on anything.
Are there apps out there now that can accept hand signatures digitally? So I can just email something, have them sign off on it on there ipad or something? I am getting to the point where I am willing to not service a whole demographic if they aren't keeping up with the times - that's how frustrated I am these days.
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These are some good comments. I had a gutter cleaning job earlier this year where the guy asked me a date and time - so I gave him a morning - although them being there was never discussed. So something came up that morning and I came during the afternoon instead. To my delight *sarcasm* they left a note cancelling the job saying they waited all morning for me. I was pissed. For a lousy $169 folks expect me to jump through hoops? I should be able to ten jobs like that a day without specific times and dates. One rain day and everything gets shoved.
I guess I will have to work on a policy sheet.
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I am reaching a breaking point with customers. I've been small enough that in the past I could schedule a house washing to a particular date and a particular time.
And I could always call back and reschedule in case of weather, and always had plenty of time in the schedule to fit it in.
This year has been a breaking point - in the past I didn't particularly notice homeowners being burdensome - but now that I have pretty full schedules, I am finding
homeowners to be somewhat annoying and unrealistic in their desires.
So here are my issues in a nutshell..
a.) How do I steer homeowners from wanting an exact date and time that I will be coming to their property? I imagine landscapers don't call before they show up each week.
b.) How do I get homeowners away from wanting constant coddling on the telephone? I want to get folks more on email, so instead of explaining to 15+ homeowners that every
day it rains that my schedule changes - this is breaking me. I can deal with individual homeowners with projects worth $1,500 and up - but below the $500 ticket price, this is
becoming insanity. Anybody have an email system they use, whether formal or informal, that deals with re-contacting many homeowners at a time?
c.) When is a good time to insert a 'policy' sheet alerting homeowners to certain major policies that need to be followed, i.e. being paid in full upon completion whether homeowner
is around or not, cannot dedicate phone time unless it's absolutely important cancellations and notice of arrival will be done by email, etc. Is it too much to show this prior to even
getting the job? And if not - I find I don't get any face time, as
they'll call back a few days later to say they want to go with me. At which point - I have no real way of instructing them.
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you can wash homes and roofs with the stuff - but you'll need to apply it straight from a pump
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I was always under the impression the stains formed when tannic acids of cedars, redwoods, & Fir come into contact with iron oxides is extremely localized around the fasteners - you are talking about staining that is more generalized. Other than these localized tannic/iron oxide stains, my impression is just the general increase in tannins caused by using caustic cleaners over the entire surface. When you use the correct fasteners for these woods, this isn't even an issue.
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The next step is to suppress the tannin. That is where an acid wash comes into play. Not just to brighten/neutralize, but to get the natural wood tannin from leaching to the surface. With semi-transparent stains, such as Ready Seal, this step is critical.
Please explain exactly how acid prevents future tannins from leaching to the surface?
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I agree with Rick, even if he's grumpy today. :cup:Although Dan seems to be a tad grumpy too. Must be the rain.
Beth
Beth, I've been painting homes since around '90. I have never not seen a good TSP/Bleach mix not clean the wood and lighten up the wood. Bleach removes
tannins as well. And if you mix the TSP to bleach ratio just right - it's a one step cleaning process that both cleans and lightens. As well....as well, does a good
job at stripping the remainder of old finishes. Maybe not true with most woods, but a bleach/tsp clean leaves a much more natural looking wood finish than percarbs/NaOH/brightening
on cedar in my opinion. Oh yeah just to clarify - 95% of homes I have painted have been WRC clapboards or shakes.
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Rick - I've been working on western red cedar for over a decade longer than you have.
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I'm sorry Pamela, disregard my previous post. Do exactly what you did last time except don't bother brightening - save yourself some hassle. Add a little TSP to your mix, rinse well. Then wait to dry and stain.
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I wouldn't change
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Rick, I know what your inappropriate response was going to be, but I have no options but to abandon present product immediately and pick up another one without much testing. I like the 500 series, but it's discontinued and had drying issues - which is ok, since I was willing to just thin it down. And the 200 series which is an excellent product is just not usable on customers deck, it needs what is looking like 2 weeks before being returned to use on my own deck - along with it being extraordinarily hard to use. And of course the 100 series is not allowed in my area. I give my customers a 2 year warranty, Rick, so no matter what product I choose I'll stand behind it. So I just wanted to know from Lyle, in a nutshell if the drying issues and ease of use have been addressed. It's a risk to start using this product, but It's one I am going to take - it's a better risk than to continue using a product that I know that doesn't perform.
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Daniel, If you're liking Twp, you need to use the 1500 series, the best of 500 & 200.That's the one I am going to start using for customers in the future. What is your experience with the product?
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Daniel,The AC mahogany stain used on my ipe' is at least a year old, maybe two. I "won" a 5'er of it winning a stain contest on the woodpros.com.
Lousy quality control? I know most people on these boards want to marginalize me as a contractor and made irrelevent - but how do you explain
away Celeste and Jim's experience? Since you have had success, or what you qualify as success on this one ipe deck, therefore the product is a success?
And therefore My experience, Celeste, and Jim's don't count? For all I know, Rick, you've pumped that deck so full of RS over the years - that it's having
a beneficial effect on this latest stain. What about the customers' ipe deck that's only seen ATO when it was first built and nothing since in 5-6 years?
You still feel confident you'll get identical results?
As good as you claim that stain is on your ipe deck, me thinks it still wont' get you away from using RS on your customers. Which is probably a good thing for
you. You'll still get the results for customers that you and your customers are use to and happy with - and you get to give continual kudos to your buddy, Jake,
for making such a high quality product that you hardly ever use.
Difference between me and you Rick, is that I based my business 100% on that product for two seasons - where as you never did. I now know the outcomes of
doing so. Another complaint that seems to be coming up more and more now among clients, they talk about the 'creaking' of the boards when they walk over it.
That never was ever brought up before - and I can't even begin to imagine why?
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Maybe he improved the formula and conveniently forgot to mention it?
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There is a viscosity issue. Some oils are thicker like the 200 series than Ready Seal. So spirits can reduce the viscosity also letting the wood absorb the oil. Some time the wood cannot suck it up because the oils to thick. With cedar if you thin an oil product the better it comes out. TWP has the best line of products that relates to solid content.I believe you are right - so far have tried TWP 500 and 200 series and like them the best of all the stains I have used on the 'front' end. We'll see if they hold out decently. If so - this is my 'goto' stain from now on. I don't think the 200 series is appropriate to use for 95% of residential clients on decks - so will have to try the 1500 series, which is the 500 series replacement. My original question about spirits screwing up a product had more to do if adding extra spirits could screw up the 'gradient' of how the different oils get sucked into the wood. Like A.C. the parafinnics separate and dive deep leaving the linseed to plug up the pores. Could adding spirits cause a reversion effect thus making the linseeds plug the pores before the parafinnics could have a chance to dive in?
So far on my TWP200 deck, the thing I have already noticed about it unlike ESI timberoil and A.C. - is that you hardly see any oil 'weeping' or rainbows during a rainstorm, perhaps a heavier grade of crude is used for TWP parafinnics that is heavier than water?
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I'm surprised your customers are that gung ho about getting on the deck ASAP. That makes for a great sell if they use the deck that often. Most of y customers seem to assume it will be a week before they can use the deck and are always pleasantly surprised when I tell them to go ahead the next day. Most of my clients are barely home during the week anyway so you could just tell them Saturday and be good to go.Sent from my BlackBerry 8530 using Tapatalk
Second to last deck I did, Charlie, lady came right behind my back to walk inside walking all over standing wet stripper - I get no breaks with many homeowners.
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Rick, I haven't used Readyseal - I have used ESI's timberoil product which is similar as well as TWP200. Timberoil is not nearly as difficult as TWP200 is, but I still remember pools of Timberoil coming out in the hot sun days after application. Is Readyseal performance different from this? And if it isn't - do you have any sort of agreement with your customers not to walk on the deck for days written in your contracts? My experience is that customers want to walk on their decks the very next day - and I have had to appease that desire. It's the rare customer now that is willing to give up 48 hours from their lives to not use their deck.
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Daniel,Very true aside from the fact that your statement should be most stains have had to make formulation changes to conform with the stricter VOC compliance laws.
Ok - Readyseal probably hasn't needed to reformulate. But you have to be one brave person to use that stuff. I am at the one week mark with TWP200 - and puddles of parafinnic
oil formed in the hot sun today - and unlike readyseal, it has curing resins at the top to supposedly lock everything in! I love this stain, but I couldn't use it for customers unless they were
going on vacation for 2+ weeks!
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Newbie question of the day. What is the benefit of adding mineral spirits to stain? And if it is so beneficial, why don't the manufactures already do this for us?It helps resins and pigment penetrate into the wood before it sets up, otherwise everything just sits on the surface. Manufacturers used the stuff in spades, it's Uncle Sam that told them they had to cut back due to air quality standards. Stains haven't been the same since they made the changes.
what to do about mildew deep inside wood?
in Wood Cleaning & Restoration - Decks, Fences, etc.
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On another forum, the moderators will kindly tell the o/p to go to the DIY section and then close the thread.