fireandrain

great job Terry, looks great. Hope I can post some similar after pics on this hairy green beast!

Great thing is that shes preparing the house for possible sale in the next 6 months. In this area, $1.5 mil. property. I agree, if she likes the outcome, may be more in store.

LOL, sure does! I've had success in the past with a HEAVY SOAK/DWELL bleach h20 approach. As I mentioned before, my concern is that Im going to have to blast those top 1x2 slats to get the last of the lichen of of there, may need to replace those~ bender bds. Hope not. Im actually really looking forward to this one! I built in plenty of 'lab time' on this one (definition of "lab time"= me gazing up a the trellis with my pw growling behind me, lance in hand, scratching my head). The setting for this deck/fence/trellis is really wonderful, great back lot, very nice client. She is going to be up in Lake Tahoe the week I'll be tackling her project so I really want to blow her mind when she returns. Planning on spraying this with RS Med Red (redwood only).

nice one Kevin. I have some straight sod. percarb, thinking of soaking the heck out of it, then ds'ing straight sod. percarb..... adding some tsp sounds great, how much? ive never boosted straight sod percarb w/ TSP... Ive generally sprayed straight percarb w/ simple cherry, will adding the tsp be any harder on surrounding plants?

Rick, a fair amount of that old lichen is still alive, much of it did Im guessing. Do you still think NAOH is going to be the way to go? I suppose, worst case scenerio, those top 'bender board' 1x's could be replaced if the wood can't handle the beating...

Another brilliant idea! Love this one. Makes sense, got some velcro in the shop. Great

Interesting Idea. My only concern with have to do with control. Then again, helluva an idea, think ill rig that set up next week, give it a shot!

Thanks Rod and Beth, I appreciate that. Love to duplicate your world reknown whip line set up!

Thanks Rod. Do you have a picture of this set up? I use the 22MM ext. lances when needding to stretch my reach up high. usually comnnect a couple of 36" lances via the 22MM Couplings. Hmm, Im guessing this is not what your talking about?

Today was, well, one of those days. I called a call from one of my old customers to tackle a HUGE moss covered brick patio area. Nice client and I always try to oblige a request for a clean up. I shifted my focus last year to deck restoration, largely in part due to everything I've learned from all of the talented 'woodies' on from this forum. My advertising is now specific to deck jobs. I've never been happier than I am these days. Transforming old neglected or improperly maintained decks always seems to put a smile on my customers faces. These clients are always so grateful when I get done and they pay me well for what I do. Anyways, I was reminded again today why I chose to focus on woodwork and not other flatwork, concrete,brick,exteriors,etc... I was covered head to toe in wet mossy dirt, legs were pelted by bits of mortar all day, and spent the majority of the afternoon paranoid that my surface cleaner would kick out that one single pebble that would break one of the big windows that flanked me all around the house! The job payed OK, but frankly, I could have made that same $ for just the "brightening" treatment on one of my deck jobs! I can't wait until the next call that comes in to "have a look at my 2K sq. ft deck that hasnt been stained in years"! I love working with wood, and, for now, have no problems leaving the commercial jobs and brickwork cleaning for the flatwork guys! As Rod would say, just my .02!

I had a 3/8 300 PSI hose (the red one) blow a leak in the middles section of the hose @ a job today. What a mess! The dang thing just burst a pin hole leak that sprayed all over the side of a house before I could disconnect from the Deckster. I was up 2 stories on an elevated deck. NO FUN! Anyways, I'm trying to get my hands on a couple hundred ft. of 3/8 300 PSI replacement hose~ got 4 jobs to spray next week! I see them @ Sunbrite for $49 p/ 50 ft w/ QC's. Any tips on other options for the Deckster here? Thanks!

slick set up Kevin. Whats in that can?

Great, thanks. I wasn't sure if the Deckster hoses were chem resistant type. I guess all I need is a 3/8 300PSI rated airless hose then?

Traditionally, I've usually been able to put together a quote "at the job site" on the day of my bid appt. with the prospective client. After listening to the expectations of the homeowner and discussing the options, I tell the HO that I'm going to pull measurements, run some calculations, and will knock on the door when their quote is prepared and ready to be reviewed. I end up getting about 90% of the bids I put out there, and usually get approval that day, on the front porch after reviewing the quote with the homeowner. Well, this year I have begun to put together a more comprehensive, custom, typed-up bid approach. The way I see it, informing the customer (after a in-person project evaluation) that you will be taking some pictures of the project, pulling measurements, and will put together a project proposal back at your office and either dropping it off in the next 2 days or mailing it in the next 24hrs. has a few distinct advantages over the "same day, on-the-spot" quote... They are: 1. By taking pictures and bringing your measurements,etc home with you (or "back to your office") you are able to 'step away' from the site and evaluate in the peace and relatively objective environment of your personal space. I.e, 'on your turf' so to speak. 2. You are able to TYPE-UP a custom quote rather than scribble something down for the homeowner day of your first mtg. I don't know about you, but I think that I am able to be far more articulate and thorough when I am not rushed to put together the quote at the jobsite, 'same day'. 3. Appearance of professionalism. I think that many clients, perhaps especially the more affluent professional ilk, truly appreciate it when a contractor appears 'detail-oriented' enough to want to spend the proper time preparing their quote. Even if that means they have to wait a day or two! I should add that I think its CRITICAL to follow through with your promise to deliver the quote in a day or two. You dont want it to backfire on you and come out looking like a deck co. too busy to take your needs seriously. 4. And this one may be the kicker in my opinion! This approach BUYS YOU MORE TIME IN YOUR SCHEDULING! I always shoot to get new clients booked within 2 weeks of rendering the project quote. When you hand over a quote the same day you look at the job, the next question after accepting your proposal is usually "When can you do it?" I hate telling prospectives that "We're booked for the next 3 weeks"...That can sometimes make or break a job, esp. if the client is in a big hurry to get things done. By allowing that extra couple of days 'in the office' preparing a thorough job quote, you in essence are buying yourself an extra day or two of wiggle room in your calendar. If you consider a volume of,say, 15 bids a week, this can really help you keep on top of your current schedule and not get overextended in any way. I always propose the "next available service appt." on all of my bids, in writing. I add that my co. is "only able to reserve this date for 48hrs. after the quote is rendered..." WOW! And I thought this would be a quick thread! Anyways, these are just a few of my thoughts on the contraversy over mailing clients bids OR delivering same day quotes. Pros and Cons,etc.... I'd love to know what % of us subscribe to one or the other approach! And Why! Beth, could this b a poll?

Great contributions guys!

Looked at this one today. HO said he had it cleaned and stained 4 yrs. ago with Superdeck Semi-Trans. Said he left a tint code with the contractor and them left for vacation... Apparently the guy chose something darker (darkish red) and the HO hates it! He now wants it stripped (including about 1,600 sq ft of decks w/ spindles not visible in picture) and then re-stained with a lighter color. I imagine its going to vary quite a but anyone care to chime in what they would charge for this one? Full exterior resto it looks like inc. shingles, everything wood would require stripping/staining. Im a bit, well, not a bit, ALOT daunted by this one but Im sadistically curious about taking this one on. THANKS!

Thanks for all the input, thats awesome! Much wisdom, much wisdom. I think I just need to get a price tag on this one. That is, our first round of direct advertising will land Friday which should be bringing in quite a few "bang em out" straight deck resto jobs for us. I need to decide if getting into a project on this scale is really worth my effort right now. Could proove to be more of a distraction and consume so much of my resources that I'll miss out on the other more straight-forward projects coming down the pipes. May make sense to run some #'s and error on the high side for a bid on this one.

I know, isnt it georgous! As far as the window masking is concerned, Ive previous success just having a helper work behind me with mineral spirits on the windows. Once Ive moved to the next side of the house, he hits the windows with MS and wipes them down. I mean, pretty much everything about this house is wood, and it all would need spraying. So, I guess Im not THAT worried about masking.... Do you and Rod have a b-park $ on this one? Its located in an affluent area if that helps...

Well, I got that big cedar shake house exterior strip/clean-up job started last week. Its looking great. I ended up shooting 2-3x percarbs, let it dwell and long range rinsing with a 12' lance. I was relieved that I didnt have to try and rig up a big ladder on that sloped terrain beneath the work areas, i.e. didnt have to get too close to the shingles to get it done and looking nice and bright. So, the next step is getting my RS Med. Red up there on that exterior! Can anyone chime in on the best way to spray sealer at long range, like 20ft? I'd really like to avoid having to use that ladder set up as the ground beneath is super irregular and sloped down hill. I can already taste that RS in my mouth trying shoot 20 ft. up on a ladder a surface thats right in front of my face! Not to mention getting a consistent looking finish with all the fandanglin' around from a ladder up there! I remember once seeing someone's "long distance" stain sprayer set up. ANyone recall that or have a similarly effective set up suggestion for getting that stain up there without relying on a crappy ladder situtation?

LOoks PERFECT Celeste! I'll look into adding one of these into my line-up ASAP! Kev~ LOL, no those pics are before, not afters! Ill get those afters soon. And, yup, I'll definetely up there w/ cut-in and clean-up around those gutters. RS is great that way, doesnt set up sticky too quickly, easy to take care of after the spraying is through. Spray bottle filled w/ Mineral Spirits does the trick every time. Curious what these Coress set ups cost....

and the imminent disappearance of my ability to spell correctly!

Thats what I do, its fair and it works for me. I think we should be more concerned about the imminant dissapearance of this natural resource. My .02

Hello Fisherman~ I suggest you do a little bit of "fishing" around previous threads on this forum. There is quite a bit of advice that has been shared by many of the professional wood workers who contribute regularly. Have a look around, youll find the advice you need on stripping BEHR finishes.

Same client with the garage door. They want me to get their home's exterior (cedar shake) all cleaned up now. If you refer to the picture I posted of the garage door strip job, you'll see the surrounding shingles around the door that I worked over at the same time. Since I was working on the door with F-18 and RS MEd Red, I treated them at the same time. Now, they want the whole house done! Due to all of the landscaping beneath the houses exterior, Im thinking about seeing what I can do to get that old shingle stain released with a sod. percarb approach first. Make sense? Might consider doing a small area 1st to gauge the extra time working without a SH stripper. Obviously, dont want to get to much pressure on these old shingles, figure they'll furr pretty easy, dont want that. Frankly, my big concern has to do with access (sloped dirt surface below working area) and al the windows. I have additional concerns with respect to any of the old wet stripped stain bleeding into the house via those windows. I'll have access in and out of the house (hardwood floors, no worries there) so I figure Ill be doing a bit of peekin' in there to make sure Im not getting any runs inside through the seams of those windows. Dont want that AT ALL as the interior side of the windows are trimmed out in real nice clear fir with a clear finish! Like I said, I don't have too much experience working with Cedar Shake Exteriors, or really house exteriors at all. Any input or pre-game advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Couldn't find that thread I created regarding this garage door strip job, thought Id share some after pics. The door had a poorly applied semi-solid Ben Moore on it, dark as mud. Clients were real nice folks, totally upset by the job the last "pro" did for them last year. I stripped it w/ F-18 MAX, 3 separate shots to limit furring, brightened it up, and sprayed RS Med. Red. (2 coats, rubbed in ) Client has called me 3 of the last 4 days just to tell me how thrilled they are with how it looks now. I was really nervous about this one, but Im really excited to take on more of these garage door restore jobs!