Troy Stevens

I've used various aromatic as well as alliphatic urethanes for deck coatings, but all are pigmented and require an extensive amount of preparation. If they value the look of their cedar, I'd advise them to stay away from such film-forming finishes though, and stick with a good penetrating oil. Future maintenance coats would be easy for you and affordable to your customer.

New or return customers? If new customers, how did they hear about you? Referral? You'll likely have several different figures depending upon how they got your info. New customers who just found me online I'm about 40%, but that's only because I try and pre-qualify them before ever considering a site visit. I get a description from them over the phone or email, then I'll provide a brief explanation of the service I'm proposing as well as a price range. I let them know if the price range sounds reasonable to them, then we could meet to discuss & finalize the details. New customers who were referred to me from someone I've serviced in the past would be about 65%. Return customers about 90-95% When I first started my own biz in 1998, I thought I was killing it because I got most of the jobs I went and bid on. Come to find out it was only because I was offering my services way too cheap, (that's typically because many of us don't truly understand our total operating costs when starting a business). Although situations vary, I'd say that if you're closing % is much more than 50% from people who don't know you and just found your info online or in print, then you need to reevaluate your pricing.

Graco recently released a new line of Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips, which allow you to spray at about half the pressure as the old Fine Finish Tips. I thought this might be useful info for those who've stayed away from using an airless to apply stains & sealers due to excess overspray, as well as for those airless users looking for an improvement. I've used their old fine finish tips for years to apply stain, and I'd agree that even with a small tip and the pressure turned up just enough to create a good spray pattern, that overspray was often an issue. Since it's been steady rain here in Portland, OR for most of the spring so far, I've only done 2 stain jobs, but on both occasions I've had the chance to use the new Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips, and the difference is amazing. I'd definitely look into them if you're using an airless. Here's a link for those interested. Graco Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips

Graco 395 or Titan 440 is pretty standard. I've been a painting contractor for 28 years so I have quite a few smaller pumps. They also sell a Graco 390 and Titan 400, both of which are good little pumps, and cost a little less than the 395/440 respectively. .