ACSTravis

I have a restaurant that I do flatwork for that has a border running all around the top of the building under the gutter made of dryvit. It has black streaks on it and they would like it cleaned. I realize dryvit is very soft and you can't use any pressure on it. So, what I would like to do is downstream something onto it and rinse it off. Can anyone help me out with a recipe of something I can downstream? Thanks a lot,

Thanks for the replies guys, where do I get simple cherry and how much do you think I should charge for doing this? Thanks,

Got a call this morning that a guy had sprayed turtle wax on his tires and got some on his driveway. He said that when it rains, it looks like there is a sealer on the driveway in 4 little spots. He wants me to get it off, will hot water get rid of that or do I have to go the chemical route? Thanks,

We did a job a couple of months ago, and we sprayed Wood-Tux, and I guess it was too windy to do that. And, stupidly we didn't plastic the house, so there are spots all over the vinyl siding of this house. The homeowner called me last week wanting me to get it off, so how do I go about doing that? The vinyl is not painted, it is just factory vinyl, so is there a way to get the spots off? Thanks in advance,

Alright, I got it off! I went through 10 extra strength magic erasers, but I was amazed! It just came right off with some elbow grease thrown in. I don't know what is in those things, but I was really impressed. I've got to get some Proctor and Gamble stock.

Okay, I went back and tried HD-80, easy-off oven cleaner, and krud kutter, all to no avail. So, I picked up some extra-strength magic erasers and I'm gonna go back tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for all of the replies.....

kmurphy, I am in your area and would be happy to come up and give you an estimate. I would stay away from products claiming to last the life of your deck because they will not fulfill your expectations. We only use professional grade products like Ready Seal and Wood-Tux. Feel free to give me a call if you would like.

Hello all, I went out on a call today and it was a doosy, a huge deck, gazebo, and dock, totaling over 4000 sq. ft.. The owner wants everything done at the same time, so it is all or nothing. It all needs to be stripped, including the dock and the owner is concerned about the fish in the pond. It is a personal pond, with no one else around it. I don't know how to keep the rinse water, stripper, and stripped sealer out of the water. I know I could tarp it and recycle the water, but I am not equipped to recycle water. What does everyone do on these kinds of jobs? Is there a stripper that will not hurt the water/fish? I was planning on using HD-80. Someone please help me out as I really want to get this huge job. Thanks,

Bengals have to do well eventually, don't they? I just want a winning team in Cincinnati, people are happier and want to give me their money when we're winning!

Has anyone tried to spray WTW with a Decker? I've got a decker that I use mainly to spray Ready Seal, but would like to spray WTW on the spindles. I know that most people use an airless, but I don't want to spend the $700 right now on a Titan 440i, but that's what I'm going to do soon. Thanks,

Thanks Beth, I'm planning on using it this week on a deck. Thanks again,

BNI is a fantastic thing. I have been a member for about 2 years now and it is really a great organization. I'm actually in one of the largest chapters in the nation, consisting of about 55 members. Ken is right, though, you really need to go to as many meetings as you possibly can and network as much as possible. It's give and take, you really need to give referrals and explain as much as you can to people what it is exactly you do. People in general are stupid, so if they are not exactly sure what you do, you'll get waste of time referrals. But, if you a member in good standing and give referrals and do it like it should be done, it will pay for itself tenfold. I got a job my second week that paid for 3 years worth of membership. Another word of advice; if you are going to join, make the best of it, otherwise it will not be worth your while. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it.

I had a call today from a guy that has road tar, the black thick stuff on his concrete driveway. The city had come through and re-did the road and it splashed up on his driveway. He wants it removed. Is there anything that will take that off without damaging the concrete? Sorry, no pics, haven't been there yet. Thanks,

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but yes, of course I get around. I'm a mobile pressure washer! Wow, I sound like a goober

Jarrod, How and when do you expect payment? When we get up there, or before? And how much was it again? Thanks,

Man, I've been getting some weird calls lately. This guy has a composite deck with some kind of porch paint on it, why? -I don't know. However, he wants me to strip it off and put on a new sealer. I think that I am going to use FloodPro solid color finish, simply to make sure that I create an even finish. My question is; should I still strip with HD-80 and neutralize with Citralic or are those products too harsh on composite? I don't know, I've never done a composite deck before. I am going to go do a test patch this afternoon. Let me know what you guys think or have done in the past. Thanks,

Hello all, I'm curious as to what everyone uses for sanding decks. We use DeWalt 5 inch orbital sanders, DeWalt 9 inch sander/polishers with defurring pads, and do some spindles by hand with sponges, sandpaper, etc. I'm just curious to see if there is a faster way, or some sanding attachments besides the defurring pads that I could put on the 9 inch sander/polishers. Thanks a lot,

I just got a pretty cool new sander, it works really well for sanding the inside sides of the spindles, in case all of the stripped sealer doesn't come off or something like that. It is a Black and Decker "Dragster" belt sander.

Okay Ken, So I am going to bid this job now. I was wondering what you use to prime it? That is what I will do, prep it with a light wash, and prime, and reseal with a solid sealer. So, what would you use to prime before sealing. Thanks,

Hello all, I've only been in the business about 2 years now, but I know that I do better work than my competitors in this area. I use better products,(RS and WTW), better chemicals, have better training, and produce better results. I have been getting a lot of calls lately and have been bidding them accordingly, but I haven't been closing a lot of the deals. Am I charging too much? I know that prices vary from area to area, but I charge about $2 per square for a strip and seal and about $1.50 for a clean and seal. These prices are high for my area, but am I charging too much? Are there any contractors from the Greater Cincinnati area that are willing to volunteer what they charge, or any input at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot,

No, I haven't bid the job yet, I am still trying to determine what I'm going to do. And who would I contact about the water in my area? This is my first dock, so I don't really know. And I am going to do the staining by hand, with brushes.

Hello all, Mainly all we do is flatwork, wood restoration, etc. We've never done a housewash, other than me just washing my house. I got a call the other day from a guy with a tan aluminum siding house. I haven't gone and looked at it yet, but from the horror stories I have read here, I don't think that I should. Mistakingly, I told him on the phone that "Yeah, we do that" and that was a dumb thing to do. We are also going to do his deck, and I don't want to lose the job, so what should I do? Should I attempt to wash the aluminum siding on this guy's house and if I do that, what are some things to avoid to not mess up this house, or should I just tell him that we can't do it. Thanks,

Hello all, A customer of mine just got a brand new cedar playset. She is in love with the color and would like to keep it like that. I recommended putting clear WTW on it. I don't have that much experience with cedar, so what can I expect with a clear sealer on it as far as color fading/changing, etc.? I also don't know if I need to clean it since it is brand new. So do I need to clean it with light pressure or not? Thanks in advance,

Beth and Rod, Can you guys send me some pics of what Honey Gold and Brown Sugar look like on cedar? I would like to show my customer exactly what they will get, but I haven't had much experience with cedar. Thanks

Hello all, A customer of mine called me up to look at this series of black spots all over the front of her house, including the concrete and face of the house. I have never seen this stuff and it is all over, I would like to advise her as to what it is. I will also be cleaning and sealing her concrete and would like to get the black spots up. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Thanks in advance,