Paul B.

Mike, A years salary would be for start-up - a part timer would not need that as they would have a primary income to live off of. John, I agree that you should have clean and nice looking trucks, rigs, equipment and wear company logo'd shirts / t-shirts, etc. I wear oxford shirt w/company logo, clean jeans, and new looking work boots when going on estimates. We have several types of logo'd shirts (polo and t-shirts) for working. My statement was that we get a lot of work "sight unseen". Also seeing most of my full time competition's dress, equipment, etc. leads me to believe that those items are less valued by the majority of customers. Tony, For anyone starting full time, insurances, advertising, etc. should be considered part of the 1 st year / start-up cost. You may end up paying as you go. I believe that is part of the reason why there are so many uninsured contractors out there because that is the first thing they drop when cash flow gets tight. Also as cash flow gets tight, you wouldn't want to stop advertising. As for chemicals/stains, some amount should be put aside or at least have credit available. If you do commercial work, you may not be paid for up to 30 days after you complete the work (some lag even longer if you put up with it). I never ask for up-front money (that's always an option - but I think it makes you look less professional) to fund chemicals or supplies for a job. I had several jobs my first year that each required $400-600 worth of supplies. None of this is a HAVE TO DO (there are always other options), but a full time start-ups success and smooth operation depends on how well it is funded (up front) and how good the plan is. Along with that, if you were to go after a SB loan, if you didn't have these (insurance/advertising) in your plan/budget, you would (most likely) not be granted a loan.

Lot of my customers do not see me or our equipment when I look at their house or deck or driveway for the estimate (they are usually at work). The company car, trucks or rigs do not impact how many jobs we get. However, estimate presentation, word of mouth about our quality and follow-up calls on the phone have MADE most of my sales. When I meet face to face with the customer, they never ask what type of equipment I have, I'm only asked for references about once a year and proof of insurance about once a year (other than builders requiring workers comp and proof of insurance). I do treat them like people not as prospects which closes more sale than even good pricing. I always ask how the customer found out about my company and not one has found us because of truck signage or lettering. Here is a rough breakdown of where our work comes from: - 18% Referrals - 15% Newspaper ads - 15% Repeat business - 12% Commissioned sales (non-employee) - 11% Direct marketing flyers - 11% Local business (muffler shops, transmission shops, hair salons, masonry supply houses, pool supply stores, etc.) - 9% Other contractors (deck builders, painters, handy men, etc.) - 5% Cold calls - 4% Other (employee sales, walk-ups, etc.)

Rick, At todays bank rates of 1/4% a year, it's not where I would keep my money. As for start-up costs: It is a given that different people need different amounts for a business start-up. However, if you are going full time from day one, you SHOULD have enough income from another source or money in the bank to be able to pay a MINIMUM of 1 year worth of your personal bills (mortgage, electric, water, insurances, etc.) and your start-up costs be it $5K or $20K plus emergency funds for the business for equipment breakdowns (your truck, your P/W, etc.). You should not expect your business to turn a profit the very first year, at least on the books and as taxes are concerned (whether it does or not is something else). If you remember earlier this year we had about 8-10 weeks of rainy weather in some parts of the country. Made for a very slow start for some new businesses as well as some existing ones. If a person starts in April, they have about 7 months of productive time before winter sets in (if you live in the south this does not apply to you). You have 3-4 cold months that work is minimal or non-existent for certain type of business, so you better have a plan for that too.

To build on what Everett has just posted, if you check out this site: www.fpl.fs.fed.us/DOCUMNTS/finlines/willi01a.pdf you will see the write-up they did regarding their unsuccessful attempt to duplicate mill glaze. Be it "mill glaze" or not, my experience is that new wood has a much tighter outer grain structure than one that has been aged or "de-glazed" and accepts stain much better. Having some experience in machining and materials, I can say with certainty that changes in material structures do take place during a machining process. I think something does happen from machining as heat is generated. Sap may also be a culprit in the equasion.

Oxalic acid will remove mill glaze. HD-80 is a heavy duty finish stripper that is mainly used to remove existing finishes. A few folks use a very diluted mix of HD-80 to clean with which would also remove the mill glaze however that would not be my approach. For new wood, wash with a percarb cleaner and then use the mill glaze remover or oxalic acid. If you use oxalic acid after the percarb, you need to make sure you rinse adequately to remove all oxalic acid residue and achieve neutral pH. Depending on what brand mill glaze remover you use will determine the sequence. Some mill glaze removers will brighten wood, while others along with cleaning or stripping will darken it and would require a brightener afterwards.

I don't clean tile roofs so I can't help you there. We clean asphalt shingles to remove mold & mildew and use a 1:3 mix of 10-12% Pool Shock (at about a 3-4% application strength). For concrete, it would depend on what type of cleaning you are doing. For "new construction" concrete cleaning you could use a Prosoco product such as 600 Detergent mixed 1:10 with cold water or Prosoco Vana Trol which is milder and mixed at 1:4 or 1:5 will work wonders on removing red clay, mud and other construction dirt. You have to be careful with the 600 Detergent as it can etch concrete if not diluted enough or left on too long. There are a couple of other products that work well also for removing red clay. www.SunBriteSupply.com has Crete Clean Plus. For residential driveways, most of there time water by itself will clean off environmental dirt. 10-12% Pool Shock diluted 1:3 (at about a 3-4% application strength) will remove leaf (tannin) stains. For automotive grease and oil stains you need a Sodium Hydroxide based product such as HD-80. SunBrite also sells a Potassium Hydroxide based product called Concrete Cleaner that we have used and works well. Remember, Sodium Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide based cleaners can and most likely will darken the concrete after cleaning so an Oxalic Acid based brightener should be used to get the brightness back. Beth's Citralic Acid would work well for the brightening. For commercial concrete with heavy food grade oil and grease stains you need a Potassium Hydroxide or Sodium Hydroxide based detergent. I don't clean any commercial concrete so I can't pinpoint you to a brand name that I have 1st hand experience with but maybe Jon or someone else on this board will help with that.

Well said Rick.

Lou, Ask your sources "How many years it took them to gross $200K" and "How much money they started the business with." It's not impossible to become comfortable or well off in this business or any other business. However, remember that I said 70% of all new small businesses fail within 5 years. That's 7 out of 10. I would have to say that the failure rate in this business is much higher as it tends to be seasonal work for most northern climate areas. Also, you have a lot of part timers and weekenders that compete with low prices in season. You have to study your market, your techniques, your equipment, put a business plan together (it doesn't have to be fancy or complicated) and have some back-up money for the first year to two, and money when things get slow due to external sources such as a monsoon season, slow economy, etc. Most folks start out part time and build their knowledge, tool inventory and business clients at least one to two years before going full time. This reduces the risk of failure and provides a financial parachute in harder times.

Good Point! The extent you need to go to cover your business will depend on the size of your business and the type of set-ups you have. Insurance is a must for this reason as is having money put aside within the business to be able to replace pieces. Keeping spares and back-ups is crutial for full time operators. If you pull a trailer and your truck is damaged, you can always rent a truck (insurance should cover this). You can always rent a P/W for short term and should be able to replace a set-up within a few weeks. If you have a very special set-up then you definitely need a back-up plan.

Wood can be sealed as soon as its moisture content is down to a level that is acceptable by the stain to be applied. This varies by brand, but is in the range of 12 to 15%. Wood pH is critical and should be kept within 6-8 range when applying stains. Most cleaners and strippers have a high pH between 8 to 14. After cleaning or stripping, to bring the wood pH level back to neautral, you need to use an acid treatment (these have pH levels from 1 to 6). If only mild cleaning and brightening are needed, use a sodium percarbonate (Disodium Peroxydicarbonate) based chemical. Sodium percarbonate based cleaning is followed by an acid bath to brighten the surface (remove any tannin) and to balance out the pH for sealing. If in doubt about the wood pH, you can purchase Litmus paper at a pool supply store and check it on a damp deck surface. - If it's new wood, the removal of Mill Glaze will be necessary - this will allow better stain penetration. Mill Glaze can be removed with Oxalic Acid, Bio-Wash Mill Glaze Away, Woodpal New Deck Prep Mill Glaze Remover or numerous other products available on the market. - Stripping existing coating with a base or alkaline type chemical such as HD-80, then brighten and neutralize (1 step process) the wood with an acid chemical such as Citralic or Citric acid to bring pH to between 6-8. - Clean to remove debris from between boards - Re-set nail heads that may have raised out of the wood - Sand hand railing top for smooth finish. Sand other areas to remove furring caused by stripping. Sand to remove Mill Stamp if deck is new. - Allow wood to dry (wood moisture content to be between 12-15% - some stains, such as Flood's Spa-'N-Deck, will accept much higher moisture content and even wet application). Most stains will tell you what moisture level is acceptable before application. - Apply stain (there are 1 coat, 2 coat wet-on-wet, 2 coat with dry time inbetween and solids that require a primer and 2 top coats). Follow sealer manufacturers recommendation for best results. In most cases over-application is just as bad as under application and as a good rule of thumb, two light coats are better than 1 heavy - but these are application preferences. www.PrimeShop.com/prep.htm has a lot of good detailed info on wood preparation.

It may take "big ones" to start a business, but it takes more than that to continue it and to bring it success. It takes a lot of hard work, persistence, skills and luck. Being in the right place at the right time has it's place. The airline industry was in the wrong location when the terrorists attacked. The insurance business was in the wrong location when the hurricanes destroyed all those homes and businesses. A store-front was in the wrong location when the community decided to close the road for a year to widen it from 1 to 2 lanes. Morgan, You can make big $$$ working for someone else. Look at presidents and CEO's of companies that make tens of millions a year. Also look at all the millionaires that Bill Gates has made within and outside of his company. What about all the millionaires that were made by large corporations with profit sharing, stocks, and 401K programs? Over 90% of business owners will never become millionaires and over 70% of new businesses will be out of business within 5 years of start-up. In addition, more people are millionaires from investing than owning their own business. Food for thought!

Raw chemicals may or may not achieve desired results for you as often they have to be combined with other chemicals to work effectively. Also not knowing what % to mix could be harmful to the substrate as well as dangerous to plants, animals and humans. For example: a concrete cleaning chemical may contain Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide along with 2-Butoxyethanol, Sodium Metasilicate, Sodium Ethylenediamina Tetraacetate, Oxyetheylene along with other surfactants. Getting proper results depends on knowing the proper % of each to mix together. You should also know that liquids are measured by volume and crystals are measured by weight. Knowing the weight of your solids is critical as one volume oz. of chemical may weigh twice as much as one volume oz. of another. I'm not trying to discourage you, but if you are not familiar with a bit of chemistry, you may spend more money trying to mix the correct combination than if you purchased a pre-packaged product from a known supplier. In any case, make sure if you attempt to mix chemicals that you know what chemicals can and can not be mixed together (as some may give off toxic fumes and become deadly). If you are not sure, ask your supplier. And last but not least, make sure you wear protective safety gear when mixing your chemicals (ie.: gloves, goggles, mask, etc.).

I worked in pulp making in Pennsylvania and Georgia. The process is complex and the bleaching is accomplished after the wood has been chopped and shredded to tiny pieces. The concentration of bleach is very strong and many other steps in the process. Sodium Hydroxide strippers of 10-20% content can cause more damage than a 2-3% solution of Sodium Hypochlorite.

You need to meet with him at the job site and have him point out specifics of what he is unhappy with. There is a difference between cleaning and stripping, or chipping - should be addressed up front. Same with cleaning of the gutters. If the paint is chalky, depending on the age of the paint, you may never be able to stop it from chalking. Find out what chemistry he uses when he's doing the cleaning and use exact mix. Paint prep chemistry should contain TSP for "etching" the paint. Like you said, some people are hard to please, but you won't know what his complaints are exactly until you meet face to face at the job site. It's hard or impossible to deal with vague data.

Mike, What are the key ingredients in the soap? As Ron P. stated, the PressureTek web site is not the most userfriendly and contains no info on the chemicals he carries or are available for sale. There are also no MSDS info available on it. There is a brief mention of a housewash #6136 but that's it.

He's saying he uses a SOAP, but has not mentioned it by name here. However, he has mentioned it previously as a truckwash #6173 but has not given info as to where it can purchased. He said that his source had questionable ethics and was looking for a new source (this was on 10/13/2003). My suggestion is that the container or the MSDS (usually) has the manufacturer's name on it. From there, they can be reached and will provide you with a distributor's name and phone number. He also says he downstreams it with an Adams injector (the Adams works at 1:5 ratio or 16.6% rate).

If someone is addicted to eating leftover Thangsgiving turkey, can they quit "Cold Turkey"? If a mime is arrested, does he still have to be told he has the right to remain silent? In the roman days, did golfers yell "IV" before teeing off.

Every now and then we use a 1:3 mix of bleach and water to remove mold & mildew from unfinished PTW. We leave it on without rinsing off. Doesn't seem to furr the would any more than any other cleaning agent we use.

Mike, What do you use to remove mold & mildew on a stained or painted surface?

I can buy the electrostatic charged aluminum bonding dirt to it. In essence then, we are not cleaning but stripping a thin layer of paint along with the dirt. That's why detergents without solvents or strippers do not clean the streaks. As you can see, all 3 products contain a stripper or solvent and some both. I call Sodium Hydroxide the stripper and 2-Butoxyethanol is a solvent. Gutter Zap Sodium Hydroxide 2-Butoxyethanol / Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether AllBrite Sodium Metasilicate 2-Butoxyethanol / Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether Sodium Ethylenediamina Tetraacetate Nonylphenol Polyoxyethylene Gutter Shock Sodium Hydroxide Sodium Metasilicate 2-Butoxyethanol / Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether Sodium Ethylenediamina Tetraacetate Nonylphenol Polyoxyethylene Now if you can reverse the electrostatic charge, then you could clean the gutters with plain water. Thanks Ron!

James, No doubt the lubricant will collect dirt that water will not rinse off. I've seen these black streaks reappear a year after the gutters have been cleaned, on old and new gutters. On old gutters, chances are the lubricant has long been weathered away.

X-Jetting is nice because it acts like a foamer. In any case, the Sodium Hydroxide content in most of the gutter cleaning chemicals is relatively low - below 1%. Remember how we talked about water hardness effecting cleaning ability of the same solution from area to area? Here's a tid bit for you: Sodium Metasilicate is not a cleaning agent by itself. It is a VERY strong base. The pH of a 1% aqueous solution is about 13. It's a strong base that reacts violently with acids. A major use is as a builder (a material that enhances or maintains the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant, mainly by inactivating water hardness) in soaps and detergents. It may be used as part of a component in a chemical degreaser, where it would react with fatty acids (animal grease) to form a soap, which is then rinsed away.

Tony, I've read the static theory also, but it's a bit hard to buy because you are always seeing streaks running down from top to bottom never side to side and if it was only dirt, you wouldn't need a strong degreaser to remove it. Also static is normally generated in dry conditions not when it's wet. My theory and I'm sticking to it!

I would like to add that Sodium Hydroxide based products are not the only products that will remove black streaks from gutters. What causes the black streaks on the gutters? It's an oil based run-off from asphalt shingles. So you have to find products that have components which will break down oil and grease based stains without (in the case of gutters) stripping off the paint. In laymen terms, we would be looking for a degreaser.

Morgan, I think you have been mis-informed about Gutter Zap - it DOES contain Sodium Hydroxide (check the MSDS).