Paul B.

You could wait a week to see what happens. Normally folks say that you shuld not let a deck go more than 30 days after cleaning - I think you need to judge each on it's own merits on how much exposure they get to the environment. If they replaced the boards without telling you up front (without you having the chance to inform them about green wood moisture content) then you were put at a disadvantage and should let them know that this may cause delays, problems and incurr additional charges for you. You can offer remedies of waiting and possibly re-cleaning at their cost, coming back and finishing these boards yourself after they have dried or letting them do the "touch-up" work. Of course you could always comp. the extra work - if you are in position to do so.

Acrylic or film type sealers are normally the easiest to detect on a surface as they tend to be shiny (even after ware) or discolored. Penetrating sealers are the hardsest to spot, but not impossible. You do have to walk the surface and look for coating regardless of what the customer has told you. I do it not only to look for coatings but also defects, as this is an opportunity for repair work and also to note on the estimate/contract for future reference if the need arises. Cracks, spalling and other defects help emphasize the need for a protective coating if only a cleaning is requested. Like I said, with an acrylic finish, you look for shiny spots. Sometimes I will get on my hands and knees to run my hand over the concrete to feel the surface and get a closer look. If it's a sunny day, looking from opposite the sun's direction will help expose the coating. I carry water with me and test spots by pouring or spraying some on it. If it beads, it has a coating. If it soaks in quickly, then there should be no coating. I use the water test to check for presence of a penetrating sealers. Sometimes I even roll out the customers water hose to check for sealer. I feel the same way when estimating deck refinishing. How does a contractor look when they start a job and then have to go to the customer and say: I estimated this job to strip off an oil based stain but you have water based so now I have to increase the cost. If you, as a contractor did this to ME (as a homeowner) I would lose all confidence in you and would have to terminate our relationship. After all, I called you in as an expert to quote what it would take you to do the job right the first time and you should have done all the testing up front before you gave me an estimate. Since most homeowners do not know the cost implications of a water based coating over an oil based, whatever you may write in the contract (in regards to this) is mostly meaningless to the customer. As a final thought on this: Isn't the knowledge of what to look for along with the up-front testing, what separates the experienced/pros from all others that do this work? Being good at selling jobs does not make your work good. You need technical knowledge, hands on experience and reasoning capabilities (some call it common sense), not to mention the right tools and the best chemistry you can get your hands on.

Rick, For removal of acrylics, Prosoco has a good product called "Concrete Sealer Stripper". You need to rinse to remove emulsified coating, then wash. With this, you don't need to neutralize but rinse and wash. Premium Stripper - strips epoxies, urethanes & acrylics – www.AldonChem.com In addition, there is ChemMasters Seal Stripper 1205 which removes curing and sealing compounds, acrylic, latex or alkyd type paints and coatings. Solvent based or citric based cleaners work best for acrylics and urethanes. Some coatings can be removed with a Potassium or Sodium Hydroxide solution, in which case neutralizing is needed with a citric or oxalic acid solution. If you wash with a Potassium or Sodium Hydroxide solution, neutralizing is important. You must also neutralize (with water or a base type product) after acid cleaning or etching if you are going to apply a coating. There is not one place to go for complete concrete and brick/paver care, however there are a lot of good resources on these BB's for concrete care (not so much on Pavers) and I'll see if I can dig up information on other sources from my files. Prosoco www.Prosoco.com is always a good source as they have products for cleaning, stripping and sealing concrete, brick and pavers.

Rob, I agree, my choice of wording was incorrect when I said: "V-Seal 101 is a penetrating sealer and provides absolutely no protection for aggregate concrete." It does provide some protection, but it would not be the 1st (or 2nd) choice for exposed aggregate - be it 60/40 or other. "...after consulting with 3 concrete contractors before bidding, on if this, this was the right sealer, and each one said absolutely, after reading the spec sheet on 3 choices, they hands down chose V-seal..." So in essence, these 3 contractors are talking in theory, rather than having hands on experience with V-Seal 101 on aggregate. "...also,I never once called Paul out on his post, but he has exagerated quite a few claims, but who hasnt..?..." "...So, I too could bash 25-35 people a week on this board a week on how I think what they are doing is wrong as Paul does..." Go back and re-read all of your posts from the past 2 years and then lets talk exaggaration. UNTIL THEN, NO COMMENT ON THE EXAGGERATION! "...I hope this helps!" To the 24-34 people that I bash every week, I extend my most sincerest appologies. "...Because I am not ego driven,..." Rob, how many times have you posted that your phone is ringing off the hook and you get $350 for every house you wash and $1.50-$2.00 per sq ft. for every deck you work, or how many hours you work in a week, or what new equipment you have or how much equipment you'll have next year? ...and I hope this helps! Yes, I do tend to tick people off because I speak my mind. Personally, in some cases, I don't think I speak it enough! Remember Rob, that not everything posted here is for your benefit ONLY. If you choose to take nothing away from my posts, than that is your choice. I can lead you to water but I won't hold your head under to make you drink it! "Paul, if you spent half the time working, as you do reading and researching, you may get ahead someday, but I doubt it,..." Get ahead of what Rob? Working 105 hours a week? I did that in my 20's, 30's and early 40's. My portfolio does for me what working 105 hours a week will not achieve for you.

Alan, You should never try to apply a penetrating sealer over a film type sealer. The materials for stripping and neutralizing will cost about $0.04-$0.05 per sq ft. 4000 sq ft should take no more than 5 hours to strip and neutralize (that's one person with set-up and tear-down). You can apply 1 coat of sealer in 2 hours on 4000 sq ft and the only unloading you have is the sprayer and sealer. With 4 trips you are at 15 hours or less in labor. This is not rocket science!

My sugar-coating coating fell off this morning! I have 3 phrases for you to look up and digest: 1) Incompetence - It is a GOOD contractors responsibility to properly diagnose the condition of the substrate and recommend the appropriate coating. If you can't do either, you're not a very good contractor. V-Seal 101 is a penetrating sealer and provides absolutely no protection for aggregate concrete. The sealer can not penetrate the pebbles. The correct recommendation would have been a film type finish such as Tamms Luster Seal 300 which can be had for well under $10 per gallon (contractor price). Coverage is 200-300 sq ft per gallon. Apply 2 coats 90 degrees to each other. First coat needs to dry before 2nd coat is applied. 2) Arrogance - After mis-diagnosing the substrate and incorrectly recommending the most expensive penetrating sealer, you place the blame on the customer (remember: contractor = expert; homeowner/customer = amateur) and then proceed to overprice the solution at $1.25 per sq ft. 3) Humble Pie - You then proceed to post to other contractors how you should put everything in writing because the customer can make the wrong decision. In this case, the customer's bad action was the choice of the contractor. - I'll be having some Humble Pie after I post this. You should consider having some also, and give the customer a break for your mistakes!

Should have no problems if it has already been stained. If it's uncoated, it may lighten it a bit. Pre-wet in any case and work from bottom up (as usual) to avoid streaking. If the shake is below the brick, then rinse it after applying the D600 to the brick (it's just a precaution against streaking if it does lighten a bit).

If I see something that I don't think needs to be cleaned, it's most likely because I don't think I can get it any cleaner. In that case I ask why they think it needs to be cleaned. I ask the customer to show me specific areas that need improvement and to tell me how clean (or what the final look is that) they expect to get. I also ask if this is prep work for another phase such as cleaning before sealing or painting. I also look for details such as existing damage. Talking with the customer, asking questions and listening will most often reveal reasoning behind their actions. But to answer your question: I think long and hard about how I would feel if the shoe was on the other foot and then the answer is always very clear. As long as you tell the customer up front that you think it's clean and put it in writing, then if they still want the clean surface "cleaned again", it's their nickel.

Make note that when using an X-Jet with an extension pole, it may not prime in the extended or vertical position. I believe the X-Jet primes to about 10-12 feet. You have to lower the pole to a horizontal or under 10 feet to get it started, then raise to the desired position. A good application for the extension pole and X-Jet is with the close-up attachment as it sprays low pressure at low dilution ratio to extended heights.

Sodium Hypochlorite contain less than 1/4% Sodium Hydroxide as part of the manufacturing process (both for Chlorox and liquid pool shock). Sodium Hydroxide is a stripper/degreaser - if you watch your rinse water coming out of the down-spout after washing with it you can see the oils that were removed. The rinsewater is oily brown. Sodium Hydroxide is not an approved cleaner by the asphalt shingle manufacturers. I prefer Sodium Hypochlorite as it is effective when applied in the correct 6% range and less damaging. You have to leave it on long enough to be effective in killing all the spores and in some instances or areas you may require 2 applications. The problem with asphalt shingles (other than some of the new onew that Ryan is speaking of) is that they contain a source of foor for mold, mildew, algea and moss. The other problem is even if you have shingles that are resistant, the dirt that collects on the roof will promote mold, mildew, etc. growth. Proper roof ventillation, cutting back tree branches to allow sun drying and regular maintenance to remove dirt and debris should be part of the plan to keep the bad stuff from growing on the roof.

There should be some drop in range (due to turbulent flow) but 50% seems fairly drastic. I would say 10-20% would be more realistic. Check to make sure the fittings on the chemical feed side are all tight including the one going into the M5. What size feed line is on the M5 (1/4" ID or 3/8" ID) 3/8"ID should work better. If everything fails, talk to the folks you purchased the X-Jet from as it's always a possibility that a part is bad or blocked, etc.

"And it only gets better the home owner wants to go with a clear sealer!!! I tryed talking them into a stain but they said only if it's a must." Tell them IT IS A MUST if they want good protection for their expensive deck. As for the tip marks, they should be sanded out. Depending on how much chlorox was used and how long it was left on, the dead wood fibers will also need to be removed by sanding or if lucky by de-felting. See if you can work the sanding $$$ by the hour. Quote cleaning, stripping and refinishing at a fixed price and hourly rate for sanding if it's over what you normally allow for. State how much sanding is included in your contract. You'll see how much work you have after you've finished your cleaning/stripping based on what, if anything was previously on it.

The existing stain is a semi-transparent. (oil or water based?) Test to check if the existing is oil or water based (it's important). If it's an oil based stain you'll have problems either way you go. If it's water based, you should be OK (functionally) as long as the surface is very clean. Choose another water based stain. Contractor is looking to put another semi-transparent on top of it. Explain to customer that it will no longer look like a semi-transparent if you don't strip. Go with a solid, estimate 2 coats and let the customer pick the color from the charts - don't make the choice yourself. The Olympic Ultimate Solid stain (maroon can) is 100% acrylic latex and can be used to cover an existing water based stain. However, they recommend using their Seal Zall latex primer (when staining over). You could attempt to bypass the primer, but then I would recommend a test for adhesion. This is a 2-coat stain for new wood and for that it does not require priming. Coverage is 350-500 per sq ft. If you have a Lowe's, they carry Valspar - they may have color that you are looking for. Last but not least OFFER NO GUARANTEE with this job.

Mick, It varies from builder to builder. Best to get requirement from the builder - I don't know how you can bid the work any other way. This will avoid misunderstanding and match your estimate to the work requirement. If the builder will not tell you what he expects up front, you can be sure he'll be down your back every other day for something that he thinks you should have done but you didn't think was part of the scope. For example: Some builders require the lumber and bricks to be hauled away, while others only require it to be placed in dumpsters they supply. Then there are other builders who require some of the trades (not all) to clean up after themselves (framers, drywallers and masons). Know what types of and sizes of buildings you will be required to work on. Houses with vinyl siding are easier to clean up than all brick. Generally, larger homes will have more trash than smaller homes. Establish a square footage estimating method based on types of houses and requirements.

Sometimes it's just unavoidable to shoot water under the siding, as they are building more and more homes (in sub-divisions) that are 5-10 feet apart and 25-30 ft high. The key is not to keep putting more water on it (at high or low pressure) but to wipe manually. Leaks that are high up can be reached with a soft truck type brush on an extension pole. You can also wet the brush SLIGHTLY with your soap if the streak has dried and wrap a rag over it to dry. When you have a situation where water weeps, you should stay on site until all weeping has stopped (keeps you from having to ga back). In the long run, it less expensive to stay than to go back and avoids at least one type of customer complaint.

You can install QD's on your XJet feed line, making rinsing easy at low pressure. Or, with a QD on the chemical pick-up end of the XJet line, you can disconnect and drop into a bucket of water then rinse at high pressure. As a safety net, I always require having a container of water close by for emergency rinsing. It is filled at the start of the job and it doubles for rinsing at the end of the job.

www.1000able.com has factory reconditioned Makita and Dewalt tools. Lot of places that sell these brands will often have reconditioned tools (you just have to have the right timing).

No, I have never seen the RS tri-fold brochures. Is it worth persuing from the sales standpoint?

You can also wipe it with a brush on an extension pole. If it's dry, put a very small amount of your cleaning detergent on the brush and wipe the stain clean then, dry with another brush.

Thanks Reed! I've searched many hours for photos of Medium Brown Ready Seal on PTW both here and on other sites without finding even ONE. Dark and Light Brown are very popular and I have photos out the left ear of Dark Brown. 98% seem to chose Dark Brown in conservative Cincinnati.

www.mannbrothers.com/products/woodfinishes/mccloskey.htm#manowar

Where is the BEEF? (Pictures please!!!)

Thanks Tony!!! What I'm looking for now are a couple of photos of Ready Seal "Medium Brown" on Pressure Treated Wood for a customer that is stuck between Medium and Dark Brown. The job has already started (2-tone) and will be another week before I need her decision. All the ones on PTW we have done are Dark Brown. I've got all the colors on boards now (6" wide x 12" lg.) but on a small scale, the differences are not as negligable between dark and medium brown. I've sent them driving to a couple of other customer's decks to see what the dark looks like on a large scale. Photos of the Medium Brown would help, as the ones I gave them of the Dark Brown matched up well with what they have seen. I was and still would be interested in color charts (easier to mail to customers)with the estimates. I printed out colors off the net, but they don't do them justice.

I purchase our Gray (non-marking) 4000psi hose from Water Cannon. They are quick on delivery (most likely not by this weekend). They run about $1 per foot or less with fittings on both ends. available 50ft, 100ft 200ft or special lengths. www.1800333wash.com (800) 333-9274

In your contract, you should have a note that you have the first rite to make repairs. This way you can do it yourself, sub-contract it or if a customer has a reasonable cost in mind you can settle it that way. I always try to make all correction myself and not have the customer have to worry about it. It can leave a bad taste in their mouth for having to clean up after you. Here are a few of our contract points: 3 Genesis Pressure Cleaning Ltd. shall only be obligated under this warranty for damages which are a direct result of operator error and is discovered within 15 days of said date of completion of work and only if written notice is given at address shown above hereof within 15 days of said completion. 4. Upon receipt of written notice, Genesis Pressure Cleaning Ltd. shall be allowed 30 days from date of receipt for the purposes of inspecting the said damage. 5. Genesis Pressure Cleaning Ltd. shall have sole option of repairing or contracting repair work correcting any damages that are a direct result of Operator error. 6. The maximum limit of liability of Genesis Pressure Cleaning under this warranty shall be $1,000 under terms and conditions of this contract. 7. No representation or warranty made by any other person, expressed or implied, other than an authorized representative of Genesis Pressure Cleaning Ltd. which is not specifically set forth herein shall be binding upon Genesis Pressure Cleaning Ltd.