First deck. ( how much do you strip?)

[FLORIN 21]

I did my first deck strip yesterday. It is 400 sf no rails. Customer wants old stuff(Thompsons) removed and reapply semitransparent Cabots. My question is how much is needed to strip away. My first application of my mix took off all the stain that was on the surface but the wood still had pigment of the stain in the wood. I kept reapplying and letting dwell for 20-25minutes and it would lighten it every time. I had to repeat this process 7 times until I was unable to see pigment any more and then I brightened with citric. Do you woodies strip to bare wood or just take off top layer if not applying a clear? And usually how many applications of stripper do you normally need to do.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH! (...clumps of hair leaving scalp...)

1. strip deck

2. sand deck until all zero degree tips marks are gone...be careful not to bid sanding too low - that can bite you in the tushie - if you are not used to it you will be there twice as long as you think

3. seal the deck

This is a great before and after opportunity and getting damage photos is also great - you can show future customers what can happen if they hire someone who doesn't know what to do. Detail this right, and its a sale closer.

Beth

[PressurePros 248]

Thats a fuggin disgrace. In the words of Everett Abrams.. VANDAL! I find it odd that dude left his machine there. This looks like a DIY project gone dreadfully wrong.

[bigchaz 157]

Well ken its kinda hard to take the pressure washer home on the city bus

[PressurePros 248]

LOL, true dat.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Think I produced a tear over seeing that art ;( ...ok I'm better now..

Drush..if anyone can fix it you can mang!!

ps-- "city bus"...haaaaaaaa that's the funniest thing heard all week Charlie :)

[drush 14]

funny you should mention that. The reason he didn't show up yesterday was because his car broke down. I guess kind of a break for me & the HO. He did come by her house today to pick it up after HO called him last night to rain on his parade. I'm pretty sure i'll get this job & it'll be one for the photo album fer' sure.

Rod, thanks for the advise. I do remember that "ugly deck" job awhile back & have set the expectations of the HO that it'll never look like new. Sanding was discussed. Do they make a 10 grit?? lol...

And thanks to Celeste for that tidbit of info. We sometimes forget to bring that into discussion & most/all HO's appreciate that WE CARE about what they want. One guy selling his house told me all he wanted was a band-aid for his deck... this just opens doors to explain your pricing, sandards, work ethic & gets the HO to talk about what they want gauging some of their expectations.

I bid this poor tortured deck for $2.25 sq/ft taking into consideration he did get some of the gray off the pickets, how nice of him to do the hard part.....then i knocked off a bit cuz' i felt bad for her. So for $800, i think i'll have a loyal customer & get some good ear to ear love out of this....

I think this deck would have preferred a million termites after a hunger strike to what this guy did.... if he'd done his homework & gotten the advice from the pro's here, well scratch that.... i think he's probably more worried now about where da' bus routes are ......

thanks to ALL you guys that have helped & i'm more than happy to return the favor to the next new guy before tragedy strikes again.....

water is our friend.....

[MMI Enterprises 289]

I went ahead and forwarded a few of them pics onto some price shopping couples that said they'll do themselves..thanx David :)

[drush 14]

I can see it now...... You can throw out yer' back... or you can hire a hack !!