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perfect power wash

the quickest way to strip a deck

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Rick, that is the way its done. You are an artisan and a credit to the craft.

Ken,

Thank you. For all that you have given helping this small but growing industry, a thumbs up from you is much appreciated and valued.

Craftsmanship costs. You have to both educate and sell to these types of customers. What is a deck like this worth? My guess, in todays dollars, even if you could purchase this quality of wood, maybe 70K?

I priced this job knowing that the mahogany would need a hand buffing after stripping. The cedar would need a serious sanding for prep. A "blow and go" guy might get the job on price, but only once.

Quality still sells, but it is a long term commitment. One has to be able to be able to hang in there for a few years, knowing that your craftsmanship and reputation will prevail.

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Rick - that deck sanded out real nice! What sanders are you using?

Daniel,

Makita 9227C's with 3M pads for the mahogany floor, Porter Cable and Rigid 5" random orbitals with Klingspor 60 grit papers for the cedar.

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You can use sodium hydroxide to strip a deck? I used it to whiten gutters and sometimes take the residual off houses left by insects. I guess I need a lesson in chemistry because I definatly got a D+ in it last semester. Bleach, is sodium hypochloride. Sodium hydroxide I know is different. I was told not to clean a deck with sodium hypochloride (bleach), whats the difference with sodium hydrxide? Both a very caustic acids, why one not the other? I actually need to strip some decks this weekend and was thinking about purchasing some products from either ACR in PENN, or that TIMBERPRO in Michigan. I live in Buffalo and if I can just use sodium hydroxide to strip a deck that would be fantastic. I buy it in the liquid form. does anyone know where I can find it in the solid form, because I pay about $45 for a 5 gallon pale and I have to dilute it about 3:1. I Live in Buffalo, NY so if you have any advice let me know....thanks

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My best advice for you would be to go with a premixed stripper. Message earlier on was that it takes more than the raw chem alone. You can hurt yourself if you don't know how to handle the raw dry stuff.

BTW, neither is acidic but rather are alkaline.

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Sodium hydroxide is an active ingredient in many deck strippers. its not the same thing to buy that and use it straight on a deck. There are many brands that have been developed and buffered to be effective at cleaning and if used properly effective in terms of cost.

DeckGuide Pro Center © 2004 - G&K Distributors --timberstrip pro

TheProSealerStore --HD-80

Buy the pressure washer items you need at affordable pricing. We have Suttner Cat Giant General Pump Delavan Pressure Pro Hansen Mosmatic Comet Whisper Wash AR pumps trigger guns surface cleaners lances wands duct spinners swivels ball valves chemica -- F-18

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where do you get acr 760?

Jeff,

ACR Products Inc.

555 Uhler Road

Easton, Pa. 18040

(610)253-8005 office

ACR PRODUCTS

acrproductsinc@rcn.com

Ask for Tom or Barbara Vogel. Terrific people. I'm not sure I would still be in this business if it was not for the chemicals, stains, equipment, and repair service they provide.

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I'm not ready to change over to a stain I can't get off the shelf and convienient unless it has properties I can't get anywhere else. No store in my drive line carries it and the stuff I use has had good reviews from my customers .. I drank a few beers on a deck I did last yr last night and they love the stain so thats what I go by.... my customers tell me what works for them at my prices.... Not to say I won't use ready seal.. I just haven't yet. You can teach an old dog new tricks if it makes him money

Jeff,

There are a handful of high quality, competitively priced specialty exterior wood stains with qualities not found on any retail store shelf. For many reasons, we almost exclusively use Ready Seal, but there are other fine products.

Once you adapt and get use to using RS, I do not think there is any stain that can compete in sq. footage per hour of labor. And maintenance stainings are a breeze. For most woods, in most climates, IMO paraffinic oil stains are probably the best thing you can put into the wood.

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You can use sodium hydroxide to strip a deck? I used it to whiten gutters and sometimes take the residual off houses left by insects. I guess I need a lesson in chemistry because I definatly got a D+ in it last semester. Bleach, is sodium hypochloride. Sodium hydroxide I know is different. I was told not to clean a deck with sodium hypochloride (bleach), whats the difference with sodium hydrxide? Both a very caustic acids, why one not the other? I actually need to strip some decks this weekend and was thinking about purchasing some products from either ACR in PENN, or that TIMBERPRO in Michigan. I live in Buffalo and if I can just use sodium hydroxide to strip a deck that would be fantastic. I buy it in the liquid form. does anyone know where I can find it in the solid form, because I pay about $45 for a 5 gallon pale and I have to dilute it about 3:1. I Live in Buffalo, NY so if you have any advice let me know....thanks

I actually ran out of my choice strippers waiting for an order and purchasedsome straight sodium hydroxide to tide us over. The difference was night and day betwen what we are used to using and I don't mean in a good way. Multiple applications, very furred wood, some curled leaves on plants. I'm very happy my stuff is coming in today. Definitely stay with a product made specifically for wood.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is, in my opinion, terrible on wood. Its a very strong oxidizing agent and turns wood an unnatural color. It also dries the wood out. I can always tell a deck that has been maintained by a homeowner with off-the-shelf cleaning products. If you have a deck that is just gray with some mold, sodium percarbonate is a much better choice for cleaning.

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well im in the same predicament Ken is in. All i have is some sodium hydroxide from concentrate and no other types of formulas. If you could give me a little recipe that would be great

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it should be fun to see if the strength of HD80 will get the stain off the house thanks for the tips and info. I washed the deck 3 tiems to get the stain off and it would be nice to get back to 1 wash with a touch up for thick puddles of stain.

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Ken, it's like trying out new methods for stripping or a new stripper or down streaming a stripper. Bleach takes practice and is easier to use and is more affective than a precarb. Once you learn how to use it precrbs will be history. I can't count the number of converts any more to bleach.

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I got my HD 80 yesterday and called the customer but they weren't home . I tried it on my own deck and this stuff is great! I can see where you have to cut it 3-5 to 1 like it says on the label for a normal deck. I was able to strip the stain on a stair riser with full strength and a garden hose. I guess I'll be ordering the big tub soon!!! Raining today so I will wait to try on customers house until sat.

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