Demo on Estimate

[Little Buddy 14]

Hey guys/gals,

I was wondering how you do your demos for wood estimates? Do you carry the chems in spray bottles pre mixed then just do a little spot and hit it with the garden hose or something else? I think homeowners would really appreciate the visual of taking an old weathered-grey or a deck with failed finish and make a little bit of it look restored in just a few minutes.

This can also be a great indicator for yourself as to how hard the job may be.

I would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks, LB

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We do demos on some of our estimates, if the deck looks like it needs stripping and it is unknown what has been installed. We take small amounts of chems to strip and neutralize. Some of our local competition does it too.

Beth

[carltoncleans 16]

I have stripped a test spot when dealing with acrylics. I may make it part of the onsite estimate process to help people visualize the difference between pressure washing and deck refinishing. I’m going to use small spray bottles mixed in my shop.

[beastud 14]

We always do a test area. That way we always know what we are getting into. Quite often you will find a different and tougher finish underneath. You are right that it can be a great selling tool. Spray or squeeze bottles work well. I mix up my strongest mix for demos. My record is when my test mix loosened 12 coats of Sickens the homeowner had self applied over a 10 year span. They never thought that deck could look like new again..........nailed that one down the same visit.