Two Step Deck Sealing

[PressurePros 248]

I think most of us are in agreement that a super penetrating moisturizer like Wood Tux DMC or Ready Seal followed by more of a surface building (cringe) product could be the best of all worlds.

My question is, how much of an upcharge would you consider for doing this type of work. More importantly, how many of your customers do you think would allow you to implement the system?

I can just see a customer's face when I explain how beneficial the two step process is for their deck life and then tell them that their 20x20 deck is going to cost $1500 to clean and seal.

I am not adverse to working up a sales pitch, but now I have to warehouse another product and I am concerned my ROI will not warrant the space and money that are tied up. Thoughts?

[Celeste 341]

Ken, since you already have the "level" pricing, wouldn't that just work into say your "platinum" service? When we were offering the Flood Spa n Deck finish, we simply told the homeowner that we could offer two choices (a) the penetrating product or the (b) two product process. Both were fine products, just different and b had a higher cost, blah blah blah.

Celeste

[Russell Cissell 65]

Ken-

Our feeling is that the two product system is not going to be the answer on every job. It is certainly overkill for most decks. There is no real advantage to going the extra mile on what is basically a sacrificial coating.

Deck floors take a massive amount of abuse. It really doesn't matter what finish you put on them it will require frequent maintenance to keep a deck looking good. The deck jobs that require conditioning prior to sealing will be those that are in really bad shape from a lack of maintenance.

Fences are always "tight budget" projects. It will simply be cost prohibitive to offer this service for fences.

Now when you start looking at high end projects it starts making more sense to offer a premium package. On high end deck jobs you can sell this "system" to separate yourself from your competition.

When you look at cedar homes and log cabins, you are getting a lot more personal. People choose natural wood siding because of its "quality." These same customers will be more open to spending a little extra to protect their investment.

The important thing is to make the system work for you! Use it to enhance your business rather than burden you. You can use both products together or either of them alone. This will give you the flexibility to control your material cost and provide extra flexibility in your square foot pricing.

Bid the less expensive product on bulk and lower end work and when you go after premium work you can do it with a level of service your competition cannot offer.

I would love to get a healthy debate going on this subject. I am very interested to know what everyone's feelings are.

[Aplus 525]

Deck floors take a massive amount of abuse. It really doesn't matter what finish you put on them it will require frequent maintenance to keep a deck looking good.

If that were the case, we should all use the least expensive products available.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Ken,

I would say that adding an additional 15-25% to your seal price should cover your costs depending on the size and condition of the deck. You should only be needing to apply it to the horizontals and rail caps anyway.

Works so far for us and the customers are glad that we are offering this extra step to help their wood.

Also, consider listing as a seperate item on those decks you think could really benefit from it. Let the customer choose.

Rod~