Oxidized Vinyl Siding

[jnoden 15]

This has become more of a headache for me this year than I had expected. Any siding that is 20 or so years old around heare is oxidized and depending on the color and type of vinyl siding, it is either not noticible or very noticible after my house wash. I am working on a way to reome this without brushing but it will still be more time consuming than a regular house wash. I am interested in seeing how people charge for this if they are willing to share and what process they use to remove the oxidation.

I would like to post a poll as to what people do about oxidized vinyl siding however I do not know how. I was thinking options as:

Do not notice oxidized siding or do not test for oxidation or do not provide additional treatment

Test for oxidized siding at the estimate and add the service as an additional option on the estimate/proposal with an added price.

Test for oxidized siding and price accordingly but do not offer it as an option.

Remove oxidation but does not affect pricing

[Tegrey 121]

Jnoden,

Oxidation is easily removed from siding. We are fans of Flood Restora. This requires removing oxidation before application of the Restora. We are using their Vinyl Cleaner to accomplish this. Siding over 20 years old, however may be a problem for Restora. We still clean all siding with their vinyl cleaner. This should eliminate any problems you may have with oxidation.

[SQUEEKY 14]

so Tegray do you charge extra for this? does this RESTORA provide a nicer finish? less dull?

[Tegrey 121]

Squeeky,

We pretty much charge by T & M. As a painting company, our hourly rate plus materials, covers everything. We are pushing the button on power washing next Spring. We have to learn alot between now and then though. Learning from the experienced folks here is really an eye opener. I know there are many facets of cleaning a substrate and we want to do it the right way. Using Restora is a very good way, especially PWers to extent their business. Your not obligated to hrs. of prep work and the results are profits. The finish for Siding should be Lo-Luster. Nice but not brilliant. The shutters are finished in Gloss. Nice and Brilliant. The home is completly renewed if done properly. Thank You.

[jtrenta 14]

There's two options here on using Restora, since it is a 2-part system. The Restora Concentrated Cleaner (step 1) will remove the oxidation. You would mix a gallon of bleach to a gallon of Concentrated Cleaner, and apply in through chemical injector at around 5 to 1. Let dwell for about 12-15 minutes (don't let it dry), then pressure wash it off panel by panel. It's good to do it in sections. It takes longer, so you should definitely charge more if they are willing to pay extra - this is a premium service so homeowner should be made aware of the labor implications if they want the look.

The Restora finish (step 2) may not be applicable for all vinyl siding. Light colored siding is not a good candidate, nor is extremely old siding or cheaper grades. However, for darker colored shutters, and some darker shades of siding that has faded, the Restora finish works great to bring back color, as Terry from Tegray indicated.

[SQUEEKY 14]

Thanks Tegray and JTrenta.

[Jarrod 22]

I have never used Flood, but E-Plus from Mobiclean (E-Spec) works great.

http://mobicleaninc.com/store/category/9yd2/House_Washing.html

It's on sale too! Give Paul a ringy dingy and he'll answer all yer ? He is a real honest person and not only does he sell the products, he uses them too! I would rather buy from a contractor that uses their own products because the advise that they give you is based on their own experiance, not hearsay or profit margins. I will personally vouch for Paul.

[jnoden 15]

I used emulsifier plus all year with good results. I am currently experimenting with Citrus Cleaner to see if the results are better. There is not a wash out there that I am aware of that loosens the oxidation from siding. I personally dont think that you can provide a satisfactory job by just removing dirt and mildew from a highly oxidized home. On the other side of that though, if the client is not willing to spend more money for the service than what do you do?

[Jarrod 22]

Walk away.

Years ago, I used to brush every house no matter what. Not anymore. If the siding is very old & oxidised, you brush and charge accordingly. If the cust dont wanna pay the price for neglecting there house, oh well.

If you dont get your brakes fixed in time, its extra $ when you finally do!

If you dont wash your house when your supposed to, its extra $ when you finally do!

[jtrenta 14]

Walk away.

Years ago, I used to brush every house no matter what. Not anymore. If the siding is very old & oxidised, you brush and charge accordingly. If the cust dont wanna pay the price for neglecting there house, oh well.

If you dont get your brakes fixed in time, its extra $ when you finally do!

If you dont wash your house when your supposed to, its extra $ when you finally do!

That's the perfect response. If they don't want to ante up, then they'll have to live with it. Pay me now or pay me later.