how much

[Dale Walkowsk]

John, nail setting IS detailing to me, lol. ..along with defelting and/or sanding. I think if you figger all the actual time it takes to complete the job. (don't forget the lattice and bridge), its over 12 hrs. Unless you're using a product like Spa n Deck that you can use on a damp deck, you have to factor in the time you lose packing up, travel time, coming back a couple days later and setting up again, packing up again and leaving with a check...if you under estimate the actual time it really takes to do the job, you'll probably under bid it.

 

[john orr]

As far as setting-up to clean, that takes no more than 10 minutes...spray stripper (backpack sprayer with Remove from SunBrite) on the all wood surfaces to be cleaned (yes, stripped), roll out the hose to the spigot, turn it on and roll out the pressure hose, connect wand, start machine. Wash deck. Rinse and spray all cleaned surfaces with oxalic acid (backpack sprayer), rinse. Put away hoses. Add a few minutes if extra lengths of hose are needed.

Staining this deck: I use a spray shield on a pole that can be placed between the deck and wall or any surface you don't want sprayed. After spraying a few boards, I will use a 6" foam roller to even the coverage. It would take about 15-20 min to prepare to stain. As long as there is not too much wind, this deck, bridge and steps should not take more than 2 hours - 2 1/2 tops.

I do decks like this all the time, so I feel confident in my time estimate. For larger, more complicated decks, I will sometimes have an assistant to move drop-clothes, etc.

Dale, 12 hours?! There is no pressure washing union in VA! lol

 

[onecallpowerw]

John, what are the possibilties of posting picture of your set up on spray shield. We use the same but of course helper has to hold in place while I spray.

 

[Larry L.]

Would a flo-jet work as good as the backpack? Will the stripper harm brick or concrete?.

John I see where your eqt with speed,rollout and rollin.

She said she didn't want a stain,she wanted THAT natural look,she wanted a clear.

Wouldn't a pressure treated deck look better stained for a better looking natural look?

IF I take this job I already know I'll be there more than 2 1/2 hours,there is going to be a few hours of just plain old head scatching.I see where the rollouts would be great in this type business.I can only get my rig within 50/60 ft of this job b/c of only having a small walkthrough gate.

 

[Gwas]

I don't think it needs a thing. It looks like the first guy did a wonderful job !!!

 

[Larry L.]

Gwas,some people on this board trys to do a better job than the next guy,it makes me wonder what your wash jobs look like!!!!!!!

 

[Mark]

Larry,

Don't let him get to you, probably like me he can not see clearly until the second cup of java! LOL!

 

[Dale Walkowsk]

John, I suppose a big time difference is because I brush everything, what most people would consider 2 coats....wet on wet...I know alot of guys spray..and I've done both..IMO theres no comparision in the end result between a spray and foam roller job and one thats been "detailed" and hand brushed. A homeowner may not see the difference but I can. The time estimate of 12 hrs. includes ALL the time to do the job, travel time X2, unless you are stripping and staining in 1 day. I count every minute until the brushes and rollers are cleaned and in their holders and the trash, empty buckets,and tape,plastic and tarps are put away.. stripper and neutralizer buckets and rinsed and put up , lines and wands are rinsed and pumps,flushed, and the unavoidale 30 min. of jabbering with the client. time is time.

 

[Sunny1]

John is right

John seems closest to the time it would take us to do this job. Three hours wash time, four hours sealing, including travel and set up, I think, is a genorous amount of time. Even if I hand brushed this it would not take twelve hours. It may if you use a "coating" type sealer. Using RS makes it easier and there are no temp requirements like other brands have. That's the biggest difference in this ongoing debate over brushing/sealing. "Coatings" always take more time/finesse/effort. the results are not always better. Time is money, and quality gets more work. using products that achieve these things would seem to be the way a contractor would want to go. Stripping this deck isn't a time intensive thing when the stripper does most of the work. One change I would make when sealing is to spray the outside of the rails first; then spray the floor. This is because after spraying the rails, the first three ft. of floor is already done, and I then just fill in what is left. This equates to less material being used. just my opinion. Not trying to start a debate. Price on this deck would be in the $500-700 range. Also, the stripper would not harm the brick. Pre wet the surrounding plant life. Cover if neccasary, spray on stripper, Let dwell 15 minute; wash. Apply Britener; Let dry. Seal. Pretty straight forward. Hope it turned out Great!

 

[Larry L.]

he cann't,I can dig deeper ..!!!

So are you saying I can make the job look better if I forget about speed in the sprayers?When you say everything does it mean you also brush on the stripper?What kind and size of brushes do I need,money is little importances in this job as in buying supplies and learning how to.It doesn't matter if the supplies sets in the shop by my surface cleaner and long pole.

 

[Sunny1]

Larry

Call me. I've got the book for you. It gives all the info you are looking for.

 

[Dale Walkowsk]

Hey guys,...I think we're probably closer in time estimates than it seems..we're just figgering it different...to me all time pretaining to a job counts. In most cases from the time the phone rings with a job offer to the time you get home with a check you have to travel to the site 3 times..the first time to meet with the owner evaluate the project,take measurements and discuss what needs to be done. The second trip involves signing the contract and going over details such as product choice and color, once that is done the deck can be stripped and neutralized. The third trip involves the detailing (set nails, tighten loose boards, defelt, etc.)and the actual staining of the deck.
If the project is 1/2 hr. from your shop,you've got 3 hrs. in travel time. Add the measuring,evaluation of the job, talking to the client and writing up a contract and you're up to 4 hrs. unless you happen to have the right amount of the chosen product in the right color, theres some time involved in aquiring the product.
Add that time to the" back at the shop clean-up and reorganizing" and you're up to 5 hrs. If the actul work take 7 hrs. and that sounds about right..you're up to 12hrs. involved in the job.
When someone says that a job takes 7 hrs., then when the phone rings at 7 a.m. and you go to look at the job, you should be home with a check having completed all tasks from the first handshake to cleaning of all equipment by 2 p.m. the same day......

 

[Larry L.]

thanks to all..

I hardly ever come to the wood forum to see what you guys are up to anymore,a few years ago I remember reading pressure treat wood was dangous to your health,it was a health hazard.

I almost told the lady she had a health hazard in her backyard and would have if I hadn't read where they say it's not a health hazard,it was just a scare tack.I can remember the contractors at that time were telling all who owned a pressure treat deck it had to be sealed to be safe.What I was wondering is that are you telling the accounts you told it was unsafe to make a sale,really who do you beleive.

Have you'll talked about pressure treated wood being safe,if so send me to the thread please.

By listen to what ya'll saying all I got to do is let the chemicals do the work,get the lead out of my pockets and go fishing on windy days.

 

[jeffex11]

simple question! $450 to wash only
wash and seal $630
wash and stain with sherwin williams uv sunblock cedar $720 360 sq ft decking plus steps and lattice. I based my estimate on approx. 450 sq. ft.

 

[Beth]

Larry, I have not read the whole thread, but looked over the job and if you're still looking for input, I'll gladly share mine.

Strip it. Use a SH based product, cold water, let dwell for at least 20 minutes, check to see how prior coatings (clear could be present unter lots of dirt have seen this MANY times) are coming off by scratching at it. Rinse, then neutralize with oxylic or citric or a blend.

Dry wood to 12% WMC or less, and hit the nail pops back down. Sand your handrail tops, any benches and areas you see visible signs of damage or raised grain. Charge by the hour, per person for this. Then mask up with plastics, lay out tarps, and seal. You may know what I like... Wood Tux. At this point I'll say just this... Don't put on paint, don't put on Behr, don't put on solids. Go semitransparent, and make sure you apply it heavily enough...till the wood isn't thirsty anymore.

Larry, call me anytime. I'm glad to help. I know I'm not supposed to post my number, so I'll just say John T., Everett, Doc, Jon, and lot of folks have it.

Hope this helps, I really, truly do. Merry Christmas.
Beth

 

[Paul B.]

The pricing strategies are indeed interesting!

From $500 ($400 plus materials) ...to $932.

I like to work with square footage and cross-check that with number of total hours in a job, times the hourly rate. Estimating time is included in the hourly rate or the square footage, as I consider it overhead.

If you go by Larry's sizing of 12x32 and corresponding photos, estimating square footage is fairly quick or about 10 minutes.
Floor - 12 x 30 = 360 sq ft.
Railing (including deck steps) - 70 linear feet or between 180-210 sq ft. or 210 sq ft.
Lattice, facia and posts - about 100 sq ft.
Deck Steps - about 50 sq ft.
Free standing Steps - about 36 sq ft.
Bridge - about 50 sq ft.
For a total of approx. 776 sq ft.

I like to know square footage so I know how much materials to purchase. In this case, at 150-175 sq ft per gallon coverage, about 5 gallons of Ready Seal will do the job.

So what is everyone charging by the square foot for this job?
$500 - it's $0.64 per square foot
$932 - is $1.20 per sq ft.

If the deck surface does not have the stain striping like the steps and bridge, most likely you can get it clean with a percab cleaner which should also prevent the fuzzies. The stand alone step and bridge flooring needs to be stripped, so even with PTW there is some risk of getting "Warm 'n Fuzzy". Depending on how you deal with that, should only make a small difference in the pricing.

Clear sealer will not keep the natural look very long - 1 year if you're lucky. As someone stated "Lighter color semi will provide more UV protection and greater UV protection is provided as you head toward the darkest colors." Either way, airless or low pressure application (such as a Deckster) will be the fastest way to go. Whatever method is used for applying, backbrushing or brushing out puddles is always needed.

I can see how hand brushing and/or using staining pads can increase the effort on this to 12 hours.

They sell these flat, somewhat snow shovel looking aluminum paint or stain shields at Lowes or Home Depot. The shield is about 18" high by 24-30" wide and has a 2ft long handle on it.
A longer handle is a nice upgrade to make it easier on the back.

Personally, my target for this job would be about $0.90 per sq ft. since it's relatively easy work, with very small amount of masking.

For all of it, I think it will cost about $150 in materials.
($30-35 in cleaner/stripper/brightener materials & between $105-$110 (including shipping) for 5 gallons of Ready Seal.)

2 trips (one to strip, clean & neutralize and one to stain) to get the job done. I would estimate the total effort at about 8.5 hours (including set-up and clean-up). 8.5 hours x $62.50 / hr. = $531.25.

Labor and Materials = $681.25 (plus tax in Ohio)
$681.25 divided by 776 sq ft = $0.88 per sq ft.

When cross-checking the hourly vs. the square foot cost, they came out very close to each other, (within $0.02) so I would feel fairly comfortable presenting the $681.25 pricing to the customer.

 

[007]

I use ready seal clear for the natural look. I see 900 dollar range 9 gallons of ready seal dollar per sqft. offfer yearly maint wash the floor and hand rails for 250 to 300 lite coat of ready seal 3 gallons. Takes 2 to 3 hours labor. do the spindels and lattice in 3 or 4 years. Another 3 to 4 gallons. Once you fill the wood with oil you nver use as much as the first time.
5 gallons of ready seal on that deck would not be enough. the deck would still be dehydrated.

 

[jeffex11]

Wow there are some realy complex formulas for pricing here. I simply measure the decking area sq. ft. age and multiply by a price per sqft. I add step sq. ft. too. Then it is a educated guess on lattice. For decks that are high off the ground or are surrounded by prize plantings I adjust the price for time. When customers call we can give them a relative price over the phone based on their measurements. We tell them if we get to the job and find out different we will call them for approval on pricing .. We have not had a problem with this yet. Many jobs are referrals and we just show up do the job and leave a bill or ask them to tape a check to the storm door.

 

[007]

I charge a $1.50 per minute for the first 5 hours and $1,00 per minute after that plus supplie's.

 

[PowerWash Sol]

i came up with $918.85

360x1.2=432
58x4=232
10x8=80
574x.39=223.86

$967.86
10% discount $871.07
Sales Tax $48.78

TOTAL $918.85

The ready seal with cover about 100 sq ft with this job