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Newbie questions

Guybrush

Active member
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208
Ive trawled the pressure washing forum for weeks now and I'm still unclear on how to offer this service.

If it's block paving I will offer to resand and maybe reseal - ok think that's right

If it's pavers will the pointing normally blow and do I offer a price to repoint separate? And reseal?

If you was starting out now would you forget the pressure washer and just do soft washing?

:confused:

 
Hi Guybrush, a power washer is always going to be needed in one way or another in exterior cleaning. Always re sand and seal or use Sika setting sand. You will be checking all pointing for signs of weakness during your quote. If there is suspect pointing and you are able to re do it your self put this in to your quote, if not you will have to advise the customer regarding this and then work this part out.

 
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Oh, some customers won't pay for sealing so you have to advise them to the pit falls of not sealing or have a set price for re sand and seal and stick to that or just use the setting sand and add the cost into quote.

 
Pretty much as above.

Only variation for me is block paving. The price is for a clean, re sand and seal. I don't have a clean and sand only price.

Why? You may ask.........

If you dont seal it the sand will start to blow away, get rinsed away and in no time the drive will be back in a poor condition and reflect poorly on my workmanship.

Hence l feel (IMO for the record) the only way to do it right.

With the paving just a clean is an option. However an explanation of the benefits of sealing usually closes the deal and if the pointing needs attention this can be a nice little eaener on top

 
Mr Green how do you charge for re-pointing, and have you ever used Sika setting sand before?

 
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Mr Green how do you charge for re-pointing, and have you ever used Sika setting sand before?
Easiest way to re-point is using a sweep in product like this..... Wickes Patio Grout Buff | Wickes.co.uk

It's £25 and comes in grey or buff (beige/cream). It comes in 2 bags in container and once opened contents of a bad have to be used or chucked. VERY easy just to sweep in after cleaning while surface still damp and it sets in matter of hours.

Make sure u get the right colour because the apparent colour of paving before u start might not be what u end up with,i.e. what looks like grey may well actually be buff.

All DIY stores sell their own version - doesn't have to be Wickes but that's where I get mine.

I would suggest u pre warn customer that if joints are already breaking then pressure washing will definitely cause some loss BUT u can remedy this. However,be clear in your own mind and to the customer about what exactly u are offering. I obviously fill gaps but will also sweep over the whole area to try and ensure a consistent and uniform appearance. So areas will be full of the grout whereas other parts of joint will just have a very thin layer because that part is basically still full of original mortar - but it all looks the same so looks better.Don't go offering a full re-pointing,meaning joints have to be fully cleared etc because you'll end up having to chisel some of it out and be there all day.

As for price,go for whatever u think appropriate. Bear in mind to get a builder in to do that would be fairly pricey but equally it's such an quick and easy job even first time u do it.

Personally I work on basis of 50 quid a tub = 25 to cover cost, 25 to me which isn't excessive at all. But I'd expect to already be making 100 at least on the job and this time of year more than that really.

As long are joints are only partially empty one tub will do about 20-25sqm so only paying me 25 quid they are getting a result at that money but as long as I'm earning already out of it , which I will be, I really not too bothered - cos it is soooo quick and easy. £150-200+ for 2 or3 hrs on an average patio is alright by me. Get too greedy and u won't get the work.

RE sand Sika is good as is Dansand - they got 2 types,both weed resistant,but polymeric type is the harder setting and pricier . Also better for wider joints but they all do the job and easy to use - MUCH less earning potential though than offering sealing service using the right sealants.

Completely agree with Pro Green's comments.

One other option to consider is finishing with a biocidal treatment like Benz Biocide - depends what the customer wants but is perfect if they've got moss/algae/lichen problems and want to prevent re-growth. Benz isn't cheap at first glance but actually goes a long way,is easy to apply,does the job very well and maximises earning potential. Also shows customer u know what you're talking about and offering a solution in their best interests that is also cheaper for them - or can be.

But got to consider what do they want sealer to achieve and quality/type/condition of surface. I had one recently who spent 19 grand on beautiful limestone patio on split levels and thought nothing of paying 500 for Resiblock and wanted the darkening effect of their sandstone colour enhancer. On other hand if I've got someone with lichen problems on old concrete slabs I'd suggest biocide

 
Thanks again K in Kent for sharing your knowledge with the forum! Some excellent information you have shared there! I have looked at loads of re pointing videos on YouTube so I see what you mean about not wanting to get involved with digging out all the old pointing as its a very time consuming process. The Sika sand for driveways looks expensive as there's not many sellers of it up my way and it would have to be delivered by pallet.

The whole process in quoting properly for each job is down to what the substrate is like and if there is any issues, ie pointing problems etc then getting everything cleaned and finished properly. The more knowledge you have the better! I will be offering a biocide treatment as well as I know this stuff works and can protect against re growth for a long time. I have seen the Benz products, have you ever used the Soft Wash Pro 50 Biocide, it boasts the same results as the Benz product?

 
Pressure washing and soft washing work well together done work where you need to get that muck off first then your left with stains that only softwash will touch to leave superior finish

 
My rule of thumb now is if the mortar in patio slabs will lift with a touch then likely pressure wash will wash it away I pre warn customer and say these things go hand in hand clean patio = loose Mortar with regards to block paving cleaning I don't seal that often as price of sealant and my time customers rarely go for it I only use resiblock I just feel that if I offer a sealant of poor quality it reflects on me and will leave bad feeling with customer when it peels prematurely-

 
Thanks again K in Kent for sharing your knowledge with the forum! Some excellent information you have shared there! I have looked at loads of re pointing videos on YouTube so I see what you mean about not wanting to get involved with digging out all the old pointing as its a very time consuming process. The Sika sand for driveways looks expensive as there's not many sellers of it up my way and it would have to be delivered by pallet.
The whole process in quoting properly for each job is down to what the substrate is like and if there is any issues, ie pointing problems etc then getting everything cleaned and finished properly. The more knowledge you have the better! I will be offering a biocide treatment as well as I know this stuff works and can protect against re growth for a long time. I have seen the Benz products, have you ever used the Soft Wash Pro 50 Biocide, it boasts the same results as the Benz product?
You're welcome mate. I'll try and attach pics of a commercial job I did last year at wedding venue and part of it was a patio/terrace where I had to chisel out what was left of mortar after clean, and then used Easy Joint which is same as the Wickes stuff basically. It was aggro believe me getting out all the mortar.That's what takes the time. But the whole venue needed cleaning and sealing and was one of the best paying jobs of the year so was worth the hassle but took best part of a day just clearing joints for area only about 60-70 ish sqm.

You can buy Sika (btw glad u spell it right cos I also call it Silka) on amazon if u want and can get Dansand from Wickes but wouldn't recommend going down that road cos u won't make any money out of it.

The only reason I mentioned it in a previous reply was cos I was making the point that a re-sand only service using normal KDS is a waste of time cos it will get washed away without being stabilised. So if not using sealer then stabilising sand is necessary. That's the only reason I mentioned it.

I don't recommend it.

Apologies to those who've read this all before in another post but....

To answer your question r.e. sealer I use this for block paving....RESIBLOCK Trade - Buy Trade All-Purpose Paving Sealer Direct Now. View RESIBLOCK Trade Product Details & Purchase Trade

Resiblock are expensive and I get 25% discount and all their other stuff is still expensive after that but u get what u pay for.

Much to be said about sealers and suitability for different surfaces,what they do,what they cost etc but that's another story....

But as KDS stabiliser this is the best value for money and effective sealer going - it's cheap , only needs one coat so use less and do it quicker and it works. Of course it works it's Resiblock. And sprayable which makes it even easier and faster to use. . 5 litres costs just over a score and covers at least 25sqm (in my opinion).

KDS bought 5 at a time in Wickes work out about £4 / 20kg bag. I expect to do at least 100 sqm with 3 bags.

Official application rates or coverage estimates are different but these are the real numbers.

So basically your costs per sqm - for BLOCK PAVING ONLY this is - are £1 per sqm.

Then work out a sq m price from that. I would suggest another £4 is reasonable anywhere in the country = £2 for clean , £2 for sand/seal.

So £5 sqm in total. Put it this way. Once u get the hang of it and get a lot faster at everything at that price u will get work and u will make money.

If think u can get away with charging more then go for it cos that is a very fair price. Some firms round my way want £8-£10 sqm - not sure how busy they are though...Trade can also be used on concrete and stone so is good all-rounder. At the end of the day u want something that u can make money on and Trade u can. If customers want wet look on their blocks or Indian sandstone colour enhancer etc they got to pay for it - and still charge £5/sqm on top of the product cost cos of time involved,2 coats,application by roller etc etc.

vast majority won't pay that sort of money though

I wouldn't entertain anything lower - ideally about £6sqm - upto 100 sqm.Then I'll drop it a bit,especially cash in hand and u can make serious money. Anything under 50 sqm I'd only do if I was gonna do it all same day - clean/sand/seal. And yes u can do it easily the same day as long as it's mild - April -Sept no problem then u can still clear £200-250/day

Biocide? - stick with Benz mate...I'm biased cos I know Ben a bit and like him and he's been very helpful to me with soft washing advice...but fact is his stuff works. As for the other brand I haven't tried it so can't comment and it may be very good - I just don't know. I do know Benz Biocide does the job and is well worth the money cos it goes a long way

 
Hi, your making complete sense K in Kent, your replies are always excellent your a fountain of knowledge mate! :thumbsup: I will be following your advise and will look forward to seeing that large commercial job you did. I will give the Benz Biocide a bash soon, as I can find lots of real World feedback on that stuff and I'm yet to find one person who's used that Pro 50 stuff. I like the Resiblock products, and yes you get what you pay for! I was talking to a Woman called Jennifer Bowling at Resiblock the other day regarding their training course, but unfortunately she informed me that they don't offer them anymore. She did mention I could become a Resiblock Registered Contractor once I proved my work etc. Your company name goes up on their website and that's when you get the discount I presume.

Are you a Registered Contractor K in Kent and if you are has their site got you much work in your area? I have also read that the Resiblock trade you can't seal previously sealed surfaces with it, how easy is it to tell if a surface has been previously sealed?

 
Oh I forgot to ask, I know you will need a sprayer with Viton seals. Can you recommend a good sprayer for Resiblock as there is so many sprayers to chose from its easy to purchase something not upto the job. :eek:

 
sorry forgot about pics i was waffling so much....

I've had one job from being on there but it's not that I'm doing it for - it's primarily the discount cos 25% is a decent amount. It's also something worth a mention on your own site and an authoritative outbound link for SEO purposes by linking to your listing page on Resiblock from your site.

Not that it is anything like as good as them linking to u but even so every little helps with SEO and may add to your credibility from customers point of view.

RE sprayer - I won't recommend what I use now because it's not what I started with and personally I think u get what u can afford and upgrade as u go. You don't need to spend a fortune on kit and it's not a competition. Yes,u want to make the job easier and faster but spend and improve once the work starts paying for it would be my advice.

And as long as it does the job a sprayer is a sprayer. The seals are what matter and just get what u can afford or want to spend. If u want bigger cpacity or backpack etc then go for it but basic 8litres and viton seals will do just fine for now.

RE previously sealed surfaces - that applies with all sealers.

By rights any previously sealed surface needs to be stripped. But back in the real world....

I won't make any recommendations but I'll tell u what I do and u can make your own mind up.....reality is vast majority of drives,patios,block paving etc will have been sealed so long ago in effect there's nothing left so not an issue.

I've used it on surfaces previously sealed with Thompsons and Ronseal no problems. If it's old and acryllic/water based I've noy had problems ever.

And fact is if it has been sealed customer will have no idea with what brand or type.

HOWEVER,if polyurethane type - typically wet look types like Resiblock Superior be more careful and if done recently it needs to be stripped off unless using same product.

If not u can have situation where the new product is not absorbed cos of the old sealer doing its job and preventing absorption. Then u get bubbling on surface and u don't want that.

But be aware - stripping off the old stuff is easy to say. Doing it is another matter and u can't use paint stripper etc. It needs specialist products that are VERY expensive and time consuming to do - often need 2 coats,cover it,leave few hours,pressure wash off and repeat.

It's a nightmare. I've only done it once for customer and stripper alone cost hundreds.

Don't get involved with that malarkey. And this is just my opinion.I don't profess to be expert in any way and I'm no chemist so not qualified to know about the chemical reactions that can occur. If in doubt about how to do a job either research extensively or walk away.

here's pics...WP_20160403_11_07_55_Pro.jpg

commercial-venue-patio-after-cleaning-maidstone (5).jpg

WP_20160329_12_54_14_Pro.jpg

 
sorry forgot about pics i was waffling so much....I've had one job from being on there but it's not that I'm doing it for - it's primarily the discount cos 25% is a decent amount. It's also something worth a mention on your own site and an authoritative outbound link for SEO purposes by linking to your listing page on Resiblock from your site.

Not that it is anything like as good as them linking to u but even so every little helps with SEO and may add to your credibility from customers point of view.

RE sprayer - I won't recommend what I use now because it's not what I started with and personally I think u get what u can afford and upgrade as u go. You don't need to spend a fortune on kit and it's not a competition. Yes,u want to make the job easier and faster but spend and improve once the work starts paying for it would be my advice.

And as long as it does the job a sprayer is a sprayer. The seals are what matter and just get what u can afford or want to spend. If u want bigger cpacity or backpack etc then go for it but basic 8litres and viton seals will do just fine for now.

RE previously sealed surfaces - that applies with all sealers.

By rights any previously sealed surface needs to be stripped. But back in the real world....

I won't make any recommendations but I'll tell u what I do and u can make your own mind up.....reality is vast majority of drives,patios,block paving etc will have been sealed so long ago in effect there's nothing left so not an issue.

I've used it on surfaces previously sealed with Thompsons and Ronseal no problems. If it's old and acryllic/water based I've noy had problems ever.

And fact is if it has been sealed customer will have no idea with what brand or type.

HOWEVER,if polyurethane type - typically wet look types like Resiblock Superior be more careful and if done recently it needs to be stripped off unless using same product.

If not u can have situation where the new product is not absorbed cos of the old sealer doing its job and preventing absorption. Then u get bubbling on surface and u don't want that.

But be aware - stripping off the old stuff is easy to say. Doing it is another matter and u can't use paint stripper etc. It needs specialist products that are VERY expensive and time consuming to do - often need 2 coats,cover it,leave few hours,pressure wash off and repeat.

It's a nightmare. I've only done it once for customer and stripper alone cost hundreds.

Don't get involved with that malarkey. And this is just my opinion.I don't profess to be expert in any way and I'm no chemist so not qualified to know about the chemical reactions that can occur. If in doubt about how to do a job either research extensively or walk away.

here's pics...View attachment 14311 View attachment 14311 View attachment 14312

View attachment 14314
Some really helpful info there mate [emoji1360]

Quick question....that end pic saying you filled the joints with Easy Joint.....where do you get it cheap and how do you charge for filling joints?

Cheers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
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