Bad Concrete Finish Fixes

What to do with bad concrete coatings.

In the Pacific Northwest there is a ton of different concrete finishes being used in the industry. Many have performed well under the duress of constant weather and environmental changes.That said, there are more that have failed or have become unsightly than have lasted to a satisfactory level of enjoyment. Having the proper maintenance program for concrete cleaning and sealing becomes a high priority if the desired outcome is aesthetic durability and beauty.

A licensed contractor does not mean they are up to date on the best sealers, stains and coatings. Fast finish provides an in depth evaluation that goes beyond the standard one size fits all or in this case one coating or sealer works in every case. Having a broader product and applications background enables Fast Finish to provide a better solution than what most contractors offer. 

Another overlooked area regarding sealers and coatings is the short window in Oregon for application. Booking and planning in advance for the following season is usually the best approach and does not leave you with a run of the mill finish that is often provided in the area. 

Concrete sealer removal

Caustic strippers are a great option when removing latex, alkyds or enamel paints from concrete. However, They are not a good choice for removing acrylic, epoxy or polyurethane coatings because these resins have good resistance to caustic chemicals. A caustic stripper also doesn't work well when temperatures are low and thicker-build coatings will require many applications, more so than with other types of chemical strippers.

 An advantage of caustic alkaline strippers is that they are less harmful and easier to handle than solvent-based strippers. (Also less fumes and safer flash points) After the stripper has finished working, a neutralizing acid wash is required to remove the coating and any remaining stripper to prepare the concrete for the next process. Make sure to dispose of the waste material properly, as caustic strippers tend to stay active and can react with other chemicals even after they are removed from the concrete.

 Solvent-based strippers are by far the most common type of stripper used today for a variety of finishes..The reason they are so popular is because they work fast, and a small amount of stripper goes a long way. Methylene based strippers are very popular, and work very well on all resin types and thicknesses. Other types of solvent strippers include N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), esters (DBEs) and combinations of toluene, acetone. Solvent-based strippers only work when they are wet, so taking steps to slow the evaporation of the solvent is important for product performance, so covering during dwell time is common in some surfaces. Once the coating residue and any remaining stripper have been removed, cleanup consists of scrubbing with soap and water followed by rinsing with clean water. Using a high-pressure washer on concrete is recommended with an alkaline cleaner.

Most professional applicators like to use solvent-based strippers because they are fast, aggressive and will remove almost all types of coatings or sealers in one or two applications. The common sealer resins used on concrete (acrylic, epoxy, polyurethane, polyaspartic and polyurea) are no match for a good solvent-based chemical strippers. However, these products are more effective when used in cool, draft-free conditions because heat and wind tend to cause rapid solvent evaporation and slow or stop the stripping process., a challenge on outdoor work. Extreme caution should be used when working with methylene-chloride-based strippers, as they can cause severe skin irritation and permanent liver damage if used excessively. The other types of solvent strippers are less harmful to work with, but tend to evaporate quickly and can be highly flammable. Good ventilation is always important when using solvent-based strippers, so open windows and doors, and keep fans running to circulate the air. Which can also be counter productive due to evaporation. Thus a battle to remove finishes. It is recommended to work in small manageable amounts..

 Biochemical strippers are the newest category of stripper, growing steadily in popularity and availability over the last five years. Their popularity stems from their sustainability (they are made from natural plant materials, most popular being soy and citrus) and low environmental impact (they contain no solvents or harsh caustic chemicals). The active ingredients found in biochemical strippers are typically acids or esters derived from plants.

 The professional will only use biochemical strippers if the work being done is in an environmentally sensitive area where solvent odors, stripper overspray or rinse water could potentially kill plant life...Biochemical strippers are the easiest of the stripper categories to work with, have the least offensive odor, and are often considered to be eco-friendly. However, they are the least aggressive type of stripper and need to remain on the surface for long periods of time to get the job done. Coating thickness also has a major effect on the amount of stripper needed and how long it needs to stay on the surface. I have seen it take overnight hours for a biochemical stripper to remove a thick-build epoxy from a concrete floor.

Angie's list, Groupon, Living Social, Amazon

Angie's list, living social, Groupon, & now Amazon all work in a similar fashion by taking a percentage of the deal that you put out. Typically it is 25-35% of the deal. I have found that each of these have their own niches and benefits to utilizing their marketing services.. 

Doing a $100-$200 job can be a lost leader for a small business when the advertiser gets $30-$60 of the gross income. However, if you put any dollar amount ( budget) to putting out flyers, mailers etc... At all..You will find that it is money well spent ((( if)))you utilize the fringe benefit. 

-What are those fringe benefits..,?

What we have found is that most customers know how these value companies work on their deals. They buy the deal often times knowing that they will utilize the service provider for more service than originally purchased..Often times, the deal does not fit their exact scenario due to different limitations in size, quantity etc... And there is an up sell involved in the transaction. The upswell is usually minimal but makes up for the money list in the transaction to the advertiser... Now, that isn't a huge benefit in and of itself, but you as a service provider are:

1. In front of a client ( repeat customer)

2. Able to demonstrate other potential services you provide 

3. Able to get a positive review in return

4. Have the ability to grow online presence....

The last one (4) is the most important reason of all. The whole process just enabled you to link up with infinite opportunity through much bigger online presence than you could do on your own with thousands of dollars...

How does that happen?

You have a web site and business name attached or linked to a much bigger and well known business name. The search engines (google) looking for content find your unique name in multiple places at reputable and familiar sites already established. In the online world- more means more. The more people see you, visit you, spend time with you, the more you will be seen. Now granted, that is only one piece in the complex online marketing puzzle, but it is one that any online business must attain. 

Fast Finish was able to get there within three years organically. The phone rings to the point of almost needing an answering service now. We are even getting calls got peripheral services that people think we might be able to do and don't due to ( limiting ourself frankly)

But the phone rings! And we don't need to push trade shows, go door to door or run a bunch of places to book jobs. 

Now if you are a customer and found us, chances are you googled a key word with the service you were looking for and we popped up on the first page somewhere.

If you are another business reading about how to get there, you might have done the same thing..,

Fast Finish has provided top notch surface restoration services to clients all over the Salem Oregon area as well as helped other small business owners grow their online presence as a business mentor to them. This is what makes Fast Finish a great company-

PDR

TMT business owners

We are certified TMT business owners. That means we have taken the step/s to try and be independent from working for someone else and running our own thing. 

After all the dust has settled and we finally look at everything we have in front of us to do, one of the most overlooked and actually the most important from my perspective is the marketing portion of the business, specifically the online piece of the puzzle.

I have been marketing for over 25 years and have watched it evolve. It is ironic that I got into the cleaning business with so much marketing background. It really does not matter what business you are in or how great you are at cleaning floors, if you can't market well, you will be back in the job force looking for work real soon.

Sadly, most owners fall towards the latter and end up selling out. I think that this can be changed through proper marketing... If you want to learn more, make sure and subscribe to my blog. I will be helping new business owners get their phone ringing. And I will be posting my tips and tricks along with updates on the cleaning business in general. Make sure and read some past posts regarding marketing when you can as well. 

Fast Finish Cleans Salem Oregon

  Fast Finish is a company that is known for cleaning a wide variety of different surfaces. In fact, in the few short years they have been open, they have went from cleaning tile and grout to elaborate decorative concretejobs, moss removal from roof and siding to restorative cleaning of decks with high end stains. Throw in graffiti and rust removal, and well, you get the picture...

But as with all things in business they evolve and change. Fast Finish is actually going to scale back a couple services to focus more on some core competencies... One of the services they are going to sell off is the roof cleaning set up. Many Salem area residents were able to take advantage of getting this highly demanded service of getting unsightly moss removed and treated, thus saving costly future roof repairs. But this will no longer be the case for the rest of 2015/ 2016. The difficult decision has been made to refer this service to a new company owner that will be utilizing the Familiar fast finish wrapped trailer set up. During the transition to the new owners, the roof service will be on hold temporarily....this is so the new owners can get up to speed on the proper methods of treating moss without damage to the roofs shingles. Fast Finish utilizes the safe wash method that physically kills the moss right before your eyes, eliminating future spreading of spores. 

Selling off this service will also allow more time and investment into the flat work they are known for on Angie's List. They have back to back business of the year awards as a result of their service and quality. And it looks like a three peat of this award is likely if their clients write in more reviews on it...

So, to wrap up a quick post- Fast Finish has become a premier surface restoration company in the greater Salem area and will become even better with more time and devotion to the pressure cleaning, pressure washing, staining and sealing of flat surfaces like concrete and aggregate. Stained and stamped concrete needs more attention than the basic landscape companies can provide and fast finish of Salem Oregon Has the newest technology to do those jobs correctly and with the least amount of damage at a fair price... They are also quick to respond in spite of their busy schedule which averages a two week lead time. Keep that in mind if you are in a hurry, if not, they are worth the wait..,

Mattress Cleaning Salem, Oregon

One of the best but most overlooked services you can do in Salem , Independence, Monmouth, Dallas and surrounding areas. It is completely mobile and in most cases a same day service! Call Fast Finish today to have all your mattresses done! Ask for our multiple discount package and sleep clean tonight!

Safe hot steam cleaning with enzyme based product kills and removes dust mites, stains and other allergens and viruses that is missed by chemical sprays like Lysol. We don't just kill the bugs...we remove them with our Fast Finish patent system!