Stair stretching

[highup]

For a couple hours work, at the most?

Takes more time than that to remove the carpet, pad, staples and incorrectly installed tack strip.

 

[Floorist]

Takes more time than that to remove the carpet, pad, staples and incorrectly installed tack strip.

Not for me.

 

[highup]

I just did 14 stairs, small landing, turned under and tacked on one side. Most steps had one spindle to fit around.
I billed out $420 or so. That included $60 for travel charges.
Gas probably cost me $20 of that.

 

[highup]

Not for me.

....I forgot the card and $100 tip.
I didn't charge enough to piss them off.
Speed is not and has never been important to me. I start, then I finish. Speed kills, so I mosey about.
When done, I'm done. Working for speed around here is to beat the competition or under bid them. Fortunately, I don't have any.

 

[Floorist]

If I ever get done with these treatments, I would like to do repairs and restretches. With the lousy installers around here, should be plenty of work.

 

[highup]

If I ever get done with these treatments, I would like to do repairs and restretches. With the lousy installers around here, should be plenty of work.

Full installations are getting to be too much for me. I like the smaller repair stuff.

 

[MSLI]

Full installations are getting to be too much for me. I like the smaller repair stuff.

We have been aging out for many years but keep hanging in. I don’t know about you, but I’m scared about the future. Even though I just got spiritually rejuvenated at the annual Catholic Retreat by the sea, in Longbranch NJ….. The theme was ‘ Real Presence ‘ Gift of God and Blessing to One Another …. Now ! I’m light of heart, but still heavy with daily Joint Pain weighing me down physically. So I hear the feeling behind your words Highup and wish you, me and others the best during this ‘ aging out process’

Here’s an interesting quote the priest shared: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift that’s why we call it the present. ( Joan Rivers )

Maybe ‘ Real Presence’ can allow much needed action steps, rather than denial ?

 

[Tile Tom]

So a flight of 13 or 14 basic waterfall stairs pays $260 or $280?

........yup.

If you don't care what they look like there's a home Depot a few miles down the road. I guarantee they will do them for less.
But to be fair, 99% of our customers don't want cheap, generic home center BS. Don't mean to sound cocky but we're not home Depot or Lowe's. If you want some two bit degenerate charging you for an estimate and some little **** that has the tools but lacks the knowledge showing up at 10am and leaving at 9pm...... Right down the road!

We cater to the higher end folks that want what they want and have no issues paying for what they want. People that don't want to play the games, pushy sales bs. We don't give people a load of **** to get a job.

No apartments, no rental properties (unless high end), no trailers, no ****** houses, etc.

I also don't have to crank out 2-3 jobs a day to make a buck. I know a couple guys that "install" for Lowe's. They have to do that to make any money. And with that comes the kickers and the carpet tackers. They literally have to cut every corner possible to leave profitable.

Charge accordingly!!!!

 

[Don Monfils]

Hey , Tom… tread lightly bud, high up starts at 10 am ( on a good day)

 

[Floorist]

........yup.

If you don't care what they look like there's a home Depot a few miles down the road. I guarantee they will do them for less.
But to be fair, 99% of our customers don't want cheap, generic home center BS. Don't mean to sound cocky but we're not home Depot or Lowe's. If you want some two bit degenerate charging you for an estimate and some little **** that has the tools but lacks the knowledge showing up at 10am and leaving at 9pm...... Right down the road!

We cater to the higher end folks that want what they want and have no issues paying for what they want. People that don't want to play the games, pushy sales bs. We don't give people a load of **** to get a job.

No apartments, no rental properties (unless high end), no trailers, no ****** houses, etc.

I also don't have to crank out 2-3 jobs a day to make a buck. I know a couple guys that "install" for Lowe's. They have to do that to make any money. And with that comes the kickers and the carpet tackers. They literally have to cut every corner possible to leave profitable.

Charge accordingly!!!!

I always turned down a lot of crap work. I did most of the high-end houses around here for years. But the last few years I took on 4 apt complexes. I could make as much in 3 hours at one of those as 8 at a snob's home. And I only had to work 3-4 hours a day. I did keep a few of my high-end customers though. One even told me that he did not care what I charged as long as I would do his expensive rentals.

 

[highup]

Hey , Tom… tread lightly bud, high up starts at 10 am ( on a good day)

On a really, really, good day.
I did get down to the store and start early today so I did arrive at 10:00
The owners are selling the store and have a guy throwing out virtually everything in a small back room.
I told them there's a lot of really good stuff here that could go to the habitat ReStore. She said that would be great if there's anything you want to take it otherwise we're throwing it away.
I have five boxes of 18 gauge Staples for my senco for nailing down underlayment.
I got a roll of low melt Karastan seam tape, a roll of tape for those loose lay vinyl, a never opened can of touchdown pad glue.
3 ceramic hole saws smallest was probably one inch and the largest is 2 1/4 in. Got me a dead blow hammer, a half dozen pieces of zbar 2 quarts of acetone, a quart of denatured alcohol, a brand new ceramic tile blade, and a bunch of other stuff. I even got an HVLP sprayer and the galvanized 10 or 20 gallon tank that you put the paint into. It doesn't have any hose with it and the motor does work so I'm going to do some investigating to see what I've got.
The tank is a 3 ft tall 14 inch diameter hot galvanized one with six clamps that hold the top on.
The gauge goes up to 12 bars which is around 185 lb pressure I believe.
Anyway not sure what I'm going to do with it but I'd hate seeing something like that get scrapped if it actually works. It has the paint gun but doesn't have the hoses.
Anyway it was a fun day giving away $1,200 worth of wood and brass heater vents, heating mats for ceramic floors, a case of Carpet One floor cleaner and five or six boxes of 20 gauge Staples. I don't have a gun for those or I would have kept those too.
Anyway the habitat store scored today.

 

[C.J.]

Sounds like you got a hvlp sprayer with a pressure pot. No idea what the hoses will cost but I’d say a nice score along with everything else.

 

[highup]

Googled pressure pots and Binks had new ones for $2000, but they're stainless. Saw a used one like mine, (galvanized) marked down from $500 to $400.
I've got the entire unit minus the hoses gauges and regulators.
The pump runsbut not much pressure...... Hence LVhp?
There are different tips and misc for the gun.
Only "special" part may be the HLVP hose. It takes a regular compressor hose for the gun.
Hell, the tank alone would make a 10 gallon addition to my 3.5 hp Makita compressor if I had to need to paint something. Volume is good,
......that's what she said.
Googled the 10" MK hot dog 10" tile blade (it's new) and it's $60 to $90 depending on sources and whether shipping is free or included.
Also had an unused "portable water heater" not sure what these are used for but anything that I've accumulated for free I can still give to habitat if I don't find a use for them. I mean why give it to habitat and then decide to buy it from them. I may be dumb but I'm not stupid.
What are these portable water heaters used for making 5 gallons of water to make Folgers instant coffee?

 

[highup]

Here's the three ceramic/stone core bits or tile bits. I'm not sure what distinguishes one from another. I'm guessing the quality of the finish?
The smallest one I believe is inch and a half. None of these three bits have been used before.
Two of the bits are two and a half inches and the blue one appears to be much more aggressive, not for finish work.
Don't know what I'm going to use these for but for some reason I have this urge to go drill some holes.

 

[highup]

Lots of staples, two of them are full boxes of 1 in. I have a dead blow hammer now. El cheapo, but the prices were incredible today.
I'm gonna dig up more info if I can on that HVLP unit. I know it's over 20 years old. When purchased by the original owner it was new technology. He was pretty proud of it. Musta cost a chunk.
Its dirty more from setting than anything.
This is the motor and pump. The pump is belt driven on the underside of the unit. The tank and everything is on wheels.
It's more dirty than expected because I don't recall it being used. It just sat in the back room. Volumair is the name. Haven't seen much mention of it on Google made in France.

 

[C.J.]

You ever do tile in the winter? That’s when that water heater comes in handy. Cold water means cold hands and cold hands sucks. I would fill the tray on my tile saw with warm water. Kinda hard to do if you’re doin new construction. That’s where that little heater shines.

The Hot Dog tile blade is a decent cheap blade. It’ll get you by just fine if you’re doin regular ol ceramic tile for HD. They used to be under $40. Guess even the cheap blades aren’t cheap anymore.

Now as far as the HVLP goes you’re not gonna get a lot of pressure outta them. Maybe 10 psi. That’s the LP. Should have plenty of volume though, HV.

I remember when I couldn’t get red label seam sealer anymore and they wanted us to start using the new vinyl seam sealer. I woulda given my left nut to be able to find just one more can of red label. Don’t forget to insert the fin!

 

[highup]

Just got the HVLP so haven't had time to play with it. The pump motor sounds good and the pressure is pretty low. I don't know what maximum pressure should be for this unit. 10? 12? 15? Haven't had time to check it yet.
It's low pressure, but the pressure tank gauge goes up to the equivalent of #185 (12bars)
I don't understand how this system works yet. I can't find instructions for this old machine. I'm thinking that maybe Binks and Devilbus hired a hit man and put the Volumair company 6 feet under.

It needs two pressure regulators and two gauges plus appropriate connections to and from the tank. I don't have any plans to invest in this unit. The tank is the part worth hanging on to because it's in really nice shape. Doesn't even have a stray drop of paint on the inside or outside.