Absolutely, the absolute worst they can tell you is no. Glad you all get on well, I have a bunch of guys I’ve grown super close with over the last decade. They are my customers but also a good group of guys.
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I had no idea you even could negotiate with them. Although, I did with the EBC they ordered for me but that was just because they told me a different price after they received it. I can get it cheaper online including shipping so won’t be buying it through them anymore. I know you don’t really use Super Deck anymore but I just figured you got it for the low price you do from purchasing a bunch from them over the years.
Excellent advice! Thanks!
I didn’t even know that was possible. But now I do!
Sherwin Williams is extremely helpful. They even called the other day and asked how the business was going and what could they do to help me out. I told them they could stock a product they used to stock but didn’t anymore. He said if I would be using it regularly, they’d get it back in stock for me. I thought that was pretty cool.
I will say that it is a little frustrating sometimes when Sherwin has their super sale at 40% off and my discount price is about the same. I told a customer earlier this summer that I could get the stain at a much cheaper price (he was paranoid and wanted to buy it himself) but he went and bought it anyways and got it for the same price I could’ve. I felt a little stupid.
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Thing to remember is contractor pricing is year round those super sales are 4 day events, just dumb luck the customer locked into one. Get the App and the online access to your account, then you can get your prices right on your phone. Makes doing bids super easy.
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@marinegrunt Are you in the sticks? You only can access Super Deck! Man!
My second boss used Sherwin William’s Deckscapes for an entire summer. The next summer I started working for him. What did I do the entire summer? Re-stain every deck from the previous year that he had done. Apparently the product failed majorly. In hind sight, it was probably my boss and his method (worst work ethic ever) that failed but he was able to pin it on Sherwin Williams and get reimbursed. But it gave me a horrible view of Sherwin William’s deck stains. I just used the Super Deck for the first time ever this summer. I liked it a lot.
First day on the job with him we go to stain a deck.
Me: Boss, whoever stained this deck last time did a horrible job.
[pause]
Boss: It was me.
Sherwin got rid of deckscapes when they bought the super deck company because they wanted an elastomeric deck and dock coating to go up against restorz and deckover from other brands. I haven’t seen a lot of difference between the regular deckstains personally. So long as prep and application are correct they last fine. What often happens is you have guys that try to one day these jobs. Washing a deck or fence then less than 8 hours later trying to stain… the capillaries in the wood are still swollen with water and cant take in the stain so it just sets on top… tends to result in a shorter life span. Weve always recommend a few days dry time , THEN staining.
I don’t know how anyone could in good conscience try to get away with staining the same day they clean it.
I have heard of a new product that was made to be applied to a wet deck. They’re selling it as clean and stain in just a few hours. I’m guessing it’s not that great.
Wouldn’t surprise me if we get called in a couple years to fix those decks and make them look right.
Happens all the time, guys pick up a paint brush and calls himself a painter…
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Haha…That’s hilarious!
I don’t live in the sticks. When I said I don’t have much else locally I meant decent stain products. The Super Deck just seems to have better reviews than any of the crap in the big box stores. I have a place that carries PPG but even their ProLuxe stain line doesn’t have very good reviews. Plus, if I have issues with anything it’s a lot easier to deal with a store like Sherwin Williams. If I purchase a product from Menards or Lowes and, I have issues down the road, they’ll just direct me to the manufacturer. They’ll likely be located in another state and it’s harder getting things taken care of that way.
Maybe they discontinued Deckscapes for a reason. I’ve never used it before. I’m anxious to start using Wood Defender or Stain and Seal next year. Mark definitely has me talked into it. Although, the customers of the 1200 sq/ft deck I just cleaned and stained want me to stain their whole house next year. They want the same color.so I’ll be using Super Deck at least one more time.
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Once I have proved myself with a vendor, in other words have spent several thousand dollars on their products. I always ask for better pricing. If I have a large job with thinner than usual margins I’ll ask for a one time break, they have always come through for me and I return the favor. I can’t tell you how many impromptu classes I have given in SW when an employee was stumped by a customer’s exterior wood question or problem. I’ve also brought their specialty coating guru and my local store manager out to demo their competition. The specialty coating rep told me he now understood why they weren’t selling more in our area. I make an effort to buy all my product at the same store, sometimes I can’t but I try. You guys can negotiate anything with almost any vendor, most of the time (not always) you need to talk to your rep. They get rated on total sales, store mgr gets rated on their store, get them both on your side you’re the winner. Your margins improve without raising prices, but I did that too. Y’all have to be your own advocate. I hope that helps helps some of you. Remember the answer is always no until you ask.
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I live by this quote.
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Makes me wonder now what the advantage of the taller ones is. The one above seems perfect.
I dont see why. Would be a big pain moving around in grass, etc.
Nice setup. Who makes those brass wands?
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You build them to suit your needs. I’ll get you some links and part numbers.
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appreciate that.
There is a scaffolding and form company near me that sells the brass sprayers. I guess they used them for staining concrete. You could probably look for a place like that.
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I’ll take the links/part numbers, too. Thanks!
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I’ll look into it. Thx.
