Quoting this job. They want it done ASAP.
I’ve never used any chemicals besides SH. Will a good degreaser take up the black spot by the grill? Also, what do you guys use to take up the red dirt, like on the back patio in the pic and up against the retaining wall? Thanks in advance.
Also, this will be the biggest concrete job I’ve done thus far. There’s also a circular driveway and sidewalk to clean as well. No way I can charge by sq ft, for this job as it came out to almost 19,000 sq ft of concrete total. Plus the retaining wall And small section of growth on house. How would you guys quote it?! No pic of circle drive. Just organic growth on it though.
I think it’s easier to charge by the square foot. Not sure why you can’t here. I usually raise or lower my sq/ft price depending on how dirty it is. I go a little lower on my price for commercial jobs. If it’s a very large residential I might come off a penny or two. My square foot price usually comes out to a little more than my hourly rate target. Yours should too or at least your hourly target. I’m not sure what to tell you to price it because concrete prices vary depending on where you’re located. I recently learned that in Louisville they get $0.25 a sq/ft which is extremely high for most areas. I’d probably be at $2800 or so.
That grease stain won’t come up completely. There will be a shadow. Use a degreaser and hot water if you can. It makes a big difference. As far as the red mud acid should take care of it.
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never used acid. what kind of acid are you using? how do I apply it as far as dilution? I mostly Xjet currently.
I use OneRestore on a lot of projects and has worked great. My go to for stains, works great on mud. Don’t dilute it, I don’t care to use unbuffered acids myself.
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Unfortunately I don’t have hot water yet. I told customer I’d do the best I can.
second what @marinegrunt said…
Some of the stains are probably from sprinkler systems. There are a few in my area that pull water from a lake, stains all over driveway and skirting of the homes. Mostly due to magnesium & iron, oxidizing on the surface. Clean the surfaces first, before using any acid detergents. Just be careful what acid you choose!
Likely Oakley said, clean your organics first, so XJet or whatever you are going to use to apply, surface clean and then attack the staining. You will need a good degreaser and as everyone said, it will leave a shadow no matter what you use. The red mud is probably related, One restore is great but it’s expensive. You might try oxalic acid, it’s cheap, you mix it yourself etc. make sure you rinse well or it will leave a white residue behind. Another option is one of the commercial rust removers like F9 or Rust Remover Plus.
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If you use oxalic acid, be sure to neutralize the brick afterwards, that what the brick industry association recommends you doing. Two part process, that’s why I like the OneRestore myself. I just pass the cost to the customer and educate them on the safe and professional chemicals that will be used on their property. Never had issues. Hope the PDF helps!
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Great read 
Thanks for all of your great advice guys. I appreciate it.
