…oh nothing…
Dammit Rick. You ruined my surprise.
1 Like
Don’t be a stick in the mud. Spill it…
I may convert to the dark side and actually offer some sealing. I have a few hundred feet of 1/4" hose and I need to find a use for it and Rick thought it would work great for a little sealer cart like he has. I also want to build one like yours for jobs where I need more chemicals but I’d probably run a bigger pump and 3/8 or 1/2 hose on that one.
I may pass this job to a professional with experience, I don’t want to screw up her super expensive patio. Problem is finding someone here that knows what they’re doing, Louisville isn’t exactly known for people doing the right thing.
Thanks for the writeup though, amazing what it takes to do it the proper way.
No, you should do. You just have to be careful, but there’s good money in it. Most hardscape guys don’t do a very good job with it, if they even bother at all. It’s a high end product that once you do a few you’ll love it. A lot of it is just being meticulous. But one like you’re looking at should bring $1.10 - $1.25 per ft. Total capital investment probably around $500 for the equipment you need, but that’s a one time expense. You’ll want a 2nd cart for bigger jobs You can use the same equipment for applying stain, sealers, etc. The only negative is that it’s often 2-3 trips, because you have to look at job, clean it, and then seal it. Once you do a few of them, word gets around. They’re guys where there are a lot of pavers like in FL, running 10-12 2 man crews and doing well to say the least.
Ouch, well…I’ll have to reevaluate this then. There are bigger companies in town that can handle it. Thanks for the advice though.
So, once again, walk away. It’s always more profitable 
Exactly, especially if I screw it up.
If this was a smaller area a few years old I’d probably attempt it, but this is a new build so first clean/seal is critical to get right. I’m only two years in on PW so really have no business messing with it.
There are a TON of guys here in Louisville that swear they can do something but end up trashing whatever they were supposed to do, then disappear into the ether, never to be heard from again.
I agree with @Racer. This job is all you.
You have two years of cleaning experience, so you can definitely handle the cleaning. If you are concerned, be super cautious. Start with a huge orifice on your surface cleaner or use a bypass method like Rick. Slowly increase the pressure if needed, but don’t exceed some maximum pressure.
The sealing is the newest part, but if you study and plan, it shouldn’t be a problem. Find a piece of limestone and spray on some sealant to get an idea how it acts.
In my opinion, the potential reward for getting into this work far outweighs the risk. Yes, I have a high risk tolerance, and yes I have made mistakes. But I don’t see you messing this up if you are cautious, and even if you do, you can own it and make it right.
1 Like
I can’t practice on a high dollar limestone patio like that, never even tried sealing. Like flying a Cessna then hopping in a twin Beechcraft after reading a couple instruction manuals.
I do want to take up driveway sealing this year, we’ll see how that goes.
Trying to do the same. Patio, drive, whatever.
1 Like
Hey Rick, I put together a 2.2 GPM system based on your post here. I ordered the chapin wand with an adjustable tip, but the tip is restricting the flow too much causing the pump to pulsate. What model tip do you have there?
It’s a .5gpm tip. Think the model # is 6-5797. But it’s probably going to restrict more than the adjustable, but it does put out flat spray. The tip I use for sealing and staining. But going to pulse some. They also make a 1gpm flat nozzle, think it’s part #6-5943… But you’re going to go thru a lot of product. I use a .2gpm nozzle when doing pickets and sometimes on deck. That adjustable one will shoot about 20’ in pencil mode, lol. But that’s not the one you want. Reason I had the .5 in the pic up above. I would order a couple of those and one of the .2gpm. Then you’ll be set. B sure you always have a little pick set or cleaner wire, because those nozzle openings pretty small and can get clogged you get any trash in them.
1 Like
Thank you Rick! Much appreciated. Looking forward to using this.
This set is great for cleaning stuff. Smaller than my pic set. @DJPWS suggested them.
Carb Carburetor Jet Cleaner, Torch Tip Cleaner Tools Tip Cleaner Set
2 Likes
Show us a pic of your system
With that .5 tip and doing something like a drive that’s open and absorbant, can probably spray about 100 sq ft/min. Regular pavers, concrete, etc are pretty easy. It’s the harder finish surfaces like the limestone or something like that, that has some finish, it doesn’t absorb very fast or hardly at all, so you have to be careful of puddling. Need to get some split face foam rollers and roll it pretty quick before it starts drying. So just do small areas at a time. Still goes quick though. I did a semi- glazed tile last week and I had my helper start rolling like 30 sec behind me because it was warm and windy and was starting to dry within a few minutes.
I already had the cart and the battery for a different use. I may look at different cart options. This one rolls real nice but is a bit top heavy and has no brakes for inclines.
Can you point me in the direction of those split face foam rollers? When I searched for them, I pretty much just found the exercise version.
