More than I ever should of. Never again. Post construction clean up sucksss… unless you like getting phone calls at 5:00 am asking if you can be there by 7:00 before a different trade shows up, or showing up when scheduled and getting told they’re not ready for you, or waiting for 2 months to get paid by the builder, or getting asked to clean up junk that wasn’t on the original work order and then arguing the cost, or you just really love waiting for money, throwing any kind of schedule out, and dealing with builders at the end of their rope (all of them).
Basically, that’s a long tale to say doing post construction clean up is like getting on an elevator with a drifter, we’ll call him Gladys, and Gladys farts while staring directly in your eyes, gets off the elevator and on the next floor a drop dead gorgeous woman is getting on with wild, fantasy filled intention and inches away from your first kiss she wiffs Gladys’ fart, gives you a disgusted look, and materializes into ether. That’s post construction clean up.
Custom Masonary Cleaner is nothing more than a 10-30% solution of Muriatic Acid. Look at the msds sheet for it. They list the chemical as Hydrogen Chloride which is HCL which is Muriatic Acid. I am a huge Prosoco products user but when I can use the exact same chems at a fraction of their price, I tend to do that.
Same with Vanatrol, which is another masonary cleaner they sell. Nothing more than 10-30% muriatic and some citric acid.
I say 10-30% as that is what the MSDS sheets states the concentration to be.
Good thread. I’m working on an estimate for this 4 storey newly constructed condo building, i have several questions from someone who’s done similar post-construction washing projects before.
I want to estimate time and materials, but without renting a lift and everything just to do a test.
Normally, does the client (rental agent) expect the inside of the balconies done as well? Is there a practical way of doing them including corners and inside glass, without someone going through all 32 apartments (several already rented out) from the inside to go out on each balcony? To me that looks like the biggest issue with the job at first glance, besides positioning a lift properly in limited spaces.
Also from what i read nmd-80 can be applied to glass and painted metal to remove mortar splatter? So basically brick and some other surfaces with mortar splatter could be pre-rinsed, nmd-80 applied once or twice, 5 minute dwell time, rinsed off? The rest maybe simple green?
I know nothing about removing mortar tags or cleaning brick. But, at least here you have to be bonded to go inside someone’s residence. A 40ft ladder will reach every balcony you posted though
I think you’re on the right product with the NMD-80, although we’ve looked at several jobs that would have required it, didn’t wind up doing any of them. Definitely go with the ladder, you don’t want to be going in and out of those new units. They’ll be super-picky about anything you do.
If they want all those mortar smears ands tags gone, the nmd-80 is perfect, but if you’re going to be using that, you definitely need a lift, so just use it to get to balconeys
Probably my lack of experience doing such a job, but i can’t visualize how everything would be cleaned (including squeegeeing glass) from that angle outside the balcony. Also if we use a ladder or lift to go over the ramp and unto the balconies we will get fined $$$$ for sure as this is a very visible area. This is why i’m stuck with how to do them.
Also i just received their answer to my questions, yes they want the mortar tags done and the inside of the balconies too.
@dcbrock how would you get that inside glass done without going inside? Maybe finally get a wfp and scrub it from the top?
For doing the balcony areas from the outside, you might be able to use some kind of pivoting coupler along with a short straight wand extension to hit the walls, balcony itself, and inside glass too.
How many units they got rented? If not many could get master key and just go thru from inside. Or move lift up to each balcony and step over into it. Why will you get fines for using a lift. People use lifts all the time. Charge them a boatload - all of this should have been done a long time ago. Rare you clean new construction brick after tenants in building. If not comfortable, then walk away, but looks like plenty of room to get a lift around there.
If you can get the lift right up next to the glass wall, could you just wash from there while still in the lift bucket and be 99% as effective?
I am a risk taking kind of guy, but the idea of putting a lift a few inches away from a glass wall that is 3 stories up, climbing up over the edge of the bucket, over the glass wall, and then repeating in reverse after cleaning, and doing it many times in a row sounds like the start of a Fail Army video and nomination for a Darwin Award. If anything happened and you related that story to your insurance company, I would expect a cancellation notice. If I was a property owner/manager and I saw/heard that happening, I would be having you leave the grounds. Maybe everything would be fine, but there is so much that could go very wrong.
Lots of the cages have a door/gate that opens inward to allow you to exit. This’ll prevent you from having to scramble over the bucket railing, but it’ll likely still move several inches to a whole foot once you take your weight off of it.
