Published: August 28, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Transform backyard into haven
Rosemary Sadez Friedmann | Scripps Howard News Service
Not inclined to put in a fire pit? So how do you make your backyard patio a relaxing and fun refuge?
According to experts, a good surface, good lighting, good seating, and good cooking and dining spaces are essential. And don’t forget the grill.
Make Deck Inviting
A crumbling, messy deck isn’t pretty. If your deck is made of wood and still in good condition, go ahead and power-wash it or sand and restain it. If it needs more repair than that, you might consider replacing it with a wood-alternative deck that won’t need that care every year or two.
Some wood-alternative decks come in colors, so you can select one that fits your décor.
Be careful with color, though. Neutral usually works best because an intense color might become annoying over time.
If you have a concrete or brick patio, the power-washing can do wonders, as can a low-cost patterned outdoor carpet that defines a seating area or dining space.
Mini-kitchen
A complete outdoor grilling station can cook a full meal, and this full meal can be prepared while you and your family and friends are enjoying that wonderful backyard. It won’t even seem like work. A rolling two-shelved cart to get items from the house to the grill can add ease.
Upgrade Seating
For a comfortable outdoor haven, you are going to need to get rid of those folding patio chairs.
They work in a pinch, but they certainly don’t make for that backyard-haven thing you’re going for.
Select seating that is comfortable, and be sure the seating is of your liking and not simply something that is on sale. Sales are important, and now is the time to find end-of-season bargains, but don’t be drawn into purchasing simply by the price tag.
Remember that you are creating your own personal vacation spot. Select furniture that is waterproof and won’t need sanding and staining or painting on a regular basis.
Shed some Light
Moveable table-top patio lanterns or flameless candles can provide ambience as well as light. So can lining paths, garden beds or patio edges with good-quality solar lights. Consider lighting large shrubs and trees with small white light strings as you would for Christmas for a magical touch. Or string transparent cables of LED lights along the roof line of the house or patio pergola.
© Copyright 2011 The Journal Gazette. All rights reserved. Neither this material nor its presentation may be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area and are in need of pressure washing, power washing, window cleaning, graffiti removal or vehicle cleaning services, contact our Philadelphia Pressure Washing company at 215-703-8306.
Pressure Wash before Painting Exterior of Home
Prepare before Painting Exterior of Home
Glenn Haege: The Handyman
You have often heard me say that preparation is 60 percent of a painting job, and that is especially true when you paint the exterior of your home. While indoor painting preparation is more geared toward taping and putting drop cloths over furniture, exterior painting is more about preparing the surface.
For most homeowners, painting their home’s exterior means painting either wood, brick, or siding made of vinyl or aluminum. Unfortunately, when it comes to preparation for exterior painting, one method does not fit all. Regardless of what type exterior your house has, the first thing to do before painting is to clean the surface and remove any mold and mildew. While using a power washer to clean brick or stucco can work well if done properly, I don’t recommend it if you are cleaning any type of siding or wood because it is too easy to damage these surfaces if you use too much pressure. Fortunately, there are many good products on the market that make it easier to clean your home’s exterior with a little elbow grease and a garden house, including Krud Kutter House Wash and Krud Kutter Exterior Siding Cleaner, www.krudkutter.com. Also look for JOMAX House Wash and JOMAX House Cleaner and Mildew Killer by Rust-oleum, www.rustoleum.com.
If you are painting vinyl or aluminum siding, and it is in good shape, cleaning it is usually all the preparation you need before using a good 100 percent acrylic latex paint. If you have wood siding with peeling, blistering or cracking paint, scrape and sand the problem areas first, then clean it. You might also want to consider a primer product called Peel-Bond from XIM Products, (440) 871-4737, www.peelbond.com. It’s a fast-drying, penetrating filling primer that actually fills in cracks and rough surfaces on wood, T-111 siding, plywood or hardboard to help decrease the amount of scrapping and sanding needed before painting.
If you have an older house where numerous coats of paint have built up over the years, you might have to strip the entire surface. Several non-toxic paint strippers are on the market, such as CitriStrip, from W.M. Barr & Co., www.citristrip.com. Also consider RemovALL 220 All Purpose Industrial Paint Remover from Down to Earth Products, www.dtep.com, Soy Gel Paint and Urethane Remover by Franmar Chemical, www.franmar.com, and Zip-Strip Premium Green Paint and Finish Remover from Absolute Coatings Inc., www.lastnlast.com.
Once the paint is gone, you might find rotted wood beneath. One local company that provides wood rot repair services is Independent Window Repair. If you have a small area that has rotted, it can be repaired with Abatron LiquidWood or Wood Epox or Elmer’s Rotted Wood Repair Kit.
To prepare cracked stucco and chalking brick, first scrape out cracks with a wire brush, brush out any dust in the cracks, and then seal the cracks with 100 percent acrylic caulk. You can also use Bondex Ready Mixed Stucco Patch by Rustoleum for stucco repair, or Quikrete Stucco Crack Repair to fill and seal cracks up to ½-inch wide. For chalking on brick, it should be cleaned with Prosoco Sure Klean Restoration Cleaner, www.prosoco.com. Then apply Peel Stop Clear Binding Sealer by Zinsser, www.rustleum.com, before painting it.
Once you have cleaned and repaired your home’s exterior, caulk using a paintable caulk before you paint. To determine what type of exterior paint is best for your home, read my article “Use the right paint to ramp up curb appeal” from July 1, 2011, at www.MasterHandyman.com. For more good painting preparation tips, visit the Paint Quality Institute’s website.
The fall weather makes it a great time of year to paint your home’s exterior. Using these preparation tips can help make the complete project go faster, giving you more time to brag about it.
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110826/OPINION03/108260303/Prepare-before-painting-exterior-of-home#ixzz1WLep0khs
If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area and are in need of pressure washing, power washing, window cleaning, graffiti removal or vehicle cleaning services, contact our Philadelphia Pressure Washing company at 215-703-8306.
Using Pressure Washers For Graffiti Removal
Using Pressure Washers For Graffiti Removal
By Lauren Zwiebel
Removing graffiti and other stains can be a nearly impossible task if you are armed with only brushes and water. Traditional techniques of cleaning, simply, do not work with graffiti since spray paint deeply penetrates and gets absorbed by porous concrete surfaces. Even cleaning professionals find it extremely difficult to remove graffiti from concrete surfaces. This is why it is time to adopt innovative cleaning machines, such as pressure washers, for graffiti removal. Used by cleaning professionals and businesses alike, steam and hot water pressure washers offer a guaranteed approach to controlling and eliminating graffiti stains from concrete.
Compared to the pressure levels of water that flows out from a garden hose, the pressure of water generated by commercial pressure cleaners can be up to 300 times greater. To effectively remove graffiti, it is best to use power cleaners in combination with green graffiti removal chemicals. The nano-sized molecules in advanced green cleaners work by penetrating deep into the concrete surface and breaking up all paint particles. Emulsified paint molecules can no longer adhere to treated surface, rendering them easy to blast away with a pressure cleaner.
Tips To Choose The Right Pressure Cleaner
While purchasing water pressure washers for demanding applications, like cleaning graffiti from concrete walls, it is important to choose the right version as per your specific requirements. Here are some tips to help you choose the best machine for you:
The pressure cleaners must feature rugged construction and top-grade components so they are continually reliable and powerful enough to perform consistently under the most demanding conditions. To ensure high-quality construction, always purchase commercial pressure washers from leading suppliers.
One feature you must look out for is the pressure level of the pressure cleaners. Powerful industrial pressure washers are characterized by high pressure levels. Tough jobs like removing graffiti or rust stains from concrete surfaces are best tackled with pressure washers with high pressure levels of 3000 psi.
The next point to consider is the water flow rate that indicates how much water (in gallons) is ejected by power washers in one minute. For challenging tasks like graffiti removal, go for pressure washers with high flow rates of 3-5 GPM.
Advanced technologies such as auto shut off indicate top-grade pressure cleaners that are durable enough to prevent wearing of components from overheating. Auto shut off is a relatively new technology available from top suppliers, shutting down the pump and motor of an electric pressure cleaners during periods of inactivity to prevent unnecessary wear.
The pressure washer suppliers offer a wide variety of options and additional tools to meet your needs. Look for a supplier that provides powerful green chemicals in addition to versatile pressure washing machines for complete graffiti removal.
There are plenty of online distributors offering high-performance pressure cleaners. Simply, browse and find the one who offers the widest range of top-grade, technologically advanced and durable pressure cleaners at reasonable rates.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4364820
If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area and are in need of pressure washing, power washing, window cleaning, graffiti removal or vehicle cleaning services, contact our Philadelphia Pressure Washing company at 215-703-8306.
New Auto Detailing & Cleaning System
PressMediaWire.com (Press Release Distribution) – Aug 17,2011
WOBURN, MA — Daimer Industries, Inc.®, a business globally-known for auto detailing pressure washer products, has now shipped its Super Max™ 6120SCW (Steam Car Wash) line of car wash systems for worldwide customers seeking 60 Hz compatibility. The all-steam machines are engineered to minimize water use, waste and negative environmental impacts often associated with car wash systems.
“The Super Max™ 6120SCW steam car wash auto detailing systems provide more than enough power for cleaning away dirt, road muck and grease — without causing damage to finishes and vehicle paint jobs,” explains Daimer.com auto exterior systems spokesman Matthew Baratta. “The new machines come powered by electrical motors and heated with propane based systems for added efficiency.”
All Steam Auto Detailing
Daimer® latest Super Max™ 6120SCW car pressure washers offer several features designed for ease of use, efficiency and environmental friendliness. First, the equipment cleans only with wet steam, so inexperienced operators have one less decision to make. (Advanced multi mode pressure washers for more experienced users typically clean with cold or heated water.)
In addition, the new 6120SCW auto detailing systems support environmentally optimized flow rates to minimize water use and waste. The 60 Hz machine is sold with flow rates of no more than .5 GPM. Finally, the machines produce wet steam by employing fume minimizing propane gas systems capable of achieving temperatures nearing 250ºF.
Note: For auto detailing and cleaning vehicle exteriors, Daimer® recommends power washer equipment. Systems, such as professional steam cleaners, are not suggested for cleaning exteriors. Steam cleaner machines are designed for hard sealed surfaces inside vehicles, including: dash boards, molding, and venting, inside of vehicles.
For additional information about Daimer® auto detailing pressure washers, mobile car wash equipment, car wash machines or portable carpet cleaner systems for vehicles, visit their website Daimer® auto detailing products are available to customers in most countries.
If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area and are in need of pressure washing, power washing, window cleaning, graffiti removal or vehicle cleaning services, contact our Philadelphia Pressure Washing company at 215-703-8306.