Log Homes

MEDIA MAN

Any one ever do Log Homes?
Before I found this site I had bid on a couple. The other just did't think it was going to cost what it does. I sensed that right away. I didn't care because I wasn't going to drag all my media and equipment there for anything less than I proposed. He knew my wife and thought he'd get a heck-of-a-deal. My price was fair.
I am not affraid to tackle them. I am connected with a contractor that has a caulking business and he has done 7 that I know of. I consult with him. He also does the chinking. I know he's no longer interested in the actual blasting of the homes but will still do the chinking.
Anyways - I was wondering if there is anything I might not have heard or seen before. I got an opportunity today to give proposals on 2 more homes. I've blasted logs before (not actual homes though), wood chairs, wood dressers, wood bed frames. One customer even had me blast the paint off his trim around the windows of his house. I know a large portion of the market uses corn cob but I do not like the fuzzies it leaves. I have used cob, soda and crushed glass on log. The crushed glass by far has the best result. Looks as though someone actually sanded with sandpaper. It also does not raise the grain like cob or soda. If anyone has any imput good or bad I'd like to hear it.

Media Man

user20594

I have some pics. Of the log homes I have done. I will try to post them for you. Log homes and cedar siding can be big money makers. I have made big money on cedar siding with glass. If you have to re-do it by hand it is very labor intensive. If you strip it with glass and then stain it quick you can make up to 1500$ a day and take a lunch. My biggest customer on this is the Americ Inn line of hotels they all seem to have a log cabin rustic entry to their hotels. Find out who the general manger is and sell it to them. They will also have a big sign out front the pole it sits on will generally be rusty add that into your bid. Every place you drive past has a big steel pole with an ad on it they have to look good. If it is rusty that looks bad for the company it represents. Blast it hand tool it or wash it then paint it...easy cash the problem is finding the person who has the power to spend the cash

MEDIA MAN

Thanks panderson,
I will wait for your pics of the log home.
Is there anything you can tell me about pools. A Days Inn and 2 other hotels have contacted me and want me to do work on their pools. I have no problem doing the blasting but I am going to have another company spray the Coatings on the pool. I have heard that there are many liabilities with refinishing pools. Especially if its not the first time a pool has been refinished. I am told that the mistakes of the prior companies are exposed. What should I look out for when I am looking into this. How should a person approach warranty issues, meaning do I offer any?
I am scepticle but the money could be good. What are your thoughts? 3 of the 4 pools I imagine are indoor pools. not sure about the community pool. I have not seen them yet.

Media Man

dougthewndowguy

I built log homes in colorado. Back then we purchased the homes pre-built from Canada. They were chinkered logs.

Crank

Media Man

I recently joined this site and saw your old post on log homes. This is my third year working on log homes as a subcontractor. I have blasted 9 or so homes with cob and the last three I have blasted I used crushed glass. I agree, this finish with glass is much better than with cob. Also, the glass seems to go further than the cob. The downside to glass is that you have to be very careful around metal, ie drip edge, gutters, soffit vents etc. because it will take the paint right off. Of course, you probably already know that the crushed glass will ruin windows. Even richocheted glass can pit a window. Cob will generally bounce right off glass and is much more forgiving on metal. As for price, I am trying to figure that out myself. Maybe you have some input on that. I have heard anywhere from $1.50/sqft to $3.00 sqft. I hope that my input is of some use and I look foward to participating in this forum as I grow my blasting business.

Crank

MEDIA MAN

Thanks crank and welcome to the site. Keep in touch with me on this. Price sounds about right to me. $3/SqFt around here might be a little high. I supose it depends on who you are though. Some people will pay more for reputable companies other just want the best price they can get. Usually regretting it too.
What was the average size home? What do you average for SqFt. per hour? And about how much media per hr.? Usually when I use glass (60-100 grit) I meter it (my media) down. I can go an 50 min to an hr. on 480#'s of (60-100).

Crank

Media Man

Most of the houses I've done are between 2500-3000 sqft of living space. As I have been working under this other contractor, he buys all the materials, so I have not been paying much attention to rates of usage or area blasted. One house I did earlier this summer I did do some calculations and I averaged 150-175 sqft/hr. On the last house I just did, I was using my own pot that I just purchased and was going through 100# crushed glass/ 40 min. My pot is a CRS by Problast and it seems to be much more efficient than the Schmidt pot I had been using. By next year I plan on going after my own business and will be paying close attention to my numbers. I'll keep you posted.

Crank

Minnis

Welcome Crank. Good to meet another Problast owner.

Goodluck with the Log Cabin Media Man. I'm having a hard time branching out from cars and boats.

Sandblastdude

Hello all,

I am quite knowledgeable with regards to "blasting" of all brands and sorts. If I can be of assistance, please let me know. I have been in the business for more than 5 years and am quite familiar with equipment, abrasives, compressors, air dryers, respiratory equipment, etc.

Basically if it has to do at all with blasting, Pretty good chance I am familiar with it. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.
I have helped on another forum for about the last 3-5 years, but they just chose to get rid of their "sandblasting" portion and concentrate on other topics.

Thank you much,
sandblastdude

gran_national

Sandblastdude, great to have you here. Read around and post some pics of your setup, add your location to your profile...all that good stuff so that we know a little more about you!

plazaman

what kind of air dyer setup would you use for a soda pot?

__________________
Westchester Remodeling Contractor
Hartsdale Remodeling Contractor
Ardsley Remodeling Contractor

CO2Solutions

What is the cleanup like for glass while blasting a log or cedar home?

Crank

Co2Solutions, I lay down tarps to catch most of the glass. The rest, I try to get up with a rake and shovel. What is left will work its way into the dirt.

BLASTPRO

We have been using crushed glass this past summer and it has worked great compared to the cob we used the summer before. I never bid any house job by the sqft. I always ballpark the estimate and give a high low senario. The glass is cheaper and it cuts faster but there is alot more prep work when using it. The amount of windows, peaks, frames etc etc etc goes into our pricing and thats why we dont mess with the sqft stuff, no complaints so far. We can average about 2k a day using this method.

RayGoerdt

I do all log blasting with cob material, some pics on my profile page, more at logrepair1.com if you want to take a look

CO2Solutions

Great work Ray, it's amazing the difference the cob blasting makes on log homes. It looks as though you do some major repairs to log homes - very interesting.
What type of equipment do you use for blasting?
love the truck! lol...like mine, it was given to me - runs and does what I need it to do....for now.

RayGoerdt

Untill now, I used a clemco 300lb with sullair 185,

just picked up an older, larger schmidt that needs some work and believe it or not a gas 175 Jaeger compressor!

I think they will do the job well, if I am wrong I'm only out a grand untill I re-sell. Most of what I do involves log repair or refinishing.