My name is Adam Austin, and I'm a former painting contractor. One or two of you may know me as "AAPaint" from ContractorTalk forums. I spent years on there, and met a few guys from these different PW boards.
I had to give up my painting business a few years back due to health issues. All the ladder work became impossible to handle anymore, and I actually had to question whether I'd be able to do anything again at one point. If you're healthy, be thankful, if you're not, try to get there, because I wore my body out over the years, and I'm living testament to how important health is. Without it, you have nothing.
When I finally decided to go back into business, I decided to start wood restoration and pressure washing company. We're going to focus mostly on staining decks, fences, etc. with some pressure washing to fill any voids. We did wood restoration as one of our services, and really enjoyed it, so we decided to focus solely on this and pressure washing. It's a good bit easier than painting to handle physically, so that's a plus for me. We also did concrete acid staining as well, however, in my area, those things have heavy competition, whereas there is nobody doing just wood care, staining, and restoration. This looks like the niche I want to be in going forward, and it's already turning out to be a good choice.
Before my med issues, we had a pretty successful painting business, and we were running anywhere from 3-5 full time employees, with some other part timers as well, but due to my medical issues, we've fallen pretty far from our glory. We started that business with a paintbrush, a roller, and a dream, and built it to where we were grossing $20K/mo. I'm definitely not the hotshot I was before, but I know how to get back on top, so I'll get there again. I can handle being the small guy again, no problem.
I know the coatings industry quite well, and I'm a stickler for details. Manufacturer's specs and the best of the best processes are what turn me on. I'm a results oriented person, so we always meet or exceed accepted industry standards for all of our work. Yes, I know...it's hard to believe a painter knows pressure washing, but I've done my homework, and my time in the field. I'm happy to be here to learn, and to share a little of what I know.
Enough typing, my coffee is getting cold, and I have things to do, so see you all on the boards soon!