Thanks Dirk. I'm very inclined to just ask for credits from this PB instead of them using their subcontractors. Not sure they will go for it. The sooner I get them out of my hair - the better.
That sounds prudent. I take on all I can, to avoid contractors. I don't trust anyone with my pool (or most anything else, for that matter). But some things are better left to the pros (and I realize not everyone possesses the skills I do, so some don't have options). It's a tough call sometimes.
From my stone guy. He reminded me that the cream on a deck is not all that thick either, and the same warnings apply. A bad application can burn through it, too. And even if it doesn't get ruined, you are still losing "years" (some amount of longevity) off your deck by using acid (it takes concrete with it, no way around that). As his normal MO, he
first exhausts less invasive stain-removing techniques and chemicals
before he goes to acid (acid, especially MA, should always be the last resort, not the first). If he has to use acid, he has exacting methods to determine the bare minimum strength of acid, and he has neutralizing chemicals at the ready to stop the acid reaction at a moments notice. He measures the acid's pH before it ever touches the surface. He tries it out first on a test area. He's meticulous about handling it, and applying it, etc. These are a partial list of what you get when you use someone that really knows what they are doing. Will the teenager delegated to wash your deck have that same know-how and experience? (I'm exaggerating to some degree, but you get the point.)
Acid seems to be the go-to fix for pools by PBs, because it produces results, fast, and doesn't require much upfront cost or equipment. But what I describe is what PBs don't generally divulge, and the results of the damage acid does to a surface (even when applied well) aren't seen for years (when your surface starts to come part a decade later, well after the warranty has expired). So PBs use the "money" in your surface's "bank" to "pay" for their mistake, because you don't realize that value is gone until they are!
Here's a tidbit that he shared: if you apply acid to concrete and brush it in a bit to get things going, you'll see a foaming reaction (and in reality that foam is the acid taking off the first layer of grime and concrete). The foaming action will subside. If you brush again, you'll see more foaming. What he was illustrating, is that a lot of applicators see that first ceasing of foam as "job done, acid done," not realizing that the acid is still plenty potent and can still continue to dissolve the finish. He cited that as a common way inexperienced applicators get into trouble and end up ruining a finish, because they don't understand, chemically, what is going on. It's not like sand paper, where you grind, grind, grind, and then it's done, and safe. :blah:
Point was: I trust my guy. Unless you can assure yourself that your guy knows what he's doing, really knows, I'd take the dough and leave your deck alone.
