Lesson for newbies and pros - Maxitiles

S

Scott D.

Member
The tile roof below was one we just competed in Lake Charles LA. When we bid the job, we bid it as a regular tile roof. So we drive to Lake charles, and when we get there the tiles were only about 1/16" thick and in sheets of 4 barrels. Kinda funny looking.

So we get everything set up, and start spraying the roof. Well about 3 seconds after spraying the roof, it is dry again and the algae is still there. So we spray it again, same result, just the algae is a little lighter. As soon as the chemicals touched the surface, it soaked it up like a sponge, but had no effect of the algae.

After about 7 or 8 coats the roof looked pretty good. We ended up using 100gl of mix on just the 4 car garage, and it didnt even look that great. Keep in mind it was about 10,000 sqft of roof space, and we used 100gl on just the garage.

At this point, we are 6 hours into the day and getting pretty nervous, so I asked the homeowner for the maker of the tile. They were made by MAXI-TILE out of Cali. And they are a organic fiber - cement tile with no sealant.

So I called Chris and spoke to him about it, and we agreed that if we upped our soap, it would stick better, and clean faster. No luck. It actually seemed to soak it up faster! :confused: . So I spoke to the home owner and told him that I was going to spray the whole roof, and let it dwell for a couple of months, and let the rain wash it away naturally. Luckily he agreed to pay me the $2k upfront and trusted me to hold up my end.

Well during that job we landed another $1k roof cleaning in the area, we so went back this weekend and stopped back to give it another try, and touch up a few spots.But this time we used simple cherry in our mix, and it seemed to clean it a llittle better.

Ironically enough on the way back home from the cleaning the first time, we got a call from a customer from here in Houston, who also had the maxitile, and were very impressed that we new what they were and how to clean them, as everyone else just assumed they were regular tiles. we landed that job to0 for $1200.

This is a lesson for newbies and some pros, from a semi-newbie, on how important doing research on things you are not sure about, before over promisng customers.

If you ever come across the Maxi-tiles, be sure to ask how old they are. I believe it was 6 years or older, there were no sealants on them, therefore extremely hard to clean. These were 12 years old, and very very brittle. (one tile had been broken by a stray tennis ball. :eek: ), So they couldnt be walked on for any reason. If anyone has any questions about the maxi tiles give me a call. 713 817 6117.
 

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Not sure if it is the same thing but I looked at a house that had white barrel tile but it was like 1/4" thick and when you look at the edge, it looked like it was layers of thick paper. The clean tiles did look glossy.

I asked the homeowner what brand they were and they did not know but they did say that nobody could walk on them as they were very fragile. I told them that I would spray them from the roof edge or use a lift for the job.

I gave them a good price a few months ago but have not heard back. It is 30 miles out of the way off a winding road so I have not been by to see if they had it done.
 
Christopher said:
Not sure if it is the same thing but I looked at a house that had white barrel tile but it was like 1/4" thick and when you look at the edge, it looked like it was layers of thick paper. The clean tiles did look glossy.

I asked the homeowner what brand they were and they did not know but they did say that nobody could walk on them as they were very fragile. I told them that I would spray them from the roof edge or use a lift for the job.

I gave them a good price a few months ago but have not heard back. It is 30 miles out of the way off a winding road so I have not been by to see if they had it done.
Click to expand...

These tiles were dull when cleaned. It sounds like the one you had were the same ones, just probably a newer one with a sealant, and most likely the newer ones. Were these them? http://www.maxitile.com/
 
Scott D. said:
The tile roof below was one we just competed in Lake Charles LA. When we bid the job, we bid it as a regular tile roof. So we drive to Lake charles, and when we get there the tiles were only about 1/16" thick and in sheets of 4 barrels. Kinda funny looking.

So we get everything set up, and start spraying the roof. Well about 3 seconds after spraying the roof, it is dry again and the algae is still there. So we spray it again, same result, just the algae is a little lighter. As soon as the chemicals touched the surface, it soaked it up like a sponge, but had no effect of the algae.

After about 7 or 8 coats the roof looked pretty good. We ended up using 100gl of mix on just the 4 car garage, and it didnt even look that great. Keep in mind it was about 10,000 sqft of roof space, and we used 100gl on just the garage.

At this point, we are 6 hours into the day and getting pretty nervous, so I asked the homeowner for the maker of the tile. They were made by MAXI-TILE out of Cali. And they are a organic fiber - cement tile with no sealant.

So I called Chris and spoke to him about it, and we agreed that if we upped our soap, it would stick better, and clean faster. No luck. It actually seemed to soak it up faster! :confused: . So I spoke to the home owner and told him that I was going to spray the whole roof, and let it dwell for a couple of months, and let the rain wash it away naturally. Luckily he agreed to pay me the $2k upfront and trusted me to hold up my end.

Well during that job we landed another $1k roof cleaning in the area, we so went back this weekend and stopped back to give it another try, and touch up a few spots.But this time we used simple cherry in our mix, and it seemed to clean it a llittle better.

Ironically enough on the way back home from the cleaning the first time, we got a call from a customer from here in Houston, who also had the maxitile, and were very impressed that we new what they were and how to clean them, as everyone else just assumed they were regular tiles. we landed that job to0 for $1200.

This is a lesson for newbies and some pros, from a semi-newbie, on how important doing research on things you are not sure about, before over promisng customers.

If you ever come across the Maxi-tiles, be sure to ask how old they are. I believe it was 6 years or older, there were no sealants on them, therefore extremely hard to clean. These were 12 years old, and very very brittle. (one tile had been broken by a stray tennis ball. :eek: ), So they couldnt be walked on for any reason. If anyone has any questions about the maxi tiles give me a call. 713 817 6117.
Click to expand...
testing signature....
 
Maxi Tile is basically like softwashing cardboard.

AC
 
Doing your research for customers impresses them and makes you more likely to get you the good paying jobs. If you are knowledgeable about your business and are informational to your customers, it makes them feel safe.

I had a customer with a vinyl siding home that was streaked up all the way around the house due to someone pressure washing it improperly, and at a very high pressure. Who ever did it completely ruined the customers home and they were devastated to say the least. When I went to the door to speak to them about their home, they were desperate for some kind of remedy to get the streaks off. I told them I thought I could help, and that I would come back when I find out what I can do.

I did my research and it turns out that the high pressure took the oxidation off the vinyl in some places, and not in others, causing the streaks. So I went back over to the customers house and did a test on an inconspicuous part of the house to see if I could remove the oxidation with a cleaner an expert recommended.

The customer was excited and wants me to come and do the rest of the house. I know we're talking about roofs here, but I think the point is that whether it's roofs or any other, Research pays off.

Check out the picture. Notice the streaking on the before picture at the top. On the bottom picture, notice the bottom piece of vinyl with streaking eliminated. (Also did a bigger part of the house for another test and worked great - picture not provided)

PhotoGrid_1407155594172.jpg
 
I wonder if soaking the roof with water first would have saved on the amount of chemical used? If it was only 3-5 seconds after spraying and the tiles looked dry again then those tiles were acting like a sponge. Makes me think a good soaking with water first may save on chemical usage.
 
Never mind Ron, I found d my login.

Rance, we actually tried soaking the tiles (on a later roof) and it didn't work. Copious amounts of roof cleaning chem was the only solution we found.
 
Scott Davis said:
Never mind Ron, I found d my login.

Rance, we actually tried soaking the tiles (on a later roof) and it didn't work. Copious amounts of roof cleaning chem was the only solution we found.
Click to expand...

Fix your signature newbie...lol. Got a job in Friendswood in a couple weeks.. I'll let you know.
 
I found this threat very interesting. I went to the MAXITLE website and I saw that they do a siding that is just about exactly like a product here in New Zealand that I have used on my own homes. I have built 3 myself over the years. The product in NZ Is a cement fibre board. Cement being the main component and Treated wood fibre is used as a binder to give the product integrity. Now this is the modern safe version of the product.
Years ago they used WHITE ASBESTO AS THE BINDER. Yes folks you read it right.
They used to manufacture a corrugated sheet that was used for roofing material. The last thing you do in NZ is wash that sh!t!!.
The problem is the UV breaks down the cement and when washed the asbestos fibres are dislodged and end up contaminating the site. {It was never painted or sealer here either}
If this happens you have a sh!tstorm on your hands and the probability of a bill of many thousands of dollars for the clean up and then you get your ass prosecuted for the contamination.
If anyone is renovating they have to have that type of roofing professionally removed to ensure there is no site contamination from the asbestos. There is a whole industry grown up around removing this product.
In a sheet form it was used for cladding as well as a shingle looking cladding. It was and is used for soffits.
All of these applications are advertised on the MAXITILE website.
I am not surprised that is sucked up the treatment as per the first post on this thread. It takes up water like a sponge. It is possible that there is residual chemicals in the tiles that may have neutralised the mix as well. Who Knows. if you google HARDIE PLANK images you will see all of the same products as advertised on the MAXITILE website.
I used to soak the planks with a sprinkler so that when I cut it with it being wet there was no dust even though I was using the safe version of the product.
 
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