adamh
Supportive Member
How hard are they to clean? Is there anything I should know?
Thank you
Thank you
Office partitions
- Thread starter adamh
- Start date
Chris Muetterties
Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,652
Use a Drimaster and you'll be fine. Well your sore arms will get better 
Shawn Forsythe
RIP
Like Chris has found out himself, I have a few customers that have reported that nothing beats a Hydramaster Drimaster tool for partition fabric. I would think the Hi-Flow version would make it really go fast.
The beauty of the Drimaster is that you can use it at all angles and also not worry about dripping, which is a concern for partitions that are in place around desks and office equipment.
The beauty of the Drimaster is that you can use it at all angles and also not worry about dripping, which is a concern for partitions that are in place around desks and office equipment.
Desk Jockey
Member
Treat it like upholstery, low moisture tool and you'll be fine.
Be careful of solvents on them, if you need to spot them, use a towel, don't pour it on the fabric.
Be careful of solvents on them, if you need to spot them, use a towel, don't pour it on the fabric.
John Watson
Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2006
- Messages
- 2,885
Adam, I have a tool similar to what Greenie said, a UT 40 which is longer so one doesn;t have to bend as much works also. I also have used a 90 degree buffer with pads with release it and have done excellant jobs.
Shawn Forsythe
RIP
Greenie, you have to try it first.
The first Drimaster I sold for this purpose was to a guy who would be dual tooling. The cleaner was going to use the 6" upholstery tool he always used, and he gave his son the new tool (the DM). They were working the job simultaneously, and the son was kicking the father's butt on production, which blew him away. He switched tools after a time, and still the Drimaster was making quicker work of the partitions than the 6" tool.
A couple of months later, he bought a second Drimaster.
I suppose it is a combination of factors including how quickly you can move the tool. The larger tool takes a bit more time to do it right, without being sloppy, for one. Whereas, you can move the Drimaster head at any speed and you are not going to impact drying or potential overspray.
p.s. 2" is an understatement, even for the old tool.
The first Drimaster I sold for this purpose was to a guy who would be dual tooling. The cleaner was going to use the 6" upholstery tool he always used, and he gave his son the new tool (the DM). They were working the job simultaneously, and the son was kicking the father's butt on production, which blew him away. He switched tools after a time, and still the Drimaster was making quicker work of the partitions than the 6" tool.
A couple of months later, he bought a second Drimaster.
I suppose it is a combination of factors including how quickly you can move the tool. The larger tool takes a bit more time to do it right, without being sloppy, for one. Whereas, you can move the Drimaster head at any speed and you are not going to impact drying or potential overspray.
p.s. 2" is an understatement, even for the old tool.
Lyman
Supportive Member
2 1/4 bottom slot- 2 3/4 top slot
I used my greenhorn on a few before xmas and it worked awesome.
I used my greenhorn on a few before xmas and it worked awesome.
R
R W
Guest
My first ever commercial job was cleaning about 20,000+ sf office panels with my SW Ultramatic portable and a SW upholstery tool which was about 3 1/2" across. Easy one pass cleaning, after pre-spray, and all were set up in a huge open basement with no obstacles.That was 1988 and I think I charged .10 a sf.
Just vac well so the interior steel frame won't rust.
Just vac well so the interior steel frame won't rust.
Desk Jockey
Member
We charge $10.00 a side, full panels. They are a breeze and usually cleanup very well!
Greenie said:Steven has good point, if you have a bunch to do, something like this tool isn't expensive and could be a good investment, you don't even need the forward handle, it's only 18" long and 10" wide.
Be careful using something like this, you'll really want to back off the pressure, any moisture into the backing and those suckers will pop right open. So move effieciently and you should be ok. A new style drimaster with the bigger head would probably be ideal, best compromise of size/efficiency.
G
Guest
Guest
I did some of these at a car rental office; presprayed with a pump up sprayer; extracted with regular wand 50 partitions in 1 hour taking my time. Probably would have gone faster with a G/Glide; and if I would have told them I would charge them 1k for that job they would have laughed me out of the building!! charged them $5 a PARTITION and made $250 for 1 hour work; Man there must be a lotta rich people where you guys operate!!
The pricing all depends on volume of course. It's been so long since we cleaned any I don't remember what we got for them. You can get a pretty good rate if they really need 'em done, cuz most splash n dash guys cant do em and they are EXPENSIVE to replace.
Desk Jockey
Member
Rickie
I don’t think it has to do with rich people, most of the work we do on partitions is done for corporate accounts. They’ve made a sizeable investment in them and they realize the savings in cleaning vs re-upholstery.
We did 100 of them in October for an architect’s group, we’ve also done them for one of the utilities, the phone company, insurance company and hospital along with a bunch of other small accounts.
50-in an hour is blazing, I’m sure they got there money’s worth, but I don’t think we are comparing apples to apples.
The majority of the facilities managers would toss us out if we attempted to clean partitions with a scrub wand.
I don’t think it has to do with rich people, most of the work we do on partitions is done for corporate accounts. They’ve made a sizeable investment in them and they realize the savings in cleaning vs re-upholstery.
We did 100 of them in October for an architect’s group, we’ve also done them for one of the utilities, the phone company, insurance company and hospital along with a bunch of other small accounts.
50-in an hour is blazing, I’m sure they got there money’s worth, but I don’t think we are comparing apples to apples.
The majority of the facilities managers would toss us out if we attempted to clean partitions with a scrub wand.
These are all good points. I thought I would point out a detail. that 18" long tool has an uph. tool valve on it, it's really nothing more than a 10" wide uph tool, so I would suggest using it at 200 psi, at that pressure I imagine the prespray has just as good of a chance penetrating the backing with dwell time as the 110º wide spray jets do, especially with a hole glide.
50 in an hour! wow...a 4'x4' panel would require 5 good long strokes if you had the horizontal clearance, and you'd have arms like popeye after 50 of them....hey he was a sailor man.
The more I look at it, I think I'll make a custom 12" wide high production tool with a 12-15" tube on it based apon the Greenhorn design with feather touch valve, it would be killer on church pews, panels etc...
50 in an hour! wow...a 4'x4' panel would require 5 good long strokes if you had the horizontal clearance, and you'd have arms like popeye after 50 of them....hey he was a sailor man.
The more I look at it, I think I'll make a custom 12" wide high production tool with a 12-15" tube on it based apon the Greenhorn design with feather touch valve, it would be killer on church pews, panels etc...
Djrosselli
Member
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2007
- Messages
- 9
No problem. I cleaned about 75 recently using a glided swivel stairtool and they cleaned up real nice.
Blue Monarch
Supportive Member
Greenie, you ever think about renting these type of specialty tools?
Charge a higher price and include return shipping to prevent laziness on returns from renters.
Charge a higher price and include return shipping to prevent laziness on returns from renters.
Desk Jockey
Member
Greenie I think a 6-or maybe even an 8-inch tool would increase the production without being to hard to work with.
I'm all for being productive but I think the larger tool would be awkward.
200 psi is probably too much for fabric panels. Most of them are just fabric is just stretched and glued to a fiberboard (Cardboard), over wet it and you're going to get separation bubbles and curling.
I don't mean to be a "know it all prick", but you don't want to Cowboy your way through these, treating it like it's carpet.
It's not, it's closer to upholstery, you make a mistake in spotting or over wetting it's unforgiving, you're buying new cubes to match or if you're lucky they can still order the matching fabric and you only pay for the repair.
They are easy to cleaning and make money doing so, as long as you provided some level care.
I'm all for being productive but I think the larger tool would be awkward.
200 psi is probably too much for fabric panels. Most of them are just fabric is just stretched and glued to a fiberboard (Cardboard), over wet it and you're going to get separation bubbles and curling.
I don't mean to be a "know it all prick", but you don't want to Cowboy your way through these, treating it like it's carpet.
It's not, it's closer to upholstery, you make a mistake in spotting or over wetting it's unforgiving, you're buying new cubes to match or if you're lucky they can still order the matching fabric and you only pay for the repair.
They are easy to cleaning and make money doing so, as long as you provided some level care.
billyeadon
Supportive Member
RCTPKS said:
Richard is right. There are many different types of partitions. Many of the better ones today have all of the wiring, for computers, phone systems directly behind that very thin material. When you are bidding these you explain the reason you use a DriMaster is to eliminate any chance of getting water behind these panels.
Many of these work stations cost 10 grand and up. Don't be afraid to charge a little more and take a little more time.
You'd have to use a glided stairtool at 200 psi and tell me what you think first, it's amazingly dry.
But yea, and 8" tool is cool, you'll have to try the 10" tool and report back on your next $10 a panel job. I can make a 10" tool really light.
Rent? just cut back the PBR budget, that glided tool is less than a PMF detailer with hide-a-hose, and would pay for it's self on the first hour of the first job.
But yea, and 8" tool is cool, you'll have to try the 10" tool and report back on your next $10 a panel job. I can make a 10" tool really light.
Rent? just cut back the PBR budget, that glided tool is less than a PMF detailer with hide-a-hose, and would pay for it's self on the first hour of the first job.
DRScrivner
Member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2007
- Messages
- 385
Hey now!RCTPKS said:
Desk Jockey
Member
Del,
Not that kinda Cowboy!
Come on now, I've got my Ariats on you know what I meant! :wink:
Not that kinda Cowboy!
Come on now, I've got my Ariats on you know what I meant! :wink:
DRScrivner
Member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2007
- Messages
- 385
It's cool I just have to hassle you (you can buy me a beer if you ever make it to Tombstone). That is the Cowboy, Redneck, Outlaw, Renegade, Rebel- whatever you want to call it reputation.
I call it a "John Wayne" move.
My ex-fiance hated it when she would just go off and make decisions by herself that affected both of us I always called her "Jane Wayne" (no her name is not Jane).
I call it a "John Wayne" move.
My ex-fiance hated it when she would just go off and make decisions by herself that affected both of us I always called her "Jane Wayne" (no her name is not Jane).
