Professional pressure washing
Washing is either its own job or the first day of a painting job. Siding, brick, driveways, walkways, patios, decks and commercial building exteriors. The pressure and the method get matched to the surface, because the setting that cleans concrete will chew up wood and force water behind siding.
Serving Wilmington, northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. See every area we cover.
What the job covers
- House siding, brick and stone
- Driveways, walkways, steps and patios
- Decks, porches and fencing
- Commercial building exteriors
- Pressure matched to the surface rather than turned up
- Planting and openings protected before we start
How it runs
Identify the surface
Wood, vinyl, stucco, brick and concrete all want different handling. That gets decided before the trigger is pulled.
Protect
Planting, light fittings, vents and openings get covered.
Wash
Worked methodically so the surface comes up evenly rather than in stripes.
Check it with you
We walk it with you at the end. If it is prep for painting, this is where we confirm the paint schedule too.
Surfaces we wash, and at what pressure
The machine is the same on every job. The pressure, the tip and the distance are not, and getting that combination wrong does damage no amount of paint will hide afterwards.
Vinyl siding
Cleans easily and is the surface most often damaged by washing. Water driven upward under a lap goes behind the siding and stays there, which is a problem that shows up months later as a stain or a smell rather than on the day.
Stucco
Porous and easy to scar permanently. Stucco with hairline cracking will take water straight in if the pressure is too high, so it is cleaned at low pressure from a distance and given time rather than force.
Brick and stone
The masonry is hard and the mortar between it is not. Old lime mortar washes out under a pressure the brick itself shrugs off, which is why older walls are washed differently from a 1990s facade.
Wood
Decks, porches, fences and wood siding. Wood raises and furs when it is washed too hard, and a deck cleaned at the wrong pressure needs sanding before it can be stained, which turns one job into two.
Concrete, pavers and walkways
Driveways, walkways, steps and patios take the pressure that nothing else on the property can, which is precisely why the same setting cannot be carried back to the house.
Commercial elevations
Building faces, loading areas, dumpster surrounds and frontages, washed outside trading hours where the business needs it that way.
Washing as the first day of a paint job
A good share of the washing we do is not a job of its own. It is day one of an exterior repaint, and it is the day that decides whether the coating stays on.
Chalk, dirt and mildew
Paint does not bond to any of them. Aging aluminum and older latex chalk heavily, and a wall that leaves a mark on your hand will leave the new coating hanging on that mark instead of on the siding.
Drying time before paint
The wash and the first coat are not the same day. How long in between depends on the material, the weather and which elevation it is, and the north side takes longest.
One crew, one schedule
When the wash is preparation for a repaint, it is quoted and scheduled as part of that job. Nobody waits on a separate contractor and nobody argues about whose responsibility the surface was.
Common questions
Will pressure washing damage my siding?
Not at the right pressure. Vinyl is the surface most often damaged by washing, because water driven upward under a lap goes behind the siding and stays there. The pressure and the tip get matched to the surface rather than turned up.
Can stucco be pressure washed?
Yes, at low pressure and from a distance. Stucco is porous and easy to scar, and stucco carrying hairline cracks will take water straight in if the pressure is too high.
Do you wash before painting?
Every time. On an exterior repaint the wash is day one of the paint job, and it is quoted as part of that work rather than as a separate visit.
How long after washing can the house be painted?
Not the same day. How long depends on the material, the weather and which elevation it is. The north side and anything under mature trees takes the longest.
Do you wash driveways and patios?
Yes. Driveways, walkways, steps and patios take a pressure that nothing else on the property can, which is exactly why that setting does not get carried back to the house.
Where we wash
Washing suits every kind of house we work on, which makes it the service with the widest spread. The vinyl sided development housing through Bear, Glasgow and Brookside cleans down easily and is also the stock most often damaged by somebody doing it too hard.
On the Delaware County, Pennsylvania side, Aston, Brookhaven and Ridley Park are post-war housing under mature planting, where the shaded elevations hold moss and algae and stay damp. The older brick, stone and stucco in Upland and Marcus Hook wants the opposite treatment, low pressure and patience, and the mortar decides the setting rather than the masonry.
The same equipment goes out across New Castle County and Chester County.
What customers say
96+ reviews on Google at a 5.0 average, quoted on our reviews page as they were written.
Get a free estimate
Tell us about the project. We assess it in person, or online when that suits the job, and your written proposal follows promptly. Call or use the form, whichever is easier.