Pressure washing is an important step to take before any exterior painting project, as well as something that should be done once or twice a year to remove dirt, dust, and mildew from your home or commercial building. Doing so will keep your property well protected and beautiful. However, the pressure washing process doesn’t always go as planned, especially if you’re inexperienced. Sometimes, stains or marks are left over after the fact, and resolving these issues will factor into your total exterior painting cost. What causes these marks and stains, and what should you do if this happens to your exterior?
Too Much Pressure Can Cause Problems
What makes pressure washing so effective is, unsurprisingly, the pressure. This strong stream is integral for removing stubborn bacteria and dirt. However, too much pressure can also lead to problems for your exterior, actually tearing away at the paint, coating, or material itself. This damage may come in the form of peeling, spalling, or staining. If you’re hiring exterior painters, getting rid of this old paint is actually part of the process so the new paint can be applied. But if you’re only aiming to clean the surface, you don’t want to damage the paint job, and you certainly don’t want to harm the material itself. Be mindful of the PSI you’re using when pressure washing your exterior, as well as your distance from the surface. Also, make sure the surface can withstand the pressure.
Detergent Dangers
Pressure washing is only truly effective with the addition of a proper cleaning solution. You can’t take a good shower without soap or clean the dishes without detergent. The challenge here, though, is choosing the right detergent for your pressure washer and the surface you’re cleaning. If you choose chemicals that naturally erode your surface’s material, you can do serious damage to your property beyond just leaving unsightly stains and marks. Even the best exterior house painters might not be able to cover up these mistakes.
Improper Drying
After you’re done pressure washing your home or building, the surface must dry completely before painting it. If the surface dries improperly, however, you may be left with water marks and stains. Improper drying might occur for a number of reasons, such as high relative humidity levels in the atmosphere or too much or too little cleaning solution used during the washing process. These marks can typically be removed with the right chemicals or covered with paint, but you must know what you’re doing before attempting to resolve the issue. Otherwise, you might make it worse.
Hire the Right Contractor
Anyone can purchase a pressure washer, but it takes knowledge and experience to do the job well. Ultimately, the best way to avoid stains or marks after pressure washing is to hire experienced, reliable pressure washing experts from the outset. These may even be your residential or commercial painting contractors. For instance, at All American Painting Plus, our team isn’t just skilled at painting homes and buildings, but also pressure washing and repair work. To learn more about all that we can do for our clients in Northern Virginia, give us a call at (703)-620-5563!
