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Quality Pressure Washing With Great Results
It's that time of year, homeowners are looking to clean up, and pressure-wash their property. Some do it to clean things up, and others might be going a step further with painting or staining, depending on the application.
We've been around a long time and have become known as a highly reputable company that offers Pressure Washing Services. Anyone can pressure wash as long as a pressure washer is available. Still, it does take a sharp eye and much care to do an excellent and clean job, obviously depending on what's being pressure washed, of course.Pressure washing jobs come to us at all times throughout the year. Still, it's usually between March and May when a lot of our prep-for-painting pressure washing jobs come in as property owners take advantage of the beautiful weather. Over the last few years, it has become harder for people to get pressure washing done during the summer season due to the water restrictions across British Columbia. Water restrictions are generally the same across the board, with minor variations between Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and surrounding municipalities.
One of our latest Pressure Washing jobs was in Chilliwack. A homeowner wanted to get their balcony and steps pressure washed in preparation for re-staining. Something important to keep in mind when doing a job like this is that you want to remove as much of the previous material as possible, whether it's paint or stain. The typical case is that the earlier surface material becomes flaky, in which case you want to get it to the point where nothing lifts off of the wood.
Below are some of the many problems many homeowners face. Even if they are a DIY person, or perhaps having hired someone unfamiliar with the finer details of pressure washing.
Banding:
Who loves stripes? There's nothing like seeing strips of inadequately cleaned surfaces.
Banding is the visual result when lines, whether thick or thin, are seen and appear as multiple misses, which is what they are. A common occurrence when someone is unable to find and maintain the perfect distance between the pressure washing tip and the surface. It's also a result of either rushing and poor swiping technique.
The Beaver Effect:
Let's take a few chunks out of that beautiful deck? How about no.
Most homeowners and some companies that offer pressure washing will either have a low-pressure electric or a reasonable gas pressure washer. For those who have a bit more kick with higher PSI, there is a risk of damage as the water pressure can take chunks out of the wood.
The biggest no-no when pressure washing a wood surface is holding the tip too close to the wooden surface before pulling the trigger. Being too close to the wood surface and then pulling the trigger will dig into the wood with much force, either ripping the grain or, worse, take chunks out.
The Garden Massacre:
Drown those flowers with a little touch of mud and then stomp all over them. Is what some people do, but not us.
A garden is something that should be taken care of, those who have a garden can appreciate this. The last thing you want is to have someone flood the yard, have mud thrown all over those beautiful flowers, and have them stomped on.
Gardens are usually affected when the person pressure washing isn't taking the necessary care needed. House siding and walkways are common areas where surrounding gardens become affected. Siding because the lower you get to the ground, most cases it's dirt, the more pressurized water bounces off the ground, digging into the mud and covering all surrounding plants. Walkways are especially troublesome for people since you're aiming downwards on the path, which in most cases, goes from the sidewalk to dirt. So, unless you have a steady hand and a careful eye, you might end up pressure washing the soil more than the walkway. It does happen and is more common than you think.
Another factor is pressure. "With great power comes great responsibility," yes, I had to throw the famous Ben Parker quote in there from Spider-Man. It's true, though, maximum pressure and dirt do not mix, especially when gardens are involved.
Finding the right tip pressure ensures that cleaned areas do not affect the surrounding plant life too much. Dirt is bound to shoot out and cover plants, there's no way around this, but upon completion, who's to say the garden doesn't deserve a light rinse afterward.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. We are hoping to build our blog up, covering various topics, as well as maintaining a portfolio for you all to view. We do everything, and we work not only for homeowners but also for retail and commercial clients as well.
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