IS PRESSURE WASHING IS NECESSARY FOR A LASTING PAINT JOB?
One question we get from home and business owners all the time is simply “Do I have to wash before I paint?” Our answer is simple: YES!
If you ask for exterior estimates from 10 different painting companies, you will probably receive 10 different opinions on how best to prepare your home or business before painting. In fact, you may hear a thing or two that are in stark contrast to the things listed here. We offer you the most effective paint preparation techniques for the cost.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRESSURE WASHING, HIGH PRESSURE WASHING, SOFT WASHING?
All washing techniques have their place when it comes to residential and commercial cleaning. Some are specific use cases, like you would use high pressure for a roof wash and you wouldn’t use a soft wash for concrete.
We recommend homes and commercial properties to always use a soft wash for general cleaning and in preparation for painting. Soft washing is safer and is done to clean only. We only use high pressure washing for masonry and hard surfaces, this would be concrete driveways, patios, pool decks, stone walls, brick, and in some cases, traditional stucco (Not EIFS).
High-pressure washing with hot water is also good for commercial washing. Usual commercial washing applications would be kitchen hoods and floors, dumpster pads, sidewalks from the kitchen area and public sidewalks. The heat aids in the breakdown of the grease and chemical build-up, normal in public commercial properties. Read more at our Blog…
CLEANED SURFACES ADHERE BETTER
While there are plenty of benefits to “prep work” – a term that can loosely describe a number of preparation techniques, but with exterior painting, it should almost always includes pressure washing – there is really only one reason that it is considered to be a standard practice: Longer-lasting paint.
It seems obvious, but painting a surface that has been exposed to the elements for years would be like setting your campsite on an uneven patch of ground: Uncomfortable, uneven, and much more likely to slide around. Pressure washing the exterior before painting removes the layer of dust, dirt, mildew, and more that has accumulated naturally over the years, exposing the old paint that will be covered up, which makes a strong bond for the new paint and, therefore, causes your investment to last longer.
WASHING, NOT STRIPPING
You’ll notice that above we didn’t say remove the old paint through pressure washing. While stripping off your current paint to expose the siding or wall beneath may seem logical, this isn’t actually a wise idea at all. There are certain siding materials that will require some stripping to create an effective paint job, but that should be seen as a separate step that comes after pressure washing, and usually is done only in isolated areas.
While a pressure washer can easily strip paint, it will likely take with it far more than just a layer of two of paint; any attempts to strip paint with a pressure washer will almost certainly leave lasting damages to the surface beneath that will not be covered up by a new paint job. If you’ve ever seen odd wavy dips in a wooden siding or deep canals carved into a brick or cement wall, they were likely caused by a pressure washer used by an untrained hand.
GET A PROFESSIONAL IF YOU EXPECT PROFESSIONAL RESULTS.
Pressure washing, whether before a paint job or protect your home midway through the paint’s life, is not something you should trust to just anyone with the equipment – especially a DIYer; get in touch with Carolina Painting and Pressure Cleaning instead. They are experienced and knowledgeable in the world of washing. The team at Carolina Painting & Pressure Cleaning are well-versed on when and how to best use the power of water to brighten your world.