The Basics of Pressure Washing

Pressure washing your external sidings before painting them allows you to remove grease grime, pollutants, and caulking adhering to your exterior walls. If you use the proper cleaning solution you can also remove spores and mold. You can paint your exterior without cleaning the sidings first; the paint will apply well, adhere well, and look good, but the job won't last as long as paint applied after the sidings are cleaned.

 While cleaning the exterior of your house by hand is superior to pressure washing, you need to be realistic. Cleaning your home's exterior by hand is a long painstaking process. On the other hand, pressure washing does an adequate job and will provide a clean base for your paint job. If the PSI is set high enough, power washing can also be used to clean off old layers of paint; however, keep in mind that the pressure needed to remove paint, might damage your home's exterior.

Pressure washing is accomplished in four steps. In step 1, the pressure washer blows away external grime such as dust, spider webs, leaves, and other adherent dirt. In the next stage, a cleaning solution is sprayed onto the siding from the bottom up, using a plastic sprayer. Combinations of cleaner and bleach are effective in killing mold and mildew. The solution should be allowed to sit on the siding for at least 10 minutes, but not long enough to dry. This is followed by wash down with the pressure washer. After rinsing, the siding should be allowed to dry for 48 hours, but no longer than 2 weeks. During this interval the paint can be scraped away, if needed. You are now ready to paint the exterior. If there is a delay of more than 2 weeks after the rinsing, it should be repeated and allowed to dry before applying the paint.

If you don't have the time or equipment to do thepressure washing yourself, contact an exterior painting and or local landscaping company to do the job for you.

The Turf Barbers is a landscaping company located in Yorktown Heights, NY. They offer pressure washing and panting to residences in Westchester and Putnam Counties.For more information call 914 302 2469, or visit the website at http://www.theturfbarbers.com/Deck_Restorations.php