Pressure is chosen for the surface, not the stain
The fastest way to ruin a surface is to attack it with the highest pressure available. Concrete tolerates a great deal; sandstone, render, painted surfaces, pavers with sand joints, timber decking and older mortar do not. Too much pressure on the wrong surface strips the finish, opens the grain, blows out jointing sand and leaves permanent wand marks in straight lines that are far more obvious than the grime that was there before.
We set pressure, nozzle and technique to the substrate, and on many surfaces the right answer is lower pressure combined with a pre-treatment and dwell time. Organic growth in particular — the black and green film that builds up on Sydney’s shaded southern-facing paths and driveways — responds far better to correct chemistry than to brute force, and stays gone for longer.
What we clean
- Driveways, paths, ramps and pedestrian entries
- Car parks, loading docks and basement levels
- Bin and garbage room floors and surrounds
- Building facades, awnings, soffits and signage
- Common area paving, courtyards and pool surrounds
- Shopfronts, footpath frontages and outdoor dining areas
Run-off, access and disruption
Pressure washing produces contaminated water, and where that water goes is a genuine compliance question rather than an afterthought. Bin room and food-area wash-down in particular carries organic load that should not simply be flushed into stormwater. We contain and manage run-off appropriately for the site and the surface being cleaned.
Access is the other half of the job. Car parks and driveways have to be sectioned and worked in stages so a building is never fully blocked, and residents or staff need to know in advance which bay or entry is out of use and when. On strata and retail sites this is usually the difference between a job that generates complaints and one nobody notices except for the result.
One-off restoration or a scheduled cycle
Pressure washing works either as a one-off restoration — before a sale, after construction, ahead of an inspection or an open day — or as a periodic line item inside a larger cleaning contract.
For strata and commercial sites the scheduled approach is usually cheaper over time. Growth and traffic film removed annually takes a fraction of the work of a surface left for five years, and the surface itself lasts longer for not having to be attacked when it is finally addressed.