Central Arkansas humidity grows mildew on the north side of almost every house. Add pollen in spring, road dust, and the chalky residue that old paint sheds as it ages, and you end up with a surface that new paint physically cannot bond to. Washing is the first step of every exterior job we do, and it is also worth doing on its own.
What we wash
- House siding: vinyl, wood, fiber cement, brick and stucco
- Driveways, sidewalks and patios
- Decks and fences, including pre-stain preparation
- Soffits, eaves, gutters and downspouts
- Porches, columns and exterior stairs
- Outbuildings, workshops and detached garages
Pressure is not the whole answer
A lot of damage gets done by people treating a pressure washer as a blunt instrument. Too much pressure on wood raises the grain and leaves permanent wand marks. Too much pressure on vinyl siding drives water up behind the laps and into the wall. On older mortar it will take the joints out.
The right approach is usually lower pressure and the correct cleaning solution, given time to work. Mildew in particular needs to be killed chemically, not blasted off, or it grows straight back through your new paint within a season. We match the pressure and the solution to the surface rather than turning everything up to maximum.
Before staining a deck or fence
Washing is essential before a deck or fence goes to stain, and the timing matters. Wood needs to dry thoroughly after washing before anything is applied, which in Arkansas humidity can mean several days rather than overnight. We build that into the schedule instead of rushing it, because stain applied to damp wood will not penetrate and will peel.
Call (501) 453-3565 for a free estimate.
