Pressure washing for driveways, patios, decking and render

Moss, algae and ground-in dirt make hard surfaces look tired and, when they're wet, slippery. How we clean each one depends on what it's made of, because the wrong pressure on the wrong surface does damage that doesn't wash out.

Surface by surface

• Block paving: we wash the moss and weeds out of the joints, then brush kiln-dried sand back in once the surface is dry. Skip the re-sanding and weeds come back faster, and blocks can start to shift.
• Patios and paths: stone, concrete and porcelain each take a different pressure. Softer stone such as sandstone marks if it's blasted, so we go gently.
• Tarmac: once it's clean, a sound but faded tarmac drive can be recoated with a tarmac restorer to bring the colour back. It won't fix potholes or crumbling edges, and we'll tell you if a drive needs resurfacing instead.
• Decking: too much pressure lifts the grain and leaves the boards furry, so decking gets a lower setting and a slower pass.
• Render: never blasted. We use a gentle, low-pressure method, because high pressure can damage render and force water behind it.

What affects the price

We price each job after a look, because two drives of the same size can take very different amounts of work.

• The area, and the type of surface.
• How dirty it is, and how much moss is in the joints.
• Materials: kiln-dried sand for block paving, restorer for tarmac.
• An outside tap we can use, and room to set up the kit.

On the day

Please move cars off the drive and close nearby windows. Pressure washing throws up spray and grit, so we rinse down doors, walls and paths as we go, and leave the pavement clean. Block paving is re-sanded once it's dry, which can mean coming back a day or two later.

How long it stays clean

Moss and algae do come back. How quickly depends mostly on shade and damp: a shaded drive under trees, or a north-facing patio, goes green again sooner than one in full sun.

Questions