Pressure Washing in Newcastle
Newcastle & Coastal Specialists

What a wash fixes and what it does not

A wash is not a cure for everything. Here is where it helps.

It lifts mould, algae and the green film that grows on shaded walls. It takes off salt haze, road grime and cobwebs. It shifts oil spots on a drive, though old ones may only fade.

It will not fix paint that has failed. If the coat is flaking, bubbling or comes off as chalk on your hand, water will just take more of it off. That wall needs prep and a fresh coat.

It will not mend cracks in render or rust that has eaten into metal. Those need repair first.

It will not bring back colour that the sun has bleached out. Faded paint is faded for good.

The good news is that a lot of walls that look worn are just dirty. A wash brings them back for far less than a repaint. We will tell you which one yours is.

Soft wash or high pressure

Not every wall wants the same tool. The wrong one does harm.

High pressure suits hard, solid things. Drives, paths, brick and stone can all take it. The dirt sits on top and comes off fast.

Soft wash suits the rest. Painted walls, render, timber decks and roof tiles get a gentle spray. A mix does the work instead of force.

Timber is the one people get wrong most. Too much pressure lifts the grain and leaves fur on the board. That has to be sanded back before you can seal it.

Roofs need care too. Old tiles crack and bed mortar washes out. We keep it low and work down the slope, never up under the lap.

We match the tool to the job, not the other way round. If a wall cannot take a wash, we say so.

How we protect your plants and windows

A wash sends water and grit wide. Most of the harm comes from not planning for that.

We wet your garden beds first. Damp soil takes far less of the mix than dry soil does. Beds close to the wall get a sheet as well.

We shut windows and check the seals. Old frames can let water in at the edge, so those get taped.

Power points get taped over. So do light fittings and any open vent near the ground.

We check where the water will run before we start. It should go to a drain. Not into a bed, under the house, or over next door’s path.

Cars, seats and the grill are best moved. If they cannot move, we cover them.

After the job we rinse the beds and paths. That clears what is left.

What to do before we arrive

A little prep from you makes the day go fast.

Move the cars off the drive and away from the wall.

Bring in mats, pads and light things that blow about.

Close each window and lock it. A latched window still lets water past.

Take the washing off the line and shut the shed.

Keep pets in for the day. The noise puts most of them off, and wet ground is slick.

Tell us about any leak you already know about. A window that drips in heavy rain will drip under a hose too. We would rather work around it than find it the hard way.

Signs your place needs a wash

You do not need a pro to spot most of these.

Look at the shaded side of the house. If the wall has gone grey, green or black in patches, that is growth, not paint wear.

Run a hand down a sunny wall. If it comes back with white powder on it, that is chalk. A wash takes it off, though a wall that chalks a lot is telling you the coat is old.

Check the path and the drive. Dark green film near a downpipe or under a tree is slick when wet. That one is a trip risk, not just a look.

Look up at the gutter line. Dirt streaks running down the wall from the gutter mean it is spilling somewhere.

Look at the fence and the deck. Timber that has gone grey and rough has lost its top layer. A wash and a seal will bring it back.

If your place is near the sea, run a finger along a window frame. Salt leaves a fine grit that you can feel more than see.

Should you hire a machine and do it yourself

Plenty of people do, and for a small path it is fine. Here is where it goes wrong.

Hire units are strong. Held too close, they carve lines into soft brick, strip paint off a wall and leave fur on timber. Those marks do not wash out.

Height is the real risk. Most harm we get called to fix came from someone on a ladder with a wand. The kick from the hose is what pushes people off.

Water under a lap is the other one. Aim up under a roof tile or a weatherboard and it goes straight into the roof space or the wall. You will not see it for weeks.

Mixes matter too. The wrong cleaner burns plants, stains a drive or takes the sheen off a painted wall.

A drive or a small path is a fair job to take on. Walls, roofs and decks are worth handing over.

What happens to the water

A wash uses a fair bit of water, and where it goes matters.

We aim run off to a drain or a lawn, never straight into a garden bed. Beds get wet first and rinsed after so nothing sits on the roots.

We keep it off next door. That means checking the fall of your block before we start, not after.

We use the lowest strength mix that will do the job. More is not better, and it costs you nothing to do it right.

Roof work needs care with gutters. We check the downpipes are clear so the wash does not push grit into a tank or a drain.

If you are on tank water, tell us. We will shut the diverter before we start and let you know when it is safe to open again.

What a wash costs you in time

Most jobs take less time than people think.

A drive or a path is often done in half a day.

A single storey house takes most of a day for the walls.

A deck is a half day to wash, then it has to dry before any seal goes on.

A roof is a day on its own, and it is the one job we never rush.

You do not need to be home for the whole thing. We just need a tap, a way in and a spot to park.

The wet look fades as it dries. Give a wall a day of sun before you judge the result.

Why we wash before we paint

This is the step that gets skipped most, and it is the one that costs you later.

Paint sticks to a clean, sound wall. It does not stick to salt, chalk, mould or dust.

A wall that looks clean can still hold a fine film you cannot see. Run a cloth over it and you will find it.

If we paint over that film, the coat sits on the dirt, not the wall. It lifts at the edges within a year or two.

So a wash is part of a paint quote for us, not a sell up. If your wall needs it, it is in the price.

The wall also has to dry right through before we start. That wait is not us being slow. It is what makes the coat last.

When you can book a wash

Washing is not open for booking on its own just yet. We are building the crew and the kit for it now.

You can still get it two ways. If we are quoting a paint job, we can include the wash as part of the prep, because a clean wall is where a good coat starts.

Or you can ask us to put you on the list. Send the form with a note about what needs washing, and we will come back to you when dates open.

There is no deposit and no obligation in joining the list. It just means you hear first.