The right pressure, not the most

High Pressure Cleaning

Anyone can point a lance at a driveway. Doing it without leaving zebra stripes, gouged mortar, cut sandstone or blown render is a matter of matching pressure, flow, nozzle and technique to what you are standing on.

Think Brick accredited
Fully insured
20+ years experience

Think Brick accredited

Fully insured

20+ years experience

Illawarra to the Highlands

Quick answer

What pressure is safe for cleaning different surfaces?

Concrete and hard paving generally tolerate 3,000–4,000 psi with a rotary surface cleaner, brick and pavers sit lower, and render, painted surfaces, timber, sandstone and roof tiles should be soft washed under about 500 psi instead. Water flow in litres per minute matters more than raw pressure for cleaning speed, and a wide fan at correct standoff distance prevents the striping caused by narrow nozzles held too close.

At a glance

Concrete & hard paving: 3,000–4,000 psi, surface cleaner
Render, paint, timber, tile roofs: Soft wash, under ~500 psi
Water use: Managed runoff and containment on request
Access: Ground level to high-rise

Flow beats pressure

Most people judge a pressure cleaner by its psi figure. In practice the litres per minute a machine moves does more of the work — pressure breaks the bond, water volume carries the debris away. A high-pressure, low-flow domestic unit will take four hours to do badly what a high-flow commercial machine does properly in one.

It is also why a rotary surface cleaner produces a clean, even finish on a driveway and a hand lance produces stripes. The surface cleaner keeps standoff distance and dwell time constant across the whole slab.

Where high pressure is the right tool

Concrete driveways, paths, aprons and crossovers
Paved courtyards, alfresco areas and pool surrounds
Car parks, loading docks, warehouse floors and factory hardstand
Retaining walls, blockwork and unpainted masonry
Fences and boundary walls with sound surfaces
Plant, trucks, machinery and workshop floors

Where it is the wrong tool

Roof tiles, render, painted walls, weatherboard, fibre cement, timber decking, sandstone and older brickwork should all be soft washed. High pressure on any of them removes material along with the dirt — and on a roof, drives water under the tiles and into the ceiling.

We will tell you when the surface you have asked us to blast should be soft washed instead. That conversation costs you nothing and saves the repair.

Coverage

Where we do high pressure cleaning

Illawarra

Wollongong · Shellharbour · Albion Park · Dapto · Kiama · Shell Cove

Shoalhaven

Nowra · Bomaderry · Vincentia · Huskisson · Berry · Culburra Beach · Ulladulla

Southern Highlands

Bowral · Mittagong · Moss Vale · Bundanoon

Sutherland Shire

Helensburgh · Engadine · Sutherland · Cronulla

Based at Warilla. Everything from Helensburgh to Ulladulla and inland to the Southern Highlands is inside our normal working area.

FAQ

High Pressure Cleaning — questions we get asked

How much does pressure cleaning cost?

Most residential driveways and paths sit in a few hundred dollars, driven by area, how heavily soiled the surface is, how much prep is needed and site access. Whole-house exteriors, commercial car parks and heavily oil-stained hardstand are quoted on inspection. We quote on the actual job rather than a rate card because a shaded, mossy driveway is a completely different job to a sunny one of the same size.

Will pressure cleaning damage my concrete?

Sound concrete handles it. Concrete that is already spalling, has exposed aggregate popping out, or was poorly finished with weak surface laitance can lose material. We check the slab first and drop pressure or switch method where the surface will not take it.

Do you use my water?

Usually yes, from an outside tap, and it is a small fraction of what people expect. Where there is no supply, or where runoff has to be captured for environmental compliance on commercial sites, we bring our own tank and containment.

What are the stripes left on my driveway from the last clean?

Lance marks, from cleaning with a narrow nozzle by hand without keeping standoff distance and overlap consistent. They can normally be evened out by re-cleaning the whole slab correctly with a surface cleaner.

Keep reading

Need high pressure cleaning quoted?

Call 0448 882 780 or send photos through the quote form. We will tell you what the job needs and what it will cost, including when the honest answer is that you do not need us.

0448 882 780 Free quote