Can you power wash a lime stone siding on a house?
You can, but only if it’s done so by soft washing first and then power washing to rinse at a pressure that’s kept in check.
You see, limestones, even though they are a much harder surface than vinyl or Hardiplank, are still soft. The top coating layers of the limestone can still be chipped by power washing or pressure washing. If you were to chip the top layer of the limestone siding, you would cause the limestone to erode much quicker.
Why is this?
It’s because the layers underneath the limestones are extremely porous. The more that bottom layer is exposed, the faster it erodes.
As a result, when power washing of your house is done incorrectly, it will damage the foundations.
If we are to pressure wash the limestone siding, we need to do it safely and at a controlled pressure level.
In this case study, we’ll show you how the limestone siding came out with soft washing and a gentle power washing.
We are able to control the pressure by using different washing tips.
Pressure washing tips come in different-sized orifices.
The larger the orifice, the weaker the pressure.
The smaller the orifice, the stronger the pressure.
Take your garden hose and try this out. Make sure you do not have a sprayer attached.
Now hold your with a slight opening where the water is coming out of the hose. Push down on it a bit and you can see, you’ve just created some pressure.
This is how pressure washing tips work.
When it comes to power washing a house, we use large orifice-size nozzles. This helps us put out a large volume of water to rinse off the soft washing soap solution.
This Case Study Is Based On A Home In The Great Hills Area Of Austin TX, 78759 and 78750
Our team at Full Color Cleaners has washed many homes in the Great Hills area and the types of siding in this area are either a brick or limestone combination with vinyl, hardi, or wood.
Pressure washing houses that are a mix of limestones and vinyl, hardi, or wood, require us to use softer methods with regulation on the pressure.
WE use a mixture of soft washing and pressure washing to give this property an incredible like new finish.
Let’s dive deeper.
Before We Start Soft Washing and Power Washing Of The Limestone House:
Before we start any project, it is always important to understand what our customer needs are.
Why is our client getting this done? What level of cleanliness are they looking for? And how can we set proper expectations?
Our client hasn’t had her house washed ever in the time that she has lived there. The house was a mix of painted wooden siding and limestones.
Her reason for considering the house wash now? She wanted to bring the home back to life with a house wash. The level of cleanliness is to make the house look perfectly new!
We set expectations that some stains may not come off on the limestones since it had been so long.
Organic stains and dark stains can become permanent due to chemical reactions. So we want to promise the best, but our client must understand, there may be pernanent stains in areas.
We also want to let the client know that windows should always be cleaned after a limestone soft washing. The amount of debris and soap solution can cause permanent stains to the windows.
We highly suggest to clean your windows after every house washing.
Our Soft House Power Washing Process And How We Got The Limestones Looking Perfect!
Our house-washing process starts with property and plant protection.
One key thing to a proper soft house power washing is to make sure all:
- Plants are covered and thoroughly watered throughout the process.
- Stained and bright-colored doors are covered and taped in painter’s plastic.
- Electrical outlets and electrical units are taped off and covered in painter’s plastic.
- Keyholes are taped off to prevent rusting inside.
Once we’ve finished caring for everything, we will set up and start washing the house.
We tackled the difficult stuff first and that was the limestone. Because the limestone has so much organic growth, we had to use a strong house-washing mix.
We water the grass and plants and apply the soap solution with our soft wash system. This allows us to evenly distribute the solution throughout the limestone’s surface.
The solution is then left to dwell for 15 minutes and then rinsed off lightly with our power washer with a soft tip.
The pressure is never any more than 80-120 PSI. This is safe for all soft surfaces.
We’ve repeated this process several times until we achieve the end result.
After we’ve gotten the limestone washed and perfectly cleaned, we continue soft washing the rest of the house.
To our amazement, the limestone came out perfect. There weren’t any permanent stains and the house looks like new.
Check out the results for yourself!
Conclusion OF Our Case Study
Limestones can be washed. But please, be very gentle and delicate with these types of surfaces.
We highly recommend leaving it to a professional to handle these types of siding with care.
Always use the right pressure when power washing or pressure washing. And always opt for soft washing when it comes to delicate surfaces.
Check out our article on soft washing vs pressure washing to understand more about their differences.
If you’re looking for a local pressure washing company in Austin TX, give Full Color Cleaners a call today!
About the Author
Benjamin Nguyen, the esteemed owner of Full Color Cleaners LLC, has garnered significant recognition for his company’s exemplary services in window cleaning and pressure washing, making them one of the Top Rated Exterior Cleaning companies in Austin, TX. Full Color Cleaners commendations are not only from renowned platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Super Pages but also include prestigious recognitions as one of the “10 Best Austin Window Washers” by FreshChalk.com and “Best Window Washing Services in Austin” by Expertise.com. Beyond this, Benjamin’s expertise extends to specialized areas such as soft washing, roof washing, and Christmas Lights Installation, with the latter backed by his membership in CLIPA. His dedication to continuous learning is evident through his annual certifications and affiliations with Pressure Washing Schools. Notably, Benjamin’s commitment to excellence in exterior cleaning is further solidified by his status as an F9 Authorize Handler, showcasing his proficiency in handling commercial chemicals.
One of the pivotal moments in Benjamin’s career trajectory was his association with the Home Service Business Coaching (HSBC) Program, steered by David James Moerman. Under David’s mentorship, Benjamin honed his business acumen, propelling Full Color Cleaners to its current stature as one of Austin’s top-rated window cleaning and pressure washing enterprises. David Moerman, a successful entrepreneur himself, has publicly endorsed Benjamin’s dedication and vision for his business. For those seeking to connect with Benjamin or learn more about Full Color Cleaners, he maintains an active presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Yelp, and Indeed.
Benjamin Nguyen Contact Info:
benjamin@fullcolorcleaners.com
512-883-2807
fullcolorcleaners.com
