Fall has hit Bellingham; the leaves are dropping from the trees in my back yard, and the rains have begun. That means the grass is turning green again, but it also means some fall maintenance is in order.
If your siding is looking a little dusty after the summer, you may be thinking about power washing it to refresh its appearance. Power washers (also called pressure washers) are just that - power. If you haven't used one before, you may want to hire a professional to do it. But if you plan on doing it yourself, first practice on something less likely to be damaged, such as a driveway. Here are some other tips:
If your siding is looking a little dusty after the summer, you may be thinking about power washing it to refresh its appearance. Power washers (also called pressure washers) are just that - power. If you haven't used one before, you may want to hire a professional to do it. But if you plan on doing it yourself, first practice on something less likely to be damaged, such as a driveway. Here are some other tips:
- If you've got siding, check your warranty before turning on the water. Not all siding stands up well to power washing. In fact, if you've got LP Smartside on your home, using a power washer can void the warranty. LP's care and maintenance instructions specifically say"Do not use a pressure washer." Some thinner vinyl siding products don't hold up well to pressure washing either.
- Before you start washing, inspect your siding for any loose areas. Loose siding is damage waiting to happen; a shot from a power washer could dislodge it completely, possibly damaging the under structure.
- If your siding is painted, check for cracked or flaking paint. Power washing will only loosen that paint further. Damaged paint should be taken care of before winter, so if you do observe paint failure, we recommend you have a professional painting contractor take over at this point.
Comment Response 07/20/17
Michael - in response to your comment, first it depends on what type of siding you have, and second on what your goal is. If you have vinyl siding you're simply trying to clean, you can get a good result by using the high pressure nozzle on your garden hose. But we recommend that you first pretreat with a product called Jomax. You can apply this with a garden sprayer - it will make it much easier to remove the grime with your hose.
On the other hand, if you have wood siding, we do recommend power washing because soft washing is not as effective at removing embedded grime, and it takes longer. Also, we power wash when we're trying to remove failed coatings. A pressure washer in the hands of a trained professional should not cause any damage. Used by an amateur, on the other hand...
On the other hand, if you have wood siding, we do recommend power washing because soft washing is not as effective at removing embedded grime, and it takes longer. Also, we power wash when we're trying to remove failed coatings. A pressure washer in the hands of a trained professional should not cause any damage. Used by an amateur, on the other hand...
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