Have you been considering painting your home’s exterior? Then chances are, you are undoubtedly wondering about how to go about preparing your house for that new coat of paint. Among the most essential things you can do to ensure a flawless paint job is to make sure that both your siding and trim are well prepared to allow for best paint adherence so that it lasts longer. Pressure washing – or power washing – is arguably the most important step in preparing your house for new exterior paint.

Schwartz and Sons is an experienced painting contractor serving Andover MN and the surrounding areas. With over a two decades of experience in preparing houses for painting as well as the actual painting has allowed us to know what to do to meet your exact expectations.

 

What is Power Washing?

Power washing requires the use of high-pressure water sprays to remove loose paint, mold, mud, grime, dust, and dirt from objects and surfaces such as concrete surfaces, buildings and even vehicles. The mechanical pressure washer’s volume is expressed by gallons per minute, which is normally designed onto the pump and is usually not adjustable.

A power washing machine can produce pressures ranging from 750 to 30,000 psi. Pressure surface cleaners typically consists of 2 – 4 high-pressure jets fastened onto a rotating bar that spins when water starts flowing. This motion creates a uniformed cleaning pattern that cleans flat surfaces at a very swift rate.

 

Do You Really Need to Power Wash Your House Before You Paint?

A simple look at your house’s exterior may lead you to believe that it does not need a power wash. However, you will be doing yourself a great disservice if you decide to skip this critical step in the exterior painting procedure. Even though the exterior might look clean enough, appearances can be deceiving. When paint is applied to a surface that has not been thoroughly cleaned, the paint may not stick for long. By procuring thorough professional pressure cleaning, however, you will not only make sure that all kinds of dirt are removed, but it will also clear any old paint, chalking, and/or mildew that might be invisible to the naked eye.

Chalking refers to the broken-down old paint that surfaces due to years of abuse from direct sunlight exposure. When you are looking for signs of chalking, don’t trust your eyes, instead, lick your thumb and pass it over the paint surface. Chances are you will notice a chalky residue on the finger. By attempting to paint over such a surface without pressure cleaning first will considerably lower the effectiveness of the new paint. The same applies for dust and dirt.

The presence of green growth or grey spores around your home is an indication of a mold or mildew. Professional pressure cleaning chemicals can remove these growths to safeguard your new paint. You may think that by just painting over them the problem is solved. But, if you paint over these organic growths, they will eventually grow and eat through the new paint.

Therefore, doing a power wash before you paint is essential for ensuring that the new paint coat properly bonds to your home’s exterior.

What Are the Benefits of Professional Pressure Washing?

Whether you are pressure cleaning wood, vinyl, aluminum, or metal siding prior to starting paint project, contacting a professional exterior painter to power clean your house is recommended over opting to do it yourself. This is because home painters are specialists when it comes to prepping your house for a paint job that lasts for years. These are some of the reasons why you should leave power cleaning to professionals:

 

Professionals Do a More Thorough Wash

Odds are that you have contemplated using your garden hose to clean the exterior. Regrettably, it will not be up to the task. Power washers are much more powerful than any garden hose out there. The fact is, pressure washers can be up to 50 times as powerful as your typical hose. It is this high-pressure quality that makes them the best tool for the job to ensure that all dirt, grime and old paint is completely eliminated.

 

You Need a Proper Wash

Pressure washing providers are equipped with the proper skills and equipment needed to clean every kind of siding. These are experts that use the appropriate tools and cleaning agents specific to each part of your home. By employing the proper power cleaning attachments, they ensure that the water is applied at even pressures on a surface. Additionally, the cleaning agents used safeguard against damage to the siding. But, if you decide to do it yourself, you may not have the necessary knowledge of which proper attachment to use. Therefore, you risk damaging your siding, which results in repair costs as well as having to call in a professional painter to do the job properly.

 

Loose Paint Removal

Removing dirt and grime is one thing, taking care of peeling, flaking, or blistering paint is another. Due to the unevenness of peeling paint, getting rid of the entire original coat can be an arduous task. Professional power washers, however, have a few tricks up their sleeves that they use to remove loose paint without taking a lot of time.

 

Leave Time for Drying

Experience allows a professional painter to know exactly how much time your house needs after power washing before it gets paint. One of the most common reasons behind bad paint jobs is applying paint before the siding is dry enough to receive the paint. Moreover, drying times usually vary between sidings and the type of wash. As such, only a professional would accurately determine when your house exterior is ready for that new coat of paint.

If you are considering getting your home repainted, it is extremely important that you do not skip out on pressure washing. It can be the difference between a shoddy paint job and a work of art that you will be proud of for years.

Schwartz and Sons is one of the leading painting contractors servicing Andover MN. For over a decade, we have been committed to providing stellar residential & commercial power washing and painting services to our esteemed customers. Licensed and insured, we combine our in-depth understanding of your painting requirements with the most modern tools and techniques to give you a service that surpasses your expectations. Moreover, we will consult you during every part of the process as we value your input in addition to seeing to it that the job is completed according to your preferences. Interested in knowing more about our services? Contact us for a free estimate.