01Advice
What pressure washing removes from stone and terraces
A layer builds up on an exterior surface over time: salt, dust, green growth in the damp and shaded parts, and the marks the rain leaves.
High pressure takes that layer off, without grinding the surface and without aggressive chemicals. What it does not do matters just as much.
What washing does not bring back
A surface that has been neglected for years will not look new afterwards. High pressure removes deposits; it does not restore colour the stone has lost to the sun and it does not repair a joint that has crumbled.
If you expect washing to restore the stone, that is a different service and a different trade, and it is better to know before the job is booked.
Dubrovnik stone and what collects on it
Terraces and staircases here are mostly limestone, polished, brushed or tumbled. Within a few hundred metres of the sea the stone whitens over the winter with salt carried in on the jugo, the damp southerly wind; on north-facing, shaded sides and along a wall where water stands, algae turn it green; dust brought by the bura settles into every pore.
Polished stone holds the least and washes most easily. Brushed and tumbled stone have pores and texture that keep the deposit, so they take a slower pass and more rinsing.
Joints: cement or lime
On older houses the joints are often lime mortar, softer than cement, and they open up under full pressure. So a few joints are checked before starting, and the jet goes in at an angle, never straight into the joint.
If a joint has already crumbled, washing opens it further. We tell you that when we look at it, before anything starts.
Stone and concrete pavers are not the same pressure
Concrete pavers take full pressure and a hard jet. On stone the work is done from further away and with the flat-surface attachment, because too close the jet leaves stripes and bites into the softer stone.
The FR Classic attachment keeps the same distance from the surface across the whole area, which is what makes the result even. The stripes on a badly washed terrace come from a jet that kept changing its distance.
Cold water and grease
The HD 6/13 C Plus runs on cold water. On greasy deposits, under a barbecue or beside an outdoor kitchen, pressure alone does nothing, so that part is done with steam or an appropriate product before the wash.
What needs watching
- Lighting, drainage and seals nearby: anything that should not take a direct jet.
- Render and painted surfaces are not the same job as stone and are not treated the same way.
- Plants along the edge of the terrace, which the salt and dirty water off the wash can damage.
If something would not take the method, you hear it when we look at the surface.
Shared areas
Entrances, staircases and shared terraces are washed in an announced slot, with residents or guests told in advance, because the surface stays wet and slippery for a while.
Kärcher makes our equipment. We are not a partner or a service centre; we work with their machines.
Related services
Related advice
How big is the terrace, and what is it made of
Tell us the rough area, whether it is stone or concrete and how the joints look, and attach a photograph of the terrace from a distance.
We use your details only to reply to this enquiry.
Or directly by email
[email protected]For a larger property we come and look at the space first; for a single piece of furniture or a carpet a short description is enough.