Stone paving often requires a gentle and knowledgeable approach for cleaning.
And we can provide it!
Unlike slabs of concrete, the cleaning and restoring of stone pavement needs some careful consideration before just going at it with a 3000 psi pressure washer. There are a number of factors that have to be taken into account.
Some stone is laid in crushed rock and if you hit it with too much pressure it can potentially undermine the stones.
And even if the stones are mortared onto a slab, heavy washing can possibly destroy the mortar bond that holds it in place. And only a masonry professional should be trusted to take all of these things into consideration when it is time to clean and restore your patio.
Above is a typical restoration project. (By the way, those white spots on the right are dappled sunlight). A job like this can take 4-6 hours because of the hard-to-remove lichen spots we get here in the Pacific Northwest. When the cleaning is complete we apply new jointing sand, of course.
This is a much older patio which is mortared to a slab. The patina on this one was pretty unsightly and required a lot of cleaning. Then began the work of grinding out the old mortar joints followed by applying new dark-tinted grout. This will stay looking nice for years if regular maintenance is continued. In some cases it is best to periodically use a mild acid cleaner to avoid the wear caused by pressure washing regularly.
In this instance you can see up close the black spots that are common to this area. Again, we take care not to blast out too much sand or gravel from between the pavers so as not to undermine anything. Then new sand is swept in the next day after drying has occurred.
Give us a call at 206-618-0558 to schedule a cleaning.
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