Deep Detail
Materials, methods and variations we handle.
Every surface behaves differently under pressure, water temperature and chemistry. Here's the technical detail behind the work, the reason we don't quote sight-unseen for most jobs.
Wall substrates we clean
Standard fired brick is the most common Dorset facade, modern estates in Poole, Bournemouth suburbs, and infill developments. Hand-made and stock brick on older properties is softer and needs correspondingly softer handling. Purbeck stone and Portland stone facades, big presence around Weymouth, Wareham and Swanage, need chemistry chosen for calcareous stone. Reconstituted stone is essentially concrete and takes a firmer approach. Painted masonry is chosen based on the paint film's condition. Rendered brick sits between wall and render territory.
- Standard fired brick facades
- Hand-made and stock brick (period property)
- Purbeck stone and Portland stone
- Reconstituted stone
- Painted masonry
- Rendered brick and lime-plastered walls
Softwash vs pressure blasting
The single fastest way to damage a period brick facade is to point a high-pressure lance at it. It clears the algae, yes, and it also strips the fire-skin off hand-made brick and blows softer lime pointing out of the joints. Softwash uses biocide chemistry with a low-pressure rinse, the algae is killed by the chemistry, not the water pressure. This is the method conservation officers and heritage bodies specify, and it's the method that keeps you on the right side of listed-building consent where relevant.
Efflorescence and salt bloom
White powdery deposits on brick, efflorescence, are salt migrating out of the brick as moisture moves through the wall. We can remove the visible bloom, but the underlying cause is a moisture path (cavity, damp coursing, missing weep holes) that isn't a cleaning problem. As part of every wall clean where we see efflorescence, we'll be honest about what's causing it and whether cleaning alone will hold, or whether you need to loop in a damp specialist.
Painted walls, clean or repaint?
If the paint film is sound, a proper wall clean brings it back a long way, algae removed, chalking dust washed off, colour restored. If the paint is failing (flaking, blistering, powdery to touch), cleaning will expose that and it's usually the point at which a full repaint makes more sense than a clean. We'll assess honestly at quote stage and tell you which path saves you money.
Residential vs commercial
Domestic wall cleaning is typically a one or two day job depending on facade area and access. Commercial and heritage work, retail units, offices, church walls, listed buildings, is scheduled around access windows and often involves MEWP hire, RAMS documentation, method statements and coordination with a site H&S officer. All available as standard.
