# Recommendations for cleaning a home's exterior AFTER painting



## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

In the process of writing an article. 

I am fairly certain that I have read in more than one place, that it is not recommended to use high pressure to clean and maintain an exterior home's paint. I have found a couple sites, Ben Moore, that recommend using a cleansing solution with either a garden hose OR a pressure washer. It does not get specific with a recommended pressure to use though.

I am looking for a link from a trusted source like Ben Moore, that gets at least more than a little specific that using high pressure for maintaining their paint is bad. 

Anyone?


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## A Better Painter (Jun 25, 2008)

Yea. Just think of PW/ high water psi like high wind and rain, like a hurricane or a big major storm with wind blasted water sideways, pelting heavily the on substrates and coatings - it blasts the painted surfaces and breaks the paint films into brittleness, breaking the bond, and gets forced into the crevices.

The damage is caused by pressure, and water, in that order. Reduced pressure is best and washing broader surface areas with brushes or other bristles or "mops" or rags and rinsed clean with lower water pressure.

Too many times pressure washing is taken to the extreme, (without enough, or any, scrubbing) with too little training and experience, and is best used with lower pressure to reach further, or selectively, for paint, stain, mildew, oxidation, living organism and debris removal, along with scrubbing and or sanding, to clean evenly and get a tooth.


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## DunriteNJ (Aug 15, 2014)

Let the cleaning agent do its job as opposed to blasting water on whatever your cleaning.

More harm is done routinely by using high pressure on wood surfaces


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## fortunerestoration (Mar 6, 2014)

I find it best to use high pressure wash to takes off dust, chalk, mildew, and sometimes old paint. Still, it’ll be wise to avoid heavy water psi electric equipment. That’ll hit your exterior like a high speed wave, scratching it.


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## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

I just find it difficult to find a document from a paint manufacturer that touches specifically on post paint maintenance. With the claims of lifetime warranty, 25 year or whatever they promise, surely there are stipulations that go along with it beyond proper prep beforehand. Anyone with some time in the residential,commercial,industrial paint industry has seen at least a claim of premature failure and knows the joyride that comes along with that when the owner/manager of the property wants it fixed. 

It wasn't cleaned right/it wasn't prepped right/etc..... 

Manufacturers of nearly all products that make up a home's exterior have recommendations documented of how to clean/maintain. We all have our own opinion as to what's right. Where's a paint manufacturers recommendation?

(just a sidenote: I do remember seeing one from Ben Moore before. I'm not finding it again though through much searching.)
Anyone got any higher up contacts with SW?


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## Glasons (Feb 13, 2015)

*manufacturers websites*

_I just find it difficult to find a document from a paint manufacturer that touches specifically on post paint maintenance. With the claims of lifetime warranty, 25 year or whatever they promise, surely there are stipulations that go along with it beyond proper prep beforehand. _

Have you tried the manufacturers websites, they are sure to have information on how to maintain their painting products...


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## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

Glasons, thanks. I have though. I would think it would be easy to find. So easy that I will try again I suppose. I'm wanting to write another article about it specifically related to paint only. I should get on the ball with it now. If I don't find it on a site, I'll see if I can find an old paint rep from SW.


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## fortunerestoration (Mar 6, 2014)

Pressure washing is the first critical step to get your house ready for painting. When you begin washing, make sure the machine is set at a low pressure level, and that you’re using a nozzle that produces a wide fan. You can always go tighter and more powerful if you need to. Wrecked surfaces, on the other hand, can be tough to fix, so play it safe.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

Contact your rep and ask them. They should be able to find what you need.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Just cleaned a home today to get it ready after it was built and painted. It's been a long project so it accumulated slight dirt everywhere from the site.

Just used BM 'Clean' at instructed ratio of 7 to 1. used "bleaching" tip to apply cleaner and soft washed with the 40 degree white tip from 2 feet away and under 2000 psi. Then rinsed with the low pressure from the garden hose after each wall is washed.


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## ColorConnoisseur (Sep 10, 2014)

I worked for Sherwin-Williams for 10 years as a products specialist. All of those warranties are a scam. In all my years, I saw one person collect on a warranty claim, and that was during the duration scare. (never use duration on cedar, you will have wood de-lamination disaster). They are only for retail customers. If you're a contractor, I'd ignore those claims. That being said, they will stand by you. If there are product issues, they will help rectify them via sales reps. etc.


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## Boco (May 18, 2013)

ColorConnoisseur said:


> I worked for Sherwin-Williams for 10 years as a products specialist. All of those warranties are a scam. In all my years, I saw one person collect on a warranty claim, and that was during the duration scare. (never use duration on cedar, you will have wood de-lamination disaster). They are only for retail customers. If you're a contractor, I'd ignore those claims. That being said, they will stand by you. If there are product issues, they will help rectify them via sales reps. etc.


 What was SW recommending for painting cedar?


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## DunriteNJ (Aug 15, 2014)

Whenever cleaning wood siding you need to use a "softwash method"

Low PSI which you can accomplish by using different tips as posted before

Ive seen more damage with high PSI form guys blasting away


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

I've used Duration on plenty of cedar homes including my own. If the old paint is de laminating then Duration can hasten the process, however that's a paint issue not a cedar issue.


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