Pressure Washing in Annandale

The front of an Annandale house is a small heritage display. Council lists coloured tiles in paths, steps and verandahs among the suburb's characteristic details, and local history accounts describe Art Nouveau tiles on the front steps of Federation houses at the northern end of Johnston Street. Glazed tile and old grout react to water pressure very differently from concrete, and a loose tile lifts easily.

At the boundary, the typical fence is iron palisade on a low sandstone plinth, often beside the sandstone kerbs and gutters of the street itself. Sandstone is soft and porous. It greens over wherever a garden shades it, and too much pressure cuts into its face.

Then come the side passages. Annandale was subdivided under a 'no back lanes' policy, with the rear reached by a side passage from the front street, and many houses still work that way. Those passages get little sun, grow algae, and are often the route the bins take. Behind the house, courtyards on the small lots toward the creeks are often the only outdoor space there is.

We set the pressure surface by surface, well down for tile, grout and sandstone, and quote on the area, the surface type and how much build-up has accumulated.

The side passage is where a clean earns its keep fastest. A film of algae on paving that never properly dries is slippery underfoot, and it is the path you take with a full bin or an armful of shopping. Lifting that film is a safety fix first and a cosmetic one second.

On sandstone, a clean brings the stone's natural colour back from under a uniform green-grey. That counts on the street front, where the plinth beneath your palisade fence runs along the footpath and forms part of a streetscape council wants retained.

Tiled paths and steps are worth cleaning carefully. Grit ground into old tile wears the surface every time someone walks over it, and a controlled clean removes that grit without the hard scrubbing that loosens tiles.

If you plan to seal a courtyard or path, pressure cleaning is the right first step, since sealer needs a clean, open surface to bond to. Oil stains and tyre marks on a hardstand or driveway lift as well.

Before-and-after photos come with the job, which is handy if you manage the property for someone else or are getting it ready for sale.