Power Washing Before Painting

Power washing before painting is the cleaning step that comes first on an exterior job from Sharp's Painting, and it means running pressurized water over siding, stucco, trim and fascia until the surface is clean enough for paint to bond. In Huntington Beach and the rest of coastal Orange County the buildup is not ordinary dust. Salt air leaves a film on stucco and siding, the marine layer feeds mildew in shaded eaves and north walls, and older paint chalks into a fine powder that keeps a new coat from grabbing.

Wash it badly and the chalk and mildew stay under the primer, so the fresh coat sits on that loose layer instead of bonding to the wall. Robert Sharp washes the exterior with his own crew, no subcontractors, and he is on site for it. Scraping, sanding, stucco crack patching, caulking and priming follow, before anything is sprayed and back rolled. He holds California C-33 license 1048840 and has 27 years of experience.