exterior
Jet washing and pressure washing
Jet washing a driveway or patio costs £150 to £400 depending on the area and the surface, and most firms have a minimum charge around £120. The machine is the easy part: what separates a good job from an expensive mistake is knowing which surfaces take pressure and which need soft washing instead.
What this covers
What it costs. Jet washing is priced by area, £2 to £5 a square metre, and quoted as a flat figure: £150 to £400 covers most patios and driveways. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Driveways, paths and patios in block paving, concrete or stone
- Render, brickwork and cladding, using soft washing rather than pressure
- Decking, which needs a fan tip and a light touch or the grain lifts
- Walls, steps and garden furniture
- Re-sanding block paving afterwards, which is part of the job rather than an extra
What is involved
Pressure is a blunt instrument and not every surface survives it. Block paving takes it well and then needs re-sanding, because the water strips the kiln-dried sand from the joints and paving without sand in it moves, weeds and sinks. Concrete and most natural stone are fine. Indian sandstone is softer than people expect and will pit under a turbo nozzle held too close.
Render, painted masonry and roof tiles should not be pressure washed at all. Those are soft washing jobs: a chemical applied at low pressure, left to work, then rinsed. A firm that offers to jet wash your render is offering to remove some of it.
Decking is the third case. It cleans well with a fan tip at moderate pressure held well back, and it is ruined by a narrow nozzle held close, which raises the grain and leaves a furred surface that greys again within months.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what pressure and which nozzle they will use on your particular surface, and be wary of one answer for everything. Block paving, sandstone, render and decking want four different approaches.
Ask whether re-sanding is included on block paving. It should be, and a quote that leaves it out is cheaper because it is a smaller job, not because it is better value.
Ask about the water. Most firms bring their own tank; some expect an outside tap and will use a great deal of it. Neither is wrong and it is better known in advance.
Common questions
Will jet washing damage my block paving?
Not the blocks, but it removes the jointing sand, and paving left unsanded shifts and weeds. Re-sanding afterwards is part of a proper job rather than an upsell.
Can you jet wash render?
No. Render, painted masonry and roof tiles are soft washing jobs: a chemical at low pressure rather than force. Pressure on render takes the surface off with the dirt.