power washing stucco

MIKE FP

Member
when i refer to stucco i dont mean the stucco from years ago, i mean the new stucco with the styrofoam behind it. it seems where i live its being put on a lot of buildings and houses. it gets dirty very fast and seems to be extremely hard to clean. i have tried all sorts of soaps, etc, but the stucco seems to remain stained. is there anything that may work that i might not have tried already?
 
I would love to get some insight on this as well. We have alot of efis popping up around here too. My main problem area's have been where hornet or wasp nests were attached to it previously. But one thing I do know is you don't want to use much if any pressure on it, cause it will streak bad, and possibly even break through on it also.

I was thinking about trying a foamer on it to get some better cling time, and to help it get in the nooks and cranny's but not sure if that will help to much.
 
I would love to get some insight on this as well. We have alot of efis popping up around here too. My main problem area's have been where hornet or wasp nests were attached to it previously. But one thing I do know is you don't want to use much if any pressure on it, cause it will streak bad, and possibly even break through on it also.

I was thinking about trying a foamer on it to get some better cling time, and to help it get in the nooks and cranny's but not sure if that will help to much.
what do you use on the stucco siding as far as soaps,etc.?
 
im going to try and stay away from the stucco jobs. but as i have said, a lot of people are putting it on ther houses & businesses.
 
The key is a higher sodium hypochlorite concentration along with a synergistic house cleaning soap (Not dish liquid). It should contain sodium metasilicate and TSP

I agree, stucco is easy.. downstreaming just SH and water works good also, dilute it. to much will cause the paint to streak. always becareful around those window boarders if your using any high pressure.. i once hit one while doing a pourch.. wasn't pretty, looked like it snowed.
 
I've done a fair amount of stucco. Friday I will be doing another stucco, Dryvit, front with vinyl sides. I use Power House from Sun Brite supply and 12.5% SH. If it has never been painted be sure to pre wet the surface before applying chems. Some of the ones I have done were pretty moldy and they have all come clean. Don't use more than 600 psi or you can damage it.
 
seeing this it just popped in my head a question I should ask. I just got hired to do some work for a Ruby Tuesday's here in town in a week or so. And I am doing their dumpster pad. They have a door going into the restaurant that is up a couple stairs. And from the door there are big streaks of grease and mold growing on them running under the door on the stucco, then onto the ground. What kind or detergent should I use on the stucco for best results. I figured I would use some f-18 on the ground but not sure that would be what to use on the stucco.
 
The key is a higher sodium hypochlorite concentration along with a synergistic house cleaning soap (Not dish liquid). It should contain sodium metasilicate and TSP

I agree with Ken. i use dish soap on many surfaces but not on Dryvit. I use Simple Cherry now and I go a little stronger with it. I used to use RPC Citra Clean its a very good product for Dryvit. I find it easy now to work on Dryvit, but I use extra care for sure. There are some stains that need several applications sometime or some soft brush, brushing. I hate dirt daubbers (sp) because you always cant get that last little bit off
 
Hey Ken...good on you. We tried to clean a strip mall a couple of years ago, (drivit)and brought in a local cem supplier, none of his "stuff" would move it. Told the owner he (and us) would not be happy with the results, and to wait till painting time to do a good surface clean,so we bailed. A year latter he called ,and we got the cleaning job plus the painting contract. Go figure. Dan Cosgrove
 
I Did A Car Dealer That Was Located On A Main Road Made Of Drivit, It Came A Lot Cleaner Than What It Was But My Own Feeling Is That It Would Have Been Impossible To Get It 100%. They Were Very Happy With The Work.
 
Hey Ken...good on you. We tried to clean a strip mall a couple of years ago, (drivit)and brought in a local cem supplier, none of his "stuff" would move it. Told the owner he (and us) would not be happy with the results, and to wait till painting time to do a good surface clean,so we bailed. A year latter he called ,and we got the cleaning job plus the painting contract. Go figure. Dan Cosgrove


Dryvit can be harder than some surfaces, next time get some RPC Citra Clean from Steve Rowlett. I just couldnt tell someone wait until he has to be painted. I would rather tell them if he has us clean it every year he wont have to paint as often. Tell them you may not be able to remove all of it possibly but it will be a lot better

There are areas that can be tougher than others. Likke rounded edges where you get run off, sometimes you'll see black streak, the most We've had to do is some soft brushing and apply again and rinse. You just got to price the extra work in.

Now I have seen a couple buildings with dryvit that were neglected for several years and the mold actually ate away at the surface of the dryvit
 
im going to try and stay away from the stucco jobs. but as i have said, a lot of people are putting it on ther houses & businesses.

Man dont pass on it, jut learn how to do it, theres not that much more to it, than a good chem , maybe a little brushing and then your the Dryvit cleaning king lol
 
Man dont pass on it, jut learn how to do it, theres not that much more to it, than a good chem , maybe a little brushing and then your the Dryvit cleaning king lol

it just gets frustrating not being able to get it all off.
 
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