Pressure Washing & Paint Prep

Power washing isn't just about making surfaces look clean—it's about creating the foundation for quality work that endures Sacramento's unique climate challenges. When contaminants like dirt, algae, mold, and chalky oxidation remain on surfaces, they create a barrier between your substrate and new paint. This compromised bond leads to peeling, bubbling, and premature paint failure that costs significantly more to repair than doing the preparation correctly from the start.

Our pressure washing services remove the invisible enemies of paint adhesion. Mold and mildew spores embed themselves in porous surfaces like wood, stucco, and concrete. If painted over, these organisms continue growing beneath the paint film, causing discoloration and degradation. Sacramento's mild, wet winters create ideal conditions for these contaminants, making professional cleaning essential before any painting project.

Beyond paint preparation, pressure washing dramatically improves curb appeal and property value. Years of dirt accumulation, tire marks on driveways, and weathering stains make properties look neglected and older than they are. A thorough power washing reveals the true condition and color of your surfaces, often eliminating the need for painting altogether in some areas.

The health benefits matter too. Mold, mildew, and algae growth can trigger allergies and respiratory issues. Our cleaning services remove these allergens, creating a healthier environment for your family or customers. Regular pressure washing also extends the lifespan of your building materials by removing corrosive substances and preventing long-term damage.

For commercial properties, clean exteriors directly impact customer perception and business success. First impressions happen in seconds, and a well-maintained, freshly cleaned building signals professionalism and attention to detail that influences customer decisions.

Our professional power washing services cover every exterior surface of your Sacramento property. We adjust pressure levels, nozzle types, and cleaning solutions to match each material's specific requirements, ensuring effective cleaning without damage.

House Siding & Stucco

Exterior house washing is our specialty. We clean vinyl siding, wood siding, fiber cement, aluminum, and stucco with techniques tailored to each material. Stucco requires special attention—too much pressure damages the porous surface, while too little leaves contaminants embedded. Our soft wash approach for stucco uses lower pressure and specialized detergents to clean deeply without erosion. For hardy materials like fiber cement and vinyl, we employ higher pressure to remove stubborn stains and oxidation. The result is a uniformly clean surface that looks refreshed and provides the ideal foundation for painting.

Driveways & Walkways

Concrete driveways and walkways endure constant abuse from vehicles, foot traffic, oil drips, and tire marks. Our driveway cleaning service uses commercial-grade pressure washers delivering 3,000+ PSI to blast away ground-in stains, oil spots, rust marks, and years of accumulated grime. We use surface cleaners with rotating heads that clean evenly without creating streaks or "tiger striping" common with wand-only cleaning. For stubborn oil stains, we apply degreasers before pressure washing to break down petroleum-based contaminants completely.

Decks & Patios

Wood decks require careful pressure washing to avoid splintering and fiber damage. We use controlled pressure (typically 1,200-1,500 PSI) and maintain proper distance and angle to clean effectively while preserving wood integrity. This preparation is essential before staining or sealing. For composite decking, we adjust techniques further to prevent surface damage while removing mold, mildew, and embedded dirt. Concrete and paver patios receive more aggressive cleaning to remove deep stains, moss, and algae that make surfaces slippery and hazardous.

Fences & Gates

Wooden fences accumulate dirt, algae, and mildew that turn attractive cedar and redwood into gray, weathered eyesores. Our fence washing service restores natural wood color and prepares surfaces for staining or painting. We clean both sides of accessible fences and adjust pressure based on wood condition—older, weathered wood requires gentler treatment than newer installations. Vinyl and metal fences receive appropriate cleaning treatments to remove oxidation, rust stains, and environmental buildup.

Concrete & Pavers

Beyond driveways, we clean all concrete surfaces including foundations, retaining walls, sidewalks, and parking areas. Paver cleaning requires attention to detail—we remove weeds and moss from joints, clean individual pavers thoroughly, and can apply polymeric sand afterward to prevent weed regrowth. Our concrete cleaning removes efflorescence (white mineral deposits), rust stains, paint overspray, and organic growth that discolors and deteriorates surfaces over time.

ProFlow Painting follows a systematic approach that delivers superior cleaning results while protecting your property from damage. Our process combines professional equipment, proven techniques, and experienced crews who understand how different surfaces respond to pressure washing.

1. Surface Assessment

Every project begins with thorough inspection. We identify surface materials, assess their condition, note areas requiring special attention, and spot potential problems like loose siding, damaged stucco, or deteriorating wood. This assessment determines appropriate pressure levels, nozzle selection, and whether soft washing or traditional pressure washing best serves your needs. We also identify nearby plants, electrical fixtures, and other features requiring protection during cleaning.

2. Pre-Treatment Application

For heavily soiled surfaces or those with biological growth, we apply specialized cleaning solutions before pressure washing. These detergents and algaecides break down contaminants, kill mold and mildew at the root, and enhance cleaning effectiveness. Pre-treatment is especially important for stucco, wood siding, and any surface with visible mold growth. We use eco-friendly, biodegradable solutions that are tough on grime but safe for plants, pets, and the environment.

3. Pressure Adjustment

We never use one-size-fits-all pressure settings. Different surfaces require different PSI levels: delicate wood siding might need 1,200 PSI, while concrete driveways perform best at 3,000+ PSI. We also adjust water temperature when appropriate—hot water cuts through grease and oil far more effectively than cold. Our equipment allows precise control, ensuring we deliver enough power to clean thoroughly without causing surface damage, etching, or erosion.

4. Systematic Cleaning

We clean methodically from top to bottom, ensuring consistent coverage and preventing dirty water from contaminating already-cleaned areas. For vertical surfaces like house siding, we work in sections, maintaining consistent distance and overlap to avoid streaking. We pay special attention to high-impact areas like entryways, garage doors, and anywhere staining is most visible. For large flat surfaces, we use surface cleaners that provide uniform cleaning and work significantly faster than wand-only techniques.

5. Rinse & Inspection

After cleaning, we thoroughly rinse all surfaces to remove detergent residue and loosened contaminants. A final inspection ensures we've achieved complete cleaning, identifies any areas needing additional attention, and confirms no damage occurred during the process. For painting preparation projects, we verify surfaces are properly cleaned and note estimated drying times before paint application can begin.

Understanding the difference between soft washing and traditional pressure washing ensures appropriate treatment for every surface on your property. Both techniques clean effectively, but they achieve results through different mechanisms suited to different applications.

Pressure washing relies primarily on mechanical force—high-pressure water physically blasts away dirt, grime, and contaminants. This approach works excellently for durable, hard surfaces like concrete, brick, and stone that can withstand 2,000-4,000 PSI without damage. Driveways, walkways, retaining walls, and parking areas benefit most from traditional pressure washing's aggressive cleaning power.

Soft washing uses significantly lower pressure (typically under 500 PSI) combined with specialized cleaning solutions that do the heavy lifting. Chemical surfactants, algaecides, and detergents break down and kill contaminants, while gentle water flow rinses them away. This approach is ideal for delicate surfaces like stucco, painted wood siding, roof shingles, and older materials that high pressure could damage.

For house washing, we typically recommend soft washing. It effectively removes mold, mildew, algae, and dirt without risking water intrusion behind siding, damaging paint, or eroding stucco. The cleaning solutions we use kill biological growth at the root level, providing longer-lasting results than pressure alone.

Wood surfaces like decks and fences often require a hybrid approach. We might use moderate pressure (1,200-1,500 PSI) combined with wood-specific cleaners to remove gray weathering and embedded dirt without causing splintering or raising wood grain excessively.

Chemical treatments in soft washing are carefully selected for surface compatibility and environmental safety. We use biodegradable solutions that break down naturally without harming plants, grass, or Sacramento's waterways. For properties with sensitive landscaping, soft washing provides effective cleaning with minimal environmental impact.

Professional pressure washing is the non-negotiable first step in our exterior painting process. No amount of quality paint or skilled application can compensate for inadequate surface preparation, and pressure washing is where proper preparation begins.

Paint needs a clean, sound substrate to form a lasting mechanical bond. When you apply paint over dirt, mold, mildew, or chalky oxidation, you're essentially gluing new paint to contaminants rather than to the actual surface. As these contaminants break down or are loosened by weather, the paint fails with them. We've seen countless painting failures that trace directly back to inadequate pre-cleaning—often from well-intentioned DIY efforts or contractors who skip this crucial step to save time.

Our pressure washing for paint preparation goes beyond basic cleaning. We remove all loose and peeling paint, creating clean edges where old paint remains sound. We eliminate chalk and oxidation from aged surfaces, expose sound substrate material, and identify areas needing repair before painting begins. This thorough preparation means the paint we apply bonds directly to clean, stable surfaces engineered to hold finishes long-term.

Drying time is critical and often underestimated. While surfaces may appear dry within hours, moisture can remain trapped in porous materials like wood, stucco, and concrete for days. We typically wait 48-72 hours after pressure washing before applying primer or paint, adjusting this timeline based on weather conditions, surface material, and humidity levels. Sacramento's dry summer climate allows faster drying than our wet winters, when we may wait longer to ensure complete moisture evaporation.

We also adjust our painting schedule around pressure washing to optimize workflow. For large projects, we might pressure wash in sections, allowing cleaned areas to dry while we continue washing other parts of the property. This coordination ensures continuous progress without compromising the quality of our preparation work.

The investment in professional pressure washing before painting pays dividends in paint longevity. Properly cleaned and prepared surfaces can extend paint life by 40-50% compared to inadequately prepared surfaces. When you consider the total cost of paint, labor, and disruption, spending appropriately on preparation is the most cost-effective choice you can make.