“Will I end up with stripes?”
Not from a surface cleaner. Striping comes from swinging a wand by hand, where every pass cleans a slightly different amount. A surface cleaner takes the whole slab down to the same level in one go.
Concrete is porous, so what darkens it is not sitting on top the way dirt on siding does. Algae and mildew get down into the surface and hold water there. That is what turns a slab gray-green, and it is also what makes it slick underfoot after a rain.
High pressure with a surface cleaner and algaecide lifts it out of the pores instead of skimming the top. The color that comes back is the color the concrete already was.
The same four steps on a driveway in New Berlin or a patio in Oconomowoc.
Surface type, how deep the growth has gone, and anything that is a stain rather than growth.
Beds, grass and plantings along the edges get soaked before any solution is mixed.
Even pressure across the whole slab. Algaecide kills the growth in the pores rather than skimming it.
Edges cut in by hand, the whole slab rinsed, then a walk-around together to check it.
Same angle, same framing, no filters.
Drag any slider to see the difference
Not from a surface cleaner. Striping comes from swinging a wand by hand, where every pass cleans a slightly different amount. A surface cleaner takes the whole slab down to the same level in one go.
Usually it is slippery because there is a living film of algae on it. Kill that and the grip comes back. Worn concrete and dirty concrete look alike from standing height.
Everything along the slab gets soaked with plain water before any solution is sprayed, and watered again once the rinse is finished.
Brad did an awesome job on my old, very dirty, moldy, mossy retaining wall. He even took extra care to protect my plants and bushes. Courteous, efficient, prompt, an excellent communicator.
He laid out all the options and services available to me, but I never felt like there was a heavy hand directing me to the most expensive route. The quality was exactly what I was hoping for.
Very professional and thorough. Attention to detail was very evident and I would absolutely recommend Pristine.
Water gets into the pores, freezes, expands and opens the surface a little more each cycle. A rougher slab holds dirt and growth better the following season.
Salt off the street ends up on driveways, aprons and front walks all winter and sits there until something washes it off.
North-facing walks and anything under tree cover never dry out properly. That is where the green film shows up first and where it gets slick.
Patios and pads hold water where a pitched surface sheds it, so growth gets a longer sit every time it rains.
Not the way it gets done here. A surface cleaner spreads the pressure evenly across the whole slab. What damages concrete is a wand swung by hand, which cuts a different amount with every pass and leaves the zebra striping you see on a lot of driveways around here.
Usually, yes. Most of what looks like permanent staining is organic growth living in the pores of the concrete, and algaecide kills it at the root. Rust, oil and paint are different problems and need saying up front — Brad will tell you which one you have before he quotes it.
It does not need it, but it holds its color far longer with it. Sealing is a separate service and it only runs June through August, because the slab needs a genuine dry stretch to cure properly. If you want it done, the wash and the seal get scheduled together.
Every year or two for most homes here. Anything shaded, north facing or under trees goes quicker, and driveways that take road salt all winter tend to want doing every spring.
Yes, and it gets handled differently. Stamped concrete has a color layer and usually a sealer over it, so it gets cleaned at a pressure that lifts the growth out of the texture without stripping what is underneath.
Send this over and Brad will get back to you, usually within a few hours. Every slab is looked at in person before a price is given — no phone quotes.
Monday–Friday 8:00–5:00Saturday 9:00–4:00 · Closed Sunday and holidays