Hi guys, it’s been a while, I hope everyone is doing alright. I have been doing well my first season in this business, thanks to y’all. I have another question for something I haven’t had to deal with yet.
I got a little contract to do a house wash for a bank, 4 times a year, and this includes some brushed concrete out front and to the sides of it. It’s a new building and the concrete looks pretty new as well.
I started with a surface cleaner on the side and immediately noticed some striping so I stopped and used a wand for the remainder and it turned out perfect.
How do I get these lines out and why did they occur?
High pressure on soft concrete, those lines are permanent. Craig Harrison (F9 products) has a fix for it with his chems and a special surface cleaning technique, but it takes practice and some experience to do.
Man, I hope you’re right. This will be my first mistake since starting up so I’m a little concerned about how to deal with the customer in the best possible manner.
Obviously, I want to make them whole. I haven’t used my insurance yet so maybe that is the best route?
I guess I should try the product you recommended and see about the technique someone else mentioned first.
Luckily, it’s on a side where nobody goes, and is not really visible walking into their office. Glad I started on that side at least.
Thanks for everyone’s feedback, if y’all know if a good remedies, I’m all ears Kinda disappointed with myself on this. Oh well, live and learn I suppose.
Nothing “fixes” this. You can make it look not as terrible but the cream is gone. They only way to “fix” what you did is break up the concrete, haul it away, and pour a new walkway.
Yeah man, already hard on myself as it is, so I’m all good on that. I get it, I effed up.
So, how do I make it look less terrible sgb?
Thanks.
Hoping this doesn’t devolve into something like other threads I’ve been through. Check me out, I’ve put in the legwork on this forum, my friend. 1st mistake in 10 months of first season. Trying to keep my head up and be positive.
Texas, I am using the 4 GPM tips that came with the BE whirlaway for the 4 GPM machine.
Thanks again y’all, now I know what soft concrete looks like and what not to do. I have years experience cleaning and sealing aggregate, so brushed concrete is a little uncommon for me to work on, for sure.
Do what @Steve said. I just don’t like the term fix I guess.
For future if you start washing and the discharge water is milky. Stop and check it out immediately. It will save you a lot of headaches.
A lot of the “newer” construction around me uses weak concrete on the porches and I run into this all the time. It’s either new or crappy concrete and anyone could have and probably would have done the same thing you did with the surface cleaner.
don’t beat yourself up over it. if you have the opportunity to clean a bank 4 times a year you’re clearly doing a great job so far. one mistake in your first 10 months is about as good as it realistically gets. just keep reading up on these forums and you’ll be able to run off on your competition like a bandit. anyways if concrete is newer than 12-16 months you should be weary of it. i’ll save my amateur knowledge so the veterans can help you here. but i DO know you need larger orifices to lower your psi, which is where you went wrong.
If it’s a bank and that’s the side entrance, they might not even be bothered by it. You might be able to use the circle technique to even it out and boom, no one cares.
I once came across that same thing at a local gas station that was about 6 months old. I’m not even sure why they had the concrete in front of the store cleaned. Anyway, I pointed out to the manager what the other contractor had done to the concrete and he couldn’t have cared less even though he hired him.
We had a similar situation, where the surface cleaner stood idle in one spot too long & left a imprint. I only noticed it after the surface dried. Fired the machine back up, circled around the line & the imprint was gone.
note: This was done on a concrete trowel finish, not brushed. Not sure if it will help on brushed finishes.
Either way you’ve learnt from it, Thers plenty more mistakes coming your way, take as much as you can away from them and carry on. I ripped a big chunk of paint off a house the other day by getting too close to an edge with the nozzle, ofcourse I know better but it wasn’t my day. Life carried on as usual .
Definitely 2x check what exact tips on your surface cleaner. You don’t want to guess. On solid older concrete 2500psi is ok but on newer concrete (less then 2 years old?) more like 1000psi.
Kinda disappointed with myself on this. Oh well, live and learn I suppose.
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