I washed this walkway yesterday with whisper Classic. Today after it dried out it looks like this (see pic).
What causes all these patches of different shade? Not enough pressure? Should I re-do it with more pressure to even it out?
Please, Help!
Alex K. with Northside Power Washing of Delmarva
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Here’s a link that discusses various reasons for color change. Are you operating under the assumption that what you did altered the appearance of the concrete?
http://www.concreteconstruction.net/concrete-construction/why-does-concrete-discolor.aspx
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813.528.2219
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Well, I am considering that as a worst case scenario. It was dirty at first - evenly dark grayish/brownish. Then it was clean but wet - therefore evenly light-grayish. After that it dried out and we have patches.
Alex K. with Northside Power Washing of Delmarva
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All you did was expose the imperfections in the concrete that were already there prior to your cleaning.
More pressure will do nothing but cause more damage.
You did what you were hired to do…clean.
Educating you client is a huge part and benefit of our industry.
^^. I very much agree with this Alex. One of my core beliefs is that additional pressure seldom makes things better, it increases the erosion and physical degradation more than it helps anything. In a situation like this, I would check for textural difference in the concrete and if that is present, the issue isn’t staining. If the issue does qualify as staining you can look to concrete brighteners to restore a “closer to new” appearance. I suspect this issue isn’t staining though. You did a great job cleaning btw!
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That’s not your fault. You might try to even it out with a light coat of oxalic. I see a few holes where the aggregate fell out. That says that the sidewalk has been pressure washed several times and maybe even doused with oxalic. If you don’t rinse the oxalic, it can react with the limestone aggregate, and cause it to fall out( I think it actually dissolves the limestone)
Here’s an update on the concrete walkway with different shades / stains.
There’s definitely no textural difference - the surface is evenly flat all over. Here’s a couple pictures
So am I to assume this is staining of some sort? And therefore there is a chance it can be treated and resolved?
Alex K. with Northside Power Washing of Delmarva
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Oh, and here’s the kicker:
Once it got wet again I could see yellow (rust from fertilizer?) stains all over!!! Let it dry - and they disappear. I wonder if that has anything to do with my issue. Kinda doubt it, cuz the patterns appear to be different (dry surface = dark stains; wet surface = yellow stains).
Alex K. with Northside Power Washing of Delmarva
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It’s nothing you did.
Educate the client and move on.
From what I see you did a great cleaning.
Move on and make some more money…
Thank you (AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE) for your advice.
Educate I did. And we are OK now. The customer is happy. However, the walkway still doesn’t look its best. So at this point I want to approach it from a different angle.
Not as if I was trying to fix something I messed up, but simply as if there was a failing concrete walkway that needed to be repaired.
I’ll let y’all know if I succeed in either cleaning the stains or brightening em up.
Alex @ Nothside Power Washing serving EasternShore Delmarva
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Alex, contact front9 restoration. They can probably be the biggest help with this. They make products for concrete restoration/brightening/rust removal.
http://www.front9restoration.com
Good luck!
All Clean Power Washing Solutions, LLC
813.528.2219
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I think it is important to remember these are not “stains”. I think of stains as something that got onto the concrete and discolored it. That is not what happened here. I’m not sure what creates this discoloration but we see it frequently and it is definately a change with the concrete itself.
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[QUOTE=fairway;33757…but we see it frequently and it is definately a change with the concrete itself.
[/QUOTE]
So how do you usually go about fixing it? Or do you just let it go?
Alex @ Nothside Power Washing serving EasternShore Delmarva
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Sometimes concrete just isn’t perfect
It seems like Craig Harrison said once that it may be minerals in the water when they poured the concrete. Over time, they show on the concrete.
We run into this a fair amount here…it is imperfections with the original concrete pour…too much water or not enough in the mix…whenever I see these greyish tinting I inform the customer when it is cleaned, it will be clean but that color will always be there…I have discouraged more than one from getting their concrete cleaned knowing there will not be any noticeable difference afterwards
Alex. When concrete is wet you can see deeper down than when it is dry. This lets you see oil stains, rust stains or whatever is just below the surface. Your job is to surface clean(unless you told the customer something else). You cant clean below the surface of concrete because of it’s porous nature. You are over thinking this and taking responsibility for something that you didn’t cause or have any control over. If the customer was happy, I would have forgotten all about it and already have twenty more driveways under my belt. You are going to have a heck of a time trying to make money if you are going to obsess over being perfect. Concrete isn’t perfect and you will never make it be so.
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There are ways to make virtually all stains whether topical or integral, look good.
This takes specific training which we will be teaching soon, probably in the Palm Springs, CA area.
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