Rent one of these and buff it out.
https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/mobile/Concrete-Prep-Tool/12570/
Dibs on the flying lion
2 Likes
I guess I have to be the boat? 
1 Like
IBS says 
Tuck your shirt in !!
6 Likes
My husband and I are DIYers and have been using a 2700 psi pressure washer with a 40 degree tip on our concrete (and cinder block walls) for years. We have NEVER had concrete blasted away like that. Of course our walkways and walls are 30+ years old. Iâm wondering if the original concrete poured on your driveway wasnât formulated correctly or was just too new to endure a pressure wash? Clearly, it was a type (or age) that was vulnerable to being damaged. I say ignore the naysayers here who say you should only have hired a professional. Fact of the matter is there ARENâT enough âprofessionalsâ out there to fill the demand for every task a homeowner has; we need to develop skills that will help us be a little more self-sufficient. Unfortunately, in this case, your concrete driveway let you down. I would recommend in the future, you test any other pressure washer jobs on a small, very inconspicuous spot before charging ahead.
Chipper this is not a forum for DIYers.
4 Likes
Please donât come to a forum created for professional contractors and tell another DIY homeowner to ignore the advice of people who have forgotten more about pressure washing than you will ever know. There are forums for DIYers everywhere, go find one of those. Also, what expertise do you claim to have about concrete?
4 Likes
@chipper the driveway did not let them down. Lack of knowledge is what created that mess. Please post a picture of your concrete
1 Like
First off, I was never informed that there was a requirement that I be a âprofessionalâ to post on this forum. If that is a requirement, it should CLEARLY be stated somewhere on this site. If I have broken an unwritten rule, then I would expect the moderator would inform me. Secondly, I responded to this post from one DIYer to another! I didnât see people calling out the original âposterâ for being a DIYer (and ruining his driveway). Truth-be-told, this guy probably feels REALLY bad that he ruined his driveway and I was trying to help him feel a bit less embarrassed by some of the other posters here who were calling him out. BTW: what makes someone a âprofessionalâ pressure washer? Is there some kind of certification (Iâm not being snarky here; I really want to know. Is it years of experience on the job, trial and error learning, or some contractor school seat hours?) I will gladly remove my post once the above questions are clarified and answered.
Chipper, people were being charitable to the OP. You were uninformed and have been informed. Please act on that. Thank you. 
Itâs not a requirement, itâs common sense.
I am a moderator.
He wasnât be âcalled outâ for being a DIYer, he came to a professional forum seeking advice from professionals, not another DIYer.
Yes, there are lots of certifications, classes, conferences, etcâŚ, but that doesnât make one a professional. What make one a professional (IMO) is being competent enough to make a living doing it without damaging other peopleâs property.
You can leave your post. Just respect the community that you are interacting with.
8 Likes
@Totalnewbie7 Does your pressure washer have an unloader with a threaded adjuster? It would be attached directly to the pump just prior to the HP outlet connection.
Something similar to this. Under the black portion is a spring adjusted unloader valve which you can loosen to also drop your outgoing pressure. You can get an inline pressure gauge from Amazon like this one:
Use it while you are adjusting the pressure and then remove before you actually start the work. Extended exposure to vibration leads to damage and inaccurate readings.
I agree with @marinegrunt that using the nozzle chart is a great and more common way for professionals to quickly adjust pressures without having to focus on a guage. Most of us can feel the difference in the back pressure and know if the output is not what we are looking for. I typically use a 4gpm 40° tip for my HP rinse and then I will switch to a 20gpm 65° tip to get a low pressure rinse to clean around the window tracks and sweep loose mulch debris from along the bottom of the wall without it blowing all over the place. I do not need to adjust the unloader valve for these quick switches. Swapping surfacer tips is a bit more time consuming since they are threaded and not quick connects. I find it easier to just put the gauge on the end of my HP hose and adjust the output with either the throttle or the unloader.
As far as the driveway is concerned. IF you are an experienced DIYer, you can try to use something like this:
There are videos on youtube on how to properly use the product and what tools you will need to get the bast looking results.
If you have no experience with any concrete work, I would recommend consulting at the very least a general contractor and or masonry contractor to see what they would charge or if they can give you any tips if the job is too small for them.
U used the red tip? Lol
