Is this concrete etched??
completley etched. or more like the smooth cream layer, is gone.
How could 2600 psi etch this? Concrete was old. Is there Anyway to tell that you are etching the concrete before it’s too late. I didn’t see any milky runoff and it was cleaning just fine. I’m just confused how this happened with 2600 psi, luckily it was for practice so not a big issue. @Redjess
I did this driveway the same way and it didn’t etch it … I’m just a bit confused?? Maybe @Racer, has some thoughts on this or tips!?
Should I use 25030 tips instead of 25025 just to be cautious and safe? Or could that still potentially etch old concrete as well? I know newer concrete & having too much PSI can etch concrete but what else/also can etch concrete bc I don’t know how I etched that? And didn’t see any signs of it being etched while doing it… I’m just lost rn with this issue
It’s not etched, its old concrete. I did one that looked just like that recently. It was 30+ year old concrete that had never been cleaned.
Have you got a before pic of it? It’s etched but you may not have done it. Your runoff will generally be milky whitish if you’re etching. But nearly all drives lose their surface coat to some degree with time. How old is the drive?
Concrete doesn’t stay new with a nice smooth cream layer on it forever. Weather destroys everything over time. Looking at that pic and the house in the background, that’s pretty old and long gone has been that creamy top layer.
Both pics you have are old, dirty concrete, nothing more. Sure it’s etched, from years and years of weather and natural erosion. Unless the concrete is less than 1-2 years old, you’re not going to damage it with 3500 psi, let alone 2600 unless your nozzles are ¼” from it. You seem to have read about etching concrete and are now paranoid. Unless the concrete is super smooth on the top, it’s already to a point where your surface cleaner isn’t going to hurt it.
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Well that’s good to hear!! So 2600 psi is no issue and shouldn’t be any worries then on concrete older than 2 years then.
You didn’t hurt that drive at all
Yeah I know the driveway is good, but what about the small portion of concrete from the original post? @Racer
Looks to be the style of finish.
It’s very common here to see “sand finish” concrete driveways here.
That concrete patio area is 15 years old! So, is there a good chance it looked like that before being washed? The before pic attached above kind of shows it a bit but not 100% sure. @Racer
There is 100% chance you didn’t do any damage to 15 year old concrete with 2600 psi.
My friend’s aunt took 3500 psi with a red tip to her driveway. Thought she might have damaged it, but it didn’t do a thing. After I cleaned the driveway there was no signs of any of these scribbles. This concrete is only about 7-8 years old.
Alright, thanks! Just wanted to double check
Wow, okay!! So I don’t think I did any etching then with 2600 psi on 15 year old concrete lol. While we are on this topic of etching … how would you treat any concrete that is sealed if doing a basic organic clean without taking the sealer off
You both have helped me a lot through this process @Racer and @Nickski …. I have this driveway/front porch coming up to do and wanted ur take on my plans so I don’t eff something up. Concrete is 35 years old.
- Plan on pre treating about 1-2% let dwell about 10 minutes
- Surface cleaning with 2600 psi (don’t plan on doing the newer concrete on left …. But if I do I will just pre treat with 1% and rinse off with ball valve)
- rinse and then post treat with 2-3% and leave it on with no rinse
Am I missing anything or should I be cautious about anything here, thanks!?
Man, you’re overthinking this. Edge with fan tip, surface clean, post treat with 1% as needed and collect check.
Take a breath, relax…go wash.
Oh and toss that ball valve, you don’t need it.
