How do I wash this house without affecting the copper. The house isn’t very dirty. I haven’t cleaned a full brick home yet. This brick has peach tinted mortar joints. Not sure if that’s a issue? He just wants the sand dust cleaned off ( no algae) and soffits and window casings cleaned (stucco). Copper gutters and downspouts are a dark brown and customer doesn’t want the patina ruined. Is this as simple as prewetting, rinsing and post rinsing the copper? I am definitely going to get overspray on copper. Also, would you prewet the brick? Only really dirty spots is a few of window casings and a stone veranda railing on top of entrance which has copper right below.
Where exactly does this operation require SH? Pre-wet, post-wet, and skip the chems altogether.
IDK about darkened “patina” copper, but there is nothing you can do that I’m aware of to stop SH from jacking up copper. We strictly employ the Forrest Gump method if there’s any copper on a home.
The window casings, the railing, some soffits and maybe a little trim are really the only place that requires sh. Would you just hit the windows and soffits and just rinse the rest?
You didn’t read below my picture. No forest gumption allowed. I’m not passing up the work but I’m not going to screw myself to get some window casings clean either. Someone’s got to have some experience with this.
You said he wanted sand dust cleaned off…water will do that. Brick often doesn’t require chem, and can sustain pressure, so you have options. More likely than not, SH is not a safe option, so what other choices are there? You came in and asked folks for advice, but you restrict the advice to what you want to hear…it’s one thing if you’ve messed something up and you have to find a way to fix it, but in the absence ofthat, walking away is always a possibility (and somethimes the best thing you could do for you and the client). There are times when the right answer is, “we’re not going to do that because it’s the wrong thing to do…” If you’re going to do it no matter what, start careful, test everything, and proceed slowly until you have a viable plan.
Mike, LOL, don’t listen to the marketing guy. That’s a big nice house and a chance to shine. I love doing high end homes like this because if you nail it, they’ll be a customer for life. Realize though that you can’t be the $99 guy on these kind of homes because they take special attention. With the restrictions you have, it’s going to take you at least twice as long to wash this house.
I don’t have the time to write everything you need to do, call me between 9-10 in the morning and I’ll walk you thru it. If I don’t answer, leave me a message. Have meeting with one of my property managers at 8:30 on a shopping center and then have large roof and house to do at 10. I’ll pm you my number.
There are plenty of non bleach cleaners out there. Nothing as effective as sh but your only dealing with mild growth. Just be sure to check any active ingredients in an alternative cleaner against copper. With that being said, I would downstream SH without a second thought. Work in small sections to prevent drying and minimize dwell of overspray. Prewet the copper really well, make sure you cool it down, and rinse the copper quickly. If any copper is in direct sunlight it is even more critical to really wet heavily to cool it down and rinse immediately. I know what the experts say about sh and copper but I downstream casings, fascia, soffit surrounded by copper gutters all the time with perfect results. I just picked up a check today from a customer I did their lake house the other day and his primary residence has copper gutters (brown patina) I have been washing for 7 years and today still looked fabulous. I also just downstreamed trim on another customer that they had bay windows with copper roofs perfect results. Follow those steps with a test section on the back side somewhere. Work on something else let your test section dry really well to be sure. If test section is fine (which ur gonna apply your mix directly to the copper), then you know your good on the rest where you are purposely keeping the mix off and only dealing with a little over spray and run off. Best of strategy to you. Luck is not a method
Thank you for the sound advice. Rick too as always. I’m new to washing gig so I just needed some reassurance on that my plan was spot on. I will never run from a job like this. Do your testing and take your time. Nothing ventured nothing gained! Anyhow, I tested the downspout in back with a real hot mix + 4%. Wet and dry with a dwell to match a normal rinse time to see any effects. Had zero effects. We took our time. Washed the house with a 1% downstream, wet gutters before, after soaping and rinsed. Perfect results. Had to wash the veranda pillars and used a 3-4%. Had my guy rinsing as I went. No issues at all. I’ll finish up the hardscapes and pool deck and bar tomorrow. Client came back and was happy with the results so far and that we took time and care and he gave me the driveway Sealcoating work. His neighbor was also watching us so he’s probably next. Any advice on how to clean a castle. Lmao.
Color is very important here. For example, the only way to properly clean up White Castles is with a side of fries & a large chocolate shake. Several at a time is much easier than one or two, oddly enough.
…just keep in mind there is plenty of low hanging fruit out there to be had. Most of it is. It’s easier to find more of that than to get caught in a pickle. Don’t take on anything you’re not 100% comfortable with & keep your running shoes laced up at all times. The customer you’re dealing with & your interaction with them is the biggest part of the equation.
I know there are easy jobs out there. I think it’s the hard ones that get you a rep and a clientele that pays.
I think you mean test and be 100% sure? If not, I don’t think that way. I’m all in. I’d never get anywhere if I was 100% sure. I haven’t been sure about one damn thing in this business. Maybe that comes with experience but you started your business one day and your lying if you were 100% sure at every job you did.
To me this is low hanging fruit. Yeah I wasn’t completely sure how to handle the copper. Had an idea but that’s why I asked. I’m not afraid to ask. Guys responded that had experience and it’s great. We are all in same boat; help others to not sink the boat. I was looking for someones experience with this. I knew it was doable with good results, I just asked for advice from experience. Beat me up, whatever. I don’t know everything in 1st year but I bust my ■■■ and I do quality work.
Not everyone passes up work just because they don’t know how. If I don’t make mistakes I don’t learn. Good bad and ugly
Sorry boss, no help here, just questions.
That stone work above the porch roof is going to pop on that house once it is cleaned. A nice before and after pic in sunlight.
Is that oil rubbed bronze coloring/paint or copper? I see a little green up top, but it looks more oil rubbed bronze color to me. I am not there, just looking at the pics. Very hard to tell.
Are you moving those flower pots? They look to be the 2-3 piece concrete ones that are super heavy. Maybe they are the fake foam/plastic ones, can’t tell from the pics. I haven’t run into anything I couldn’t move on my own with a dolly yet.
Are you cleaning the drive too? I’ve never tackled a mixed drive like that, with cobble and asphalt,so I am curious. Looks like it might have a drain in the middle too.
In the end, this is the key…as knowledgable as most of the guys on here are, at the end of the day you’re taking advice from some guy on the internet, so you’re on the hook for testing the ideas received. Or you could try to convince your insurance carrier you “consulted with industry experts” if it all goes bad…but I doubt that one would fly.
I cleaned the cobbles on the driveway. There was a drain in middle and a bunch of longer drains here and there. I am going back to sealcoat it later this month. The top rail popped pretty good. I would have like to hit with a hotter mix but erred in cautious side with the copper. We did not move the flower pots. He said to leave them. The limestone had a bunch of water stains(black) from puddling and the from the cedar roof pool bar that I couldn’t budge. We were not treating this area with chems. Just cleaning with pressure. There were a few areas that had some green stained into the stone. I thought it was algae at first but I tested a hidden corner with 4 then 6 the 10% and it didn’t budge. Looked like a light blue green. Some was right in middle of the sunniest area so I assume it may have been caused by something reacting with stone like furniture. I would love to get that limestone cleaned up better in future. I have to do some research how to treat it. I didn’t end up doing the pool bar cedar roof as I could barely stand on the ground with the wind we had.
Thanks for the reply. I learn a lot from guys doing jobs all over on things I haven’t run across.
There is a member on here by the name of @Historic that has done a lot of specialty stone work from what I recall. I’d check his posts. If it is the guy I am thinking of he was a PROSCO user. Racer posted an article from the usgov on how to proceed with just about any cleaning job you can think of, I just can’t remember it’s name. They go step by step because many of their items are historic landmarks.
Did you use SH or sodium percarbonate on those cobbles or just hit it with soap and water. I was curious to see if the runoff from the cobble - across the asphalt and back onto cobble before hitting the drain, would cause any issues if you used SH.
Was that a slate/shale patio? If so, was it sealed? I would imagine SH runoff could have caused issues. That slate/shale likes to sheer if hit with any pressure at all.
Sorry for the 20 questions, but I learn a lot from this stuff.
