I am doing my first stamped concrete job on a home soon and am researching the correct method. I am worried about removing the sealer and was planning on soft washing with a 4% solution and low pressure rinse. There is a front walkway and back patio. The back patio however looks to have a large rust stain from a previous grill location. To me, it looks like it has the same sealed sheen as the rest of the patio and therefore I question if the last person sealed it without first treating the rust. I don’t want to ruin the seal. I currently have OA and EaCo Chem line of masonry products. I have read about others using surface cleaners on the stamped concrete. I run a 4 gpm but have my SC pressure down to 1500 psI (I forget he meg numbers) There is also a small section 12x12 of pavers with polymeric sand that is pretty dirty. Most joints are still compacted well, some are now gapping. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have forgotten how much I love sitting, reading and learning on the site. Blessings!
You need to talk to the homeowner about options before you proceed. Price accordingly.
I would just run the surface cleaner on it. The sealer should be just fine. I usually don’t see issues very often with washing surfaces with sealers. Same on the polymeric grouted pavers. Post treat with 2.5 or 3 percent. Also, I like my results running 3k +or- psi on my SC.
Sorry Racer, this is late on returning to your response. Do you think that the stain is even removable? Would applying an acid damage the coloring in the stamped concrete? Thanks for your opinion.
Keith
Shouldn’t but you’ll need to re-seal probably. Shouldn’t have been sealed like that to start with. But you could be opening up a can of worms trying to fix now that you may not want to get into.
Thanks, Racer! Those really were my sediments exactly without the foreseen outcome. I feel comfortable with the pavers and the sand, but not so much with the rust stain. I appreciate your time. Blessings!
Keith
Hello!
I was wondering, how do you turn down your Surface cleaner pressure?? The only way i know is turning down your unloader valve. is this what you do with a pressure guage right before your Surface cleaner?
Change tips or idle down the engine, but I wouldn’t do that for a long time. These small engines are made to run wide open….
But seriously, either will work in reality, but your best bet is tips. It’s far more consistent and accurate.
Here’s the site I have bookmarked to check #s. Just remember to divide gpm by # of tips…
https://www.amazingmachinery.com/nozzle-calc.html
Is it safe to turn down your unloader valve using a pressure gauge at the end of your hose or just in general better to use the different tips? Ive tried to use the calculators before but i dont understand the whole nozzle sizing. I did 4.0 gpm by 1500 psi and itt comes out to 6.53. So what am i looking at getting?
You want to set your unloader and leave it alone. Tips are the best way to lower your pressure to what you want or need.
2503 or 2503.5
