I’m new to power/soft washing and its practices. I got a call from a builder to clean some stains dripped beneath windows from the previous window cleaner. The stains are from SOS steel wool soap pads the window cleaner seemed to use and stained some stucco. It has been a few of months. The builder tried pressure washing them off with some success but still visible. I told him its not a good idea to power wash stucco siding. From what I’ve read it seems like 50% sh and 50% water should do the trick. Just wondering what some of you vets recommend. This is my first time washing stucco.
It’s already damaged (from pressure cleaning)
Be careful.
Also, SH? If it’s from steel wool, SH won’t do anything.
Oxalic acid is worth a shot.
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If it’s not organic sh probably wont work. If it’s from steel wool could it be a rust stain? I would try F9. Oxilic/barkeep/magic eraser might work but I’ve never used them on stucco.
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Repaint
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Yeah, that’s the easiest.
Even if you get that stain out, you can see where the stucco is “pitted” from concentrated pressure on the same spot.
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I might be wrong, but on the pic, it looks like the paint has been scraped off? So it could be black paint running down the wall, it lines up pretty well to make that possible…
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Looks like damage from the power wash the builder did to remove the rust stains. Scraped the paint and the stucco.
Walk away
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He tried to fix on the cheap or just lack of knowledge. Suggest he replace or try painting and the next time call you before he does anything. Walk away, don’t make his problem yours in this particular instance.
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LOL, we were both typing at same time. Your’s was the short version.
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Will try oxalic acid. Could I mix it in a spray bottle and spray it? Leave it on for a few minutes and rinse it off with water? F9 sounds good too will get whichever one I can get my hands on.
Walk away x100. Can’t fix that. Builder might be looking to bamboozle someone else for an insurance claim.
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Don’t do that. That’s not stucco. It’s EIFS. Read the manufacturers recommended cleaning methods. NO ACIDS. Moon walk outta there.
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Seen that a bunch of times. If there is mold on top on those stains I set expectations and explain the same before washing.
If those stains are there with no mold, I explain the same and walk away.
In this case its an easy explanation of someone else’s mistake, and then a simply thanks, but no thanks.
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That’s an acrylic sand finish. Every manufacturer has it. What you’re looking at is what happens when it gets wet prior to curing. Fortunately sand finish can be run on top of sand finish unlike natural swirl/ quartputz, which require another base coat. That panel needs to resurfaced.
