Pressure Cleaning Concrete
Exterior
Commercial pressure cleaning Brisbane is a large part of what we do on a daily basis, often on weekends and at night time, whilst Brisbane sleeps.
Another before shot of commercial driveway
Commercial driveway before cleaning
So we sprang into action one Saturday morning using commercial grade water blasters to restore appearances.
It wasn’t necessary to use chemicals on all bar the paved path to the Office entrance.
You can see the difference in the pictures below.
High volume equipment & relatively low pressure optimizes the result
A real lift to appearances
Interior
Beyond the roller door is a sizable warehouse with a floor that also needed a little TLC.
The owner had misgivings because the adjacent Office was carpeted and he also had concerns with the painted walkways. This required more sophisticated equipment using low volume, hot water and vacuum extraction. We undertook the task the following weekend and guess what …the carpet remained dry, the paint intact and the warehouse looks a lot brighter and user friendly.
Industrial Shed Ceiling, Wall & Plant Clean
Our internal cleaning also extends to removal of caked on dust from Factory ceilings, walls, plant and equipment as well as floors.
Check out this recycling facility in Murrarie.
A depressing & dusty fire hazard
Not much natural light getting in here
Air compressor used to clean over switchboards prior to taping up
Wall cleaning in progress
Our visits involving Commercial Pressure Cleaning Brisbane invariably have a positive effect on staff at these establishments. It’s easy to see why when you look at the after shots …
It took our team of five a whole weekend to clean this factory from top to bottom. Not bad considering the total area cleaned roughly equates to the playing surface area at Lang Park. We did have large knuckle booms and a scissor lift but the set up areas are very confined due to the huge amount of plant. Having had twenty years practice at the same shed however, does help to get it right.
Incredible transformation over just one weekend
Some of the “product” awaiting recycling
Different Industrial Shed …Roof
Filthy cliplock roof on Brisbane’s southern outskirts
Quite a contrast with skylights looking good
Power saving clean up
After clean… much cooler inside plus more light
This large industrial shed was the subject of a Make Good at an End of Lease revamp which included cleaning the roof as well as reinstating various electrical fittings inside.
The electricians were pretty much working in the dark below, without power but were so grateful for the clean skylights which had a huge impact on visibility and their ability to effectively carry on.
Shopping Centre General Clean
Pavement & Ceilings & Roof
Badly soiled pavement before hot blast
After the clean
Ceiling & floors cleaned
Bullnose & lower roof section cleaned
Shopping Centre Air Con Tower Clean
Who could blame the maintenance guys for kicking up about working in these conditions.
Accumulated bird droppings at shopping complex
This has to be worse than Basil Fawlty’s hampster on the loose
Wearing a P3 mask is essential when cleaning up this mess …people have died from inhaling too much of this, so after scraping, bagging and commercial pressure cleaning Brisbane …things are back on track.
Good to go
Makes you wonder what the shoppers were breathing in down below
Scaffolded Building Clean
Concrete cancer had taken its toll on the rear of this twelve story City building requiring urgent remedial action. The concrete window hoods were falling apart, but before any jack hammering it was necessary to pressure clean to fully reveal the extent of the damage.
All ready at ground level
Hoisting up the hose using a rope & pulley
With everything in place the work begins.
Window hoods cleaned up
Putting things in perspective
Footpath Walkway
This one definitely had to be done at night. It’s in the busy city fringe with lots of restaurants, which translates to lots of pedestrians likely to walk into a shower of chemicals. We have to tread warily indeed to ensure nothing goes wrong.
Footpath awning up for a clean followed by a repaint
High and slippery wet surface for the operator
Looking good the morning after
Roof pressure cleaning
Terracotta
The owner of this residence contacted us because he was impressed with our work next door …wait for it…some six years previously. He wanted the job done professionally, with no broken tiles and zero water ingress. Like his neighbour’s roof (also terracotta) we advised the best way to go would be to use a boom lift.
The before shot below, of a front section, was fairly indicative of what lay ahead for us.
This represents a build up of mould & lichen growth over a thirty year period
That’s more like it
Getting there …next door’s roof in the background
Read more about the neighbour’s roof by clicking the following link: –
Colorbond
A shed on the same property with a colorbond roof was pretty typical of what happens when they are let go. Lichen growth is particularly attracted to light coloured colorbond roofs …no exception here, but it cleaned up OK.
Lichen growth can bite into the paintwork if let go
Much better
We trust this gives you an impression of the various types of commercial pressure cleaning Brisbane we get involved in.
If you have similar work in mind, why not give us a call on (07) 3300 6100 or 0418 733 068.
It’s extraordinary how frequently we see botched concrete pressure cleaning like that shown in the photos below. By following these simple Concrete Pressure Cleaning Tips, this damage can be so easily avoided if the operator and equipment are up to scratch.
Which Country’s Flag Is This?
The problems are easily addressed if the equipment is suitable and the operator alert to potential problems.
Gouging
The gouging is caused by using too much pressure or a combination of too much pressure and too little water volume. The rings can be the result of leaving the rotary head in a fixed position, using too much pressure and/or insufficient water volume being used (the former translates to operator inattention whilst the latter can be traced back to inappropriate concrete pressure cleaning equipment).
It’s important to assess the situation prior to commencement of the concrete pressure cleaning project.
Determining Concrete Strength
We suggest you roughly determine the strength of the concrete and without unnecessarily complicating things you can presume that an exposed aggregate driveway is capable of withstanding more pressure than a wooden trowelled, plain concrete path (as depicted in the photos), in contrast to a steel trowelled (shiney finish) shopping centre car park capable of withstanding heavy vehicle traffic.
The residential/commercial paths/patio slabs are the most likely to cause you concrete pressure cleaning grief.
Choosing the right equipment, particularly when dealing with “soft” concrete is equally as important as your choice of operator.
Causes of Gouging
Gouging the surface can be caused by too much pressure with a low volume machine. Most commercial operators use a 5000 psi 21 litre per minute water blaster thinking that will be ok. Generally, if the operator is alert enough it is OK, however inexperienced operators can come unstuck as they move the rotary head too slowly across the surface in a vain attempt at being thorough. Hence the resultant “zebra” lines and, if they stop to answer their phone (heaven forbid – if they are driven to distraction by continuing to engage the trigger in a fixed position) …indelible rings, as shown in the photos above, will result.
The important thing to remember is that low volume equipment requires smaller jets on the rotary head, so when operating under high pressure the jets tend to cut into, rather than more evenly clean the surface. The cutting action is why you are more likely to get stones dislodging from exposed aggregate with that type of equipment.
Remedies
This can be largely overcome by using higher volume concrete pressure cleaning equipment in the order of 35 + litres per minute but set at a lower pressure of around 3000 psi. This type of equipment actually has more cleaning capability than the higher psi gear and it’s not necessarily using more water because it gets the job done faster.
Concrete Pressure Cleaning Tips
We purpose-build our own concrete pressure cleaning equipment to our own specifications, to address these issues so we can optimize the result without damaging the surface. Please click the following link for more detail https://www.waterworks.com.au/responsible-pressure-cleaning/
“Asleep at the Wheel” is a fairly apt photo title, and indeed, criticism of the operator …why you would continue doing this much damage, after it became obvious within the first 30 seconds, simply beggars belief.
The new owners of this popular Red Hill Cafe called in shop fitters to refurbish the inside and were in two minds as to whether to replace or restore the umbrella/sails which were looking a tad shabby.
When they discovered the cost of replacement they sought the cheaper option and were delighted with the result. The task was performed from ladders and the bough of a tree, to keep the costs to a bare minimum.
It’s always a challenge building clean – multi-story in the City, especially in the Mall where strict working hours must be observed to ensure the safety of the public, and more particularly, just prior to Christmas.
The Pavilion Building stretches some 30 metres into the Queen Street Mall, opposite Beck House aka Hungry Jacks (which we also cleaned and partly painted a couple of years ago) then down Albert Street and another 30 metres around the corner into Burnett Lane.
With a little bit of co-ordination we managed to commence at the building rear in Burnett Lane, closing off half the Lane to traffic, as well as clean the alfresco dining area of Jo Jo’s, before moving into the Mall at midnight, to continue into the wee hours.
The Adult Entertainment Industry is fairly well represented in that part of town and our team was likewise kept entertained by the comings and goings of revelers topped up on some early Christmas Cheer…luckily we finished off in the early part of the week, as I think what we witnessed was just the curtain raiser.
Below are some photos showing the building clean – multi-story before, during (nothing to help you here Santa …with your black marker pen), and after.
Over the years we’ve carried out building clean – churches, sealed and painted houses of worship and restored roofs including but not limited to, a Taoist Temple , Anglican Church, Uniting Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Cathedral and a Catholic Church, which is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment, including re-roofing and repainting in the new year.
Building Cleaning Brisbane Church
Church before restoration
