Pressure Washing vs. Paint Scraping

Pressure Washing vs. Paint Scraping:

Which is Best Pre-Paint?

Is your home in need of a new paint job? Have you bought your first home and want to make it your own by adding a splash of fun color? If you have purchased an investment such as a new home, you want to take care of it and keep it in excellent condition. To do this, you may need to have you home exterior clean, scraped, or power washed before you can add your new coat of paint. In this short guide, you will be informed of the top four reasons to consider pressure washing instead paint scraping.

1. Adherence

One essential factor to consider when deciding between power washing and paint scraping is how well one will be over the other. When scraping by hand, you could get fatigued and miss a patch of paint that needed to come off. With pressure washing, you will be able to see if you miss a spot as you are not only removing peeling paint with the water, but you are giving your home a good house exterior cleaning and scrubbing. You are removing grime, debris, mildew, and other microorganisms living on your siding. Removing those in addition to any peeling paint will cause your paint to adhere much better than if you scrape alone.  

Power washing pre-paint
pressure washing before paint

2. Time

It's important to account for time when deciding which option is best for your home.  Scraping paint takes hours and lots of elbow grease.  If the project needs to be completed by a certain date or you only have a little time to get it done, scraping isn't recommended. The project will be detailed and will be quite time-consuming. Power washing can be done in a day depending on your level of expertise and the equipment you have on hand.  If you can't allot a full day to the job, then neither option will work for you.  Consider hiring a pro that will work within your time constraints.

3. Finances

Be sure to consider which method is the most cost effective.  If you choose to scrape the old paint by hand, you are costing yourself the money for the paint scraper itself and then your time as labor. If you decide to pressure wash the home, you'll have the option to rent, purchase, or hire.  Pressure washers can be expensive to purchase, especially if you are only going to use it once.  If you are going to rent, it's worth paying just a little more to get the pressure washer and someone to run it for you.

4. Call in the professionals

Lastly, know when to call the professionals.  You may decide you do not have the knowledge, the time, or the want to perform the task yourself after all. Check references to verify you have hired a qualified, trustworthy, respectable, and company. 

professional power washing before paint

If you don't want your time consumed with hot, sunny days scraping old paint or you want your paint job to last longer, power washing your home is the way to go. To get a quote on pressure washing and exterior painting services, call your local power washing and paint experts at Kings of Clean.