brick patio question

[c4org 14]

I have a brick patio job comming up and i would like to know what are the correct steps of cleaning it...

in between the brick there is dirt... i also dont know the pricing range to price it by sq ft... can i get some answers PLEASE... i will be using f18 stripper with a blend of simple cherry to clean it... i do not have a surface cleaner HELP PLEASe

iron forge pressure washing

long island ny

[ValleyPressureWashing 14]

I typically don't use chemicals on brick flatwork unless I'm trying to kill mildew or remove rust stains. If you post some pictures, you might get more help. As far as pricing, it all depends on the total amount of sq. ft. plus how dirty it is. You are in NY so I'm sure your prices are higher than in my area. Most people on these boards talk about figuring out how much you want to make per hour and price it accordingly. Good luck! BTW...I don't know about using the stripper on this...seems like a waste of chemicals but some other guys here may chime in and tell you something different.

[Chappy 138]

Bleach it heavily, like 5-6% then rinswe with the wand at 1500-2000psi or even less. Let the bleach do most of the work first. That way you won't move too much out of the joints

[John Orr 206]

In my opinion, this is the time to invest in - or rent - a surface cleaner. I clean brick/paver patios all the time. The joints are usually filled with dirt and/or moss and tend to be rather slimy. I use a turbo to edge and a surface cleaner to clean. Sometimes, the bricks aren't level enough - in which case the turbo is used and you wind-up wearing a lot of the smelly, slimy stuff you stir up. After cleaning, if the bricks are still green, THEN you use chems and sodium hypochlorite (homeowners use bleach) at about a 2% to 3% solution, (any stronger and you risk killing grass with the run-off.) applied with a pump-up will work. It may be necessary to re-clean some areas. Be prepared to re-sand the joints and I would consider offering to seal the patio. Seal n' Lock would be a great choice and they say $1 to $1.50 per sq ft to clean, re-sand and seal - with costs for materials around .20 per sq ft.

Edited April 28, 2010 by John Orr

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

In my opinion, this is the time to invest in - or rent - a surface cleaner. I clean brick/paver patios all the time. The joints are usually filled with dirt and/or moss and tend to be rather slimy. I use a turbo to edge and a surface cleaner to clean. Sometimes, the bricks aren't level enough - in which case the turbo is used and you wind-up wearing a lot of the smelly, slimy stuff you stir up. After cleaning, if the bricks are still green, THEN you use chems and sodium hypochlorite (homeowners use bleach) at about a 2% to 3% solution, (any stronger and you risk killing grass with the run-off.) applied with a pump-up will work. It may be necessary to re-clean some areas. Be prepared to re-sand the joints and I would consider offering to seal the patio. Seal n' Lock would be a great choice and they say $1 to $1.50 per sq ft to clean, re-sand and seal - with costs for materials around .20 per sq ft.

I agree with John.

And you need to remember to sell the re-sanding as well with the CORRECT type of sand between the joints. It's not playground sand.

Beth

[sweetwaterfish 15]

Gallery of Clean!

Gallery of Clean!

Here are photos of a patio I recently did. The method for this was Heavy SH 20% and extra surfactant with 20-30 minutes dwell time. The Mortar Joints were not thick enough, so pressure severely damaged them. I had to "softwash" the whole patio.

On the other hand, we took on a neighborhood and every driveway is sand set pavers. On these we are doing the opposite. Not spending money on chemicals, and using the surface cleaner instead. I agree with John, come back later and kill the green with SH if needed. Bw prepared to invest extra time. When you rinse, some of the sand that comes out of the joints will be wet and " invisible". After the pavers throughly dry, you'll look back and see all the sand and say "what a mess". At this point you'll want to sweep/blow to get the excess sand off.

Good luck!