Will the Power Washer take off Any Paint or Stain?
Brad Forrest, Owner
A question I frequently get asked by homeowners is whether or not the power washer will remove stain or paint from a customer’s deck or wood-sided house. This article only answers questions regarding paint; more information about whether the power washer can damage other types of property can be found here.
If there is no paint/stain that is chipping, peeling, or bubbling, then the power washer will not remove any of it. This is surprising to many homeowners, but as long as the power washer is held from a safe distance, it won’t damage the paint unless it is already coming off. However, if any of it is chipping, peeling, or bubbling, then it almost certainly will start to come off from the pressure of the power washer. This will be communicated to the customer beforehand, as it is unavoidable if the surface is going to be cleaned properly.
However, it should be noted that this is not necessarily a bad thing. If the customer is about to get their property repainted anyway, removing the flakes will help the painter once he starts his job. When a painter starts their job, they have to “prep” the job by scraping and sanding away all of the paint that is chipping or peeling before they can start painting. Getting as much of this removed by the power washer will help them once they start prepping their job.