Can you remove ivy marks?

Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.

Do you treat mortar joints separately?

The method is set by the mortar because it is nearly always the softest thing on the wall.

What about air bricks and vents?

Covered for the duration, uncovered before we leave.

Do you work on bungalows differently?

Only in that everything is reachable from the ground, which makes the visit shorter.

Should the gutters be done at the same time?

Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.

How do you price the work?

By elevation area and access, put in writing before anything starts.

Do you cover air bricks the whole time?

Covered while the wall around them is worked and uncovered before we go.

Will the wall need doing again next year?

Not usually. How long it holds depends on shade, run-off and airflow rather than on the treatment.

PL14 - Cornwall - 15.8 miles from PL3

Darite exterior wall softwash, Cornwall

This page is about one job in one place: cleaning painted render and granite walls in Darite, Cornwall. Softwash means chemistry and dwell time doing the work rather than pressure.

The wall finishes we meet around PL14

Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
Render responds to dwell time better than almost any other finish, which is what makes softwash suit it.
Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
A weaker mix and a longer wait suits paint better than anything stronger and faster.
The mortar between granite blocks is usually lime, which sets the whole method for the wall.
Deeply rooted lichen on granite can take a full season to fade after treatment.

Conditions around Darite that feed growth

Textured coatings have more surface area than smooth ones, and more surface area means more places to hold damp.
Growth thickest at head height usually means splash from a hard surface rather than run-off from above.
Where two elevations meet in a tight internal corner, neither one dries properly.
Mild damp winters here keep growth metabolising through months that would stop it in a colder, drier county.
Sheltered gable ends collect airborne spores because there is no wind to move them along.
Salt-laden air roughens exposed surfaces slightly, and rougher surfaces hold more moisture.
Where two properties share a wall of different finishes, the finishes weather at different speeds and look mismatched.
Lichen prefers hard, alkaline surfaces, which is why it shows on mortar and cills before it shows on render.
Where a wall was cleaned without a biocide, the regrowth is often patchier and faster than the original.

Checks made before anything is applied

01How quickly a splash of water darkens the surface says how porous the finish has become.
02Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
03Hollow-sounding render is checked by tapping before any water is put onto it.
04Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
05The age of the finish is estimated before a strength of mix is chosen.
06A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
07The underside of the soffit is checked, because staining there rarely stays there.
08The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.

What happens on the day

1.On render below a flat roof edge, the drip detail is checked, because a failed one puts the stain straight back.
2.Render beads and stop ends are inspected as work reaches them, because a lifted bead traps water behind the finish.
3.Between elevations the kit is rinsed so nothing dries in the line and blocks the fan pattern.
4.Where a wall carries a satellite dish or cable run, the fixings are checked before they get wet.
5.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
6.Any electric meter box, alarm bell or external socket is bagged before the lance comes out.
7.Treatment goes on from the bottom of the elevation upwards, which stops clean streaks forming where liquid runs onto dry surface.
8.Paving, steps and paths below the elevation are rinsed clear at the end of the visit.
9.Dwell time is the active ingredient. The treatment is left on the growth long enough to kill it rather than being chased off with water.
10.Areas that stay stubborn after full dwell are left to weather rather than pushed harder on the day.

Access and preparation

Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
Say whether the elevation backs onto a public footpath.
Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.
If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
Say whether the side passage is wide enough for a wheeled kit trolley.
If parking needs a permit or a bay suspension, tell us early.
Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
Point out any alarm sensor mounted externally on the elevation.

Coverage and travel

Nearest full coverage hub: Liskeard (PL14), Cornwall Council.
Postcode district: PL14. County: Cornwall. Approx 15.8 miles from the PL3 base.
PL14 covers 8 town hubs and 14 villages or districts in our radius.
Recorded character: village. Small village east of Bodmin Moor.
Access is usually via A38 and A390.

See everywhere we cover in PL14

Asked most often in PL14

Can you remove ivy marks?: Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.
Do you treat mortar joints separately?: The method is set by the mortar because it is nearly always the softest thing on the wall.
What about air bricks and vents?: Covered for the duration, uncovered before we leave.
Do you work on bungalows differently?: Only in that everything is reachable from the ground, which makes the visit shorter.
Should the gutters be done at the same time?: Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.
How do you price the work?: By elevation area and access, put in writing before anything starts.
Do you cover air bricks the whole time?: Covered while the wall around them is worked and uncovered before we go.
Will the wall need doing again next year?: Not usually. How long it holds depends on shade, run-off and airflow rather than on the treatment.

Close to Darite

Useful pages alongside this one

One elevation is a job too

You do not have to do the whole house. Most enquiries start with the one side that bothers them.

Enquire 07830 242403

Darite wall softwash, in short

Ask what will be used and how long it will be left on. The answers tell you everything. The wall dictates the method. Everything else on this page follows from that one rule. The mortar is the weakest link on most walls, so the mortar sets the pressure.

Quote for a Darite property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm