Can you clean render on an insulated system?

Yes, with extra care around bead edges where water should not be driven in.

What if the render is cracked?

We will point it out and work around it. Cleaning does not fix cracks and can make them more obvious.

Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?

Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.

How soon after rain can you work?

As soon as the surface is not running with water.

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.

Can you quote from photographs?

For most straightforward jobs, yes. Awkward access is worth a look in person.

Does anyone need to be home?

No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.

Can you deal with black spotting on white render?

That is usually a fungal spot rather than algae. It responds to treatment but often needs a second lighter pass.

Lopwell wall cleaning without high pressure

Lopwell, Devon - PL6

Lopwell property owners usually call about colour rather than dirt. Growth flattens the tone of a painted render and stone finish long before anyone would call the wall unclean.

Quote for a Lopwell property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

How the work is actually carried out

1.Every hose junction is checked before pressure goes on, because a burst at a coupling floods a border.
2.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
3.The lower band of an elevation is checked for salt or silt staining, which is rinsed rather than treated.
4.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
5.Expected rain is considered before application because the treatment needs suitable dwell time on the wall.
6.Guttering above a worked elevation is checked for standing water, because a drip mid-treatment ruins an even finish.
7.Rainwater goods are checked while the elevation is being worked, since a blocked hopper explains most single-strip staining.
8.External drains below the work are covered with a grate mat and cleared before we leave.
9.The finished wall is photographed in the same light as the start photograph, so the comparison is honest.
10.Application is by low-pressure fan, closer to a garden sprayer than a washer, and the wall is wetted evenly rather than saturated in patches.

Reading the finish on a Lopwell elevation

A rendered plinth takes more water than the face above it and is usually the first band to look tired.
Where render sits over insulation, the wall is more sensitive still and the mix is weakened accordingly.
Cleaning before repainting is not optional, because paint over live growth fails from underneath.
Painted plinths take splash and are worked as a separate band from the main face.
Cleaning stone reveals natural colour variation, which some owners expect to be uniform and it never is.
Lime mortar in a stone wall is softer than the stone by design, and that design is worth respecting.

The reasons behind the staining

Ivy pulled off a wall leaves suckers and a shaded, damp face that greens quickly afterwards.
Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
Ground-level render behind a planted border is wet from irrigation as much as from weather.
A wall under a mature hedge takes both shade and constant leaf litter, which is the worst pairing there is.
Growth that appears in a neat rectangle usually marks something that was leaning against the wall.
North-east corners hold frost longest and thaw slowest, which extends the damp window every morning.
Once lichen is established it holds water itself, which makes the surface beneath it wetter than it started.
A tree removed years ago can leave a wall that greened in its shade and never fully recovered.
Airflow through a passage between two houses is fast but the passage itself is in permanent shade.

Practical points to sort first

Say whether the elevation backs onto a public footpath.
Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.
Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
Tell us about any previous treatment that came back quickly, and how quickly.
Say if you would prefer the front done on a different day from the back.
Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
Let us know if anyone in the house works nights and needs quiet at a particular time.

How the wall is read first

01Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.
02The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
03Hollow-sounding render is checked by tapping before any water is put onto it.
04Where the pattern is a band at the bottom, splash from the ground is doing it.
05Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
06A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.
07Where the pattern is vertical and narrow, plumbing is looked at before chemistry is.
08The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.

Before you get in touch

Can you clean render on an insulated system?: Yes, with extra care around bead edges where water should not be driven in.
What if the render is cracked?: We will point it out and work around it. Cleaning does not fix cracks and can make them more obvious.
Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?: Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.
How soon after rain can you work?: As soon as the surface is not running with water.
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.
Can you quote from photographs?: For most straightforward jobs, yes. Awkward access is worth a look in person.
Does anyone need to be home?: No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.
Can you deal with black spotting on white render?: That is usually a fungal spot rather than algae. It responds to treatment but often needs a second lighter pass.

Lopwell in plain facts

Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Roborough sits about 1.9 miles from Lopwell on our round, so visits are often shared.
Recorded character: estuary hamlet. Tidal Tavy weir and nature reserve.
Nearest full coverage hub: Roborough (PL6), West Devon Borough Council.
Postcode district: PL6. County: Devon. Approx 6.9 miles from the PL3 base.

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Read a little further

The short version

Anything that keeps a wall wet for longer will bring the growth back sooner, whatever product goes on it. Method, dwell and patience beat pressure and speed on every wall finish we work on. Killing growth and removing growth are two different jobs, and only one of them lasts. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.