What about the windows afterwards?

Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.

Will it strip my paint?

Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.

Is the method different on a listed building?

The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.

What if the render is hollow in places?

It is tapped and mapped first, and hollow sections are treated dry-side only rather than soaked.

Can you clean render on an insulated system?

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

How is a quote put together?

By elevation area, surface type and access, written down before anything starts.

Do you need scaffolding?

Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.

Do I need to move my car?

It helps. If it cannot be moved we sheet it or work around it.

Treating growth on painted stone and render in Trebartha

Trebartha, Cornwall - PL15

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

What Trebartha walls are usually finished in

Bead edges and stop ends on a rendered elevation are the details worth protecting from driven water.
Patched render takes treatment differently from the original, which is why patches are identified before work starts.
That gets pointed out before work starts rather than discovered halfway through.
Colour on a painted wall usually returns once the film on top is removed.
Lime mortar in a stone wall is softer than the stone by design, and that design is worth respecting.
Treatment on stone is applied in stages so it soaks into the joints rather than running off the faces.

Low pressure, longer dwell

1.The job is worked one elevation at a time from end to end so that nothing dries out mid-wall.
2.Curtains and blinds behind a treated elevation are best left closed, and we say so before starting rather than afterwards.
3.Cable clips, aerial brackets and old fixings are noted, and loose ones are left rather than pushed further.
4.A wall with a visible damp patch inside is treated on the dry areas only until the cause is found.
5.The lance tip is changed rather than the pressure raised whenever coverage is not even enough.
6.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
7.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.
8.The lower band of an elevation is checked for salt or silt staining, which is rinsed rather than treated.
9.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
10.A wall carrying a house number, plaque or bell push has those items worked around by hand.

Small things that make the visit smoother

If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
Trim back anything that has grown tight against the wall, or ask us to work around it.
Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.
Tell us if there is a septic tank and where its outlet sits.
Mention whether the drive drains to a soakaway that already struggles in heavy rain.
Tell us if a gutter has been overflowing, because that changes what we look at first.
Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.

Facts on record for Trebartha

Recorded character: farming hamlet. Wooded estate valley below Bodmin Moor.
PL15 covers 1 town hubs and 4 villages or districts in our radius.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Typical wall finish here is painted stone and render, which sets the cleaning method.
Nearest full coverage hub: North Hill (PL4), Plymouth City Council.

See everywhere we cover in PL15

What is actually growing on the wall

Roof debris shed from a mossy slope lands on the same band of wall year after year.
Wall growth often maps exactly to where a previous extension roof used to sit.
Ground-level render behind a planted border is wet from irrigation as much as from weather.
Tree canopy overhead drips long after the rain has stopped and drops organic debris onto the wall face.
Growth returns fastest where the underlying cause was never dealt with, which is usually water going somewhere it should not.
A tree removed years ago can leave a wall that greened in its shade and never fully recovered.
A split downpipe puts a single wet stripe down an elevation, and that stripe goes green months before anything either side of it.
Silt washed down from the roof leaves a thin feeding layer on the render below.
A downpipe discharging onto a hard surface next to the wall sends the water straight back at the brickwork.

Assessing a PL15 elevation

01The direction the growth thickens in points at the source of the moisture.
02The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
03The underside of the soffit is checked, because staining there rarely stays there.
04A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
05Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
06Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.
07A fingernail drawn across the growth says more in a second than a photograph does.
08The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.

Nearby villages and districts

Common questions about wall softwash

What about the windows afterwards?: Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.
Will it strip my paint?: Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.
Is the method different on a listed building?: The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.
What if the render is hollow in places?: It is tapped and mapped first, and hollow sections are treated dry-side only rather than soaked.
Can you clean render on an insulated system?: Yes, with extra care around bead edges where water should not be driven in.
How is a quote put together?: By elevation area, surface type and access, written down before anything starts.
Do you need scaffolding?: Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.
Do I need to move my car?: It helps. If it cannot be moved we sheet it or work around it.

Describe the staining and we will name it

Green film, black spots or grey crust all behave differently. Tell us which one you are looking at.

Describe it 07830 242403

In a sentence or two

Small jobs get the same sequence as large ones, just fewer elevations. Killing growth and removing growth are two different jobs, and only one of them lasts. The finish underneath is usually intact. It is the film on top that has aged. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Quote for a Trebartha property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm