Serving Clients Since 1977
Power Washing in Plainville, CT
Gagnon Painting & Decorating has completed thousands of jobs safely since 1977, using state-of-the-art equipment to blast away grit, grime and contaminants. Plainville is the closest town to our Southington shop, which makes scheduling straightforward here.
We do not strip paint with pressure washing — a limit that matters as much on aluminium siding as on old wood, for different reasons.
What happens when you pressure-wash aluminium siding?
Two things, and neither is obvious at the time.
The first is denting. Aluminium siding is thin, and a concentrated jet at close range will deform it, particularly on the wide flat panels used through the 1960s and 70s — which is a great deal of what covers Plainville's post-war housing. The dents show as ripples in raking light and cannot be undone.
The second is chalk. Aged aluminium develops a powdery oxidised layer, and washing it hard removes some of that chalk while leaving the rest. The result is a surface that looks clean but is inconsistently prepared, which is a poor foundation for paint. Aluminium wants washing at moderate pressure with the right detergent, then proper priming — not brute force.
On the town's older wood the reasoning is different but the conclusion is identical. High pressure drives water behind laps, raises the grain on softwood, and takes material off sawn and pierced detail like the Campground cottages carry. So washing is a cleaning step ahead of a coating step, at whatever pressure the substrate can take.
We do not perform mold or fungi testing, abatement, remediation or air sampling.
Plainville power washing questions
Is it safe to wash aluminium siding at all?
Yes, at the right pressure and with the right detergent. The failure mode is not washing itself but washing hard — thin aluminium panels dent under a close, concentrated jet, and aged chalky surfaces need to be cleaned consistently rather than blasted in patches. If the plan is to repaint afterwards, how the siding is washed largely determines how well the primer bonds.
Will a wash sort out my deck?
It will clean it, and washing is the first stage of deck refinishing rather than a substitute for it. Decking is softwood laid flat and takes the full force of anything aimed at it, so it is the easiest surface on a property to damage with too much pressure — the raised, furry grain only shows once it dries. We wash decks at a pressure the boards can take.
How soon can you get here?
Plainville is the nearest town to our Southington base, so scheduling here is usually easier than most places we work. Call and we will give you a realistic date rather than an optimistic one, along with a free estimate and a written summary quote on the first visit.
Need a wash before the paint goes on?
Call for a free estimate and a written summary quote on your first visit.