Driveways & aprons
Surface cleaner, overlapping passes, edges cut in by hand. No wand stripes, no zebra, no missed strip along the garage door.
Concrete · Pavers · Hardscape
Concrete remembers everything.
Every stain on your slab is a record of something — a leaking gearbox, a rusted downspout, four autumns of leaf tannin. Each one comes off with different chemistry. Guess wrong and you just etch the concrete and leave the stain.
- 4,000PSI max on slab
- 20"Rotary surface cleaner
- 200°FHot water on grease
- 0Wand stripes left behind
Read the slab
Six stains, six different answers
Pressure alone removes exactly one of these. The rest are chemistry problems that a pressure washer finishes, not solves. Here's what we actually reach for.
-
Organic
Black & green film
Algae, mildew and lichen living in the pores. The most common thing on a shaded slab, and the easiest to get wrong.
- Answer
- Sodium hypochlorite, 1–2%, 10 min dwell
- Then
- Surface cleaner at 3,000 PSI
-
Petroleum
Oil & transmission fluid
Soaked into the slab, not sitting on it. Cold water pushes it deeper and spreads the halo wider.
- Answer
- Alkaline degreaser + 200°F water, agitated
- Then
- Poultice on anything older than a year
-
Metallic
Rust
From downspouts, patio furniture, fertiliser or rebar too close to the surface. Bleach sets it permanently.
- Answer
- Oxalic acid, dwell, neutralise fully
- Never
- Any chlorine — it locks the stain in
-
Tannin
Leaf & acorn shadow
The ghost outline of last year's leaves. It's a dye, and it's driven into the cream layer.
- Answer
- Sodium percarbonate, 15 min, warm
- Then
- Second pass if it's over two seasons old
-
Mineral
Efflorescence
White bloom pushed out from inside the concrete by moving water. Washing it off treats the symptom.
- Answer
- Dilute acid wash, then find the water
- Note
- It comes back if drainage isn't fixed
-
Mechanical
Tire marks & scuff
Plasticiser burned into the surface where the wheels turn. The one stain pressure genuinely does remove.
- Answer
- Citrus solvent + 4,000 PSI, close pass
- Watch
- Sealed slabs — solvent softens the sealer
Slab estimator
Roughly what it takes
Concrete is priced by the square foot, so you can get close before anyone drives out. Move the slider, pick the surface, and see the crew time, water volume and range this lands in.
This is a range, not a quote. Heavy oil, a slab that's never been done, or anything we have to reclaim will push it up. The number that counts comes after we've seen it.
What we take on
Anything flat, and most things that aren't
Patios & pool decks
Lower pressure on aggregate and stamped work. Sand re-swept and locked on pavers, every time.
Commercial slab
Dock aprons, drive-thrus and shop floors. Hot water and reclaim where the site drains to storm.
Masonry & retaining walls
Pressure set from a test panel, never from habit. Old mortar gets a soft wash and an honest conversation.
Timber decking
Percarbonate lift, neutralised, moisture-read before sealing. We won't seal it the same day.
Fencing
Vinyl and painted timber, soft-washed. Cheap to add while the trailer is already on your driveway.
The ledger
Last month's slab
Every job, what it was, and what it took. Replace these rows with your own.
| Job | Surface | Area | Treatment | PSI | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0412 | Concrete driveway | 1,240 sq ft | Hypo 1.5% + surface cleaner | 3,000 | 3.5 |
| 0413 | Pool deck, aggregate | 860 sq ft | Hypo 1% + low-pressure rinse | 1,800 | 2.5 |
| 0414 | Shop floor | 3,100 sq ft | Degreaser + 200°F, reclaimed | 3,500 | 7.0 |
| 0415 | Paver patio | 540 sq ft | Percarbonate + re-sand + lock | 2,200 | 4.0 |
| 0416 | Driveway, rust | 980 sq ft | Oxalic, neutralised, then hypo | 3,000 | 4.5 |
| 0417 | Dock apron | 2,400 sq ft | Degreaser + hot water, reclaimed | 4,000 | 6.0 |
Placeholder rows — swap in your own recent work before publishing.
Send us a photo of the worst bit.
We'll tell you what the stain is, whether it comes out, and what it costs. If it doesn't come out, we'll say that too — before you pay us anything.
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