Block paving, slabs and concrete pick up moss, algae and black weathering fast in a damp Kent winter. Pressure cleaning done at the right distance and pressure, with joints resanded afterwards, brings the surface back without blasting the face off the blocks.
25 years working on these surfaces · Joints resanded after cleaning · Priced in person after a site visit · 10% deposit secures the booking
Tell us the basics and Shane will arrange a visit to price it properly.
Hands-on experience behind every job Shane prices.
NRSWA street works, full digger ticket, core drilling, ducting.
Site visit first, real figure second. No guesses over the phone.
No formal warranty period, a direct commitment from Shane.
The Service
Pressure washing of driveways, patios, paths and hard standing: clearing weeds and moss, rotary and lance cleaning of the surface, cleaning out and resanding block paving joints, and dealing with edges, steps and thresholds. Where a surface is beyond cleaning, we will tell you that rather than take the money.
Homeowners whose drive or patio has gone green, slippery or black; sellers and landlords getting a property ready to market or let; and anyone who has had a drive laid a few years ago and wants it brought back rather than replaced.
When the surface is slippery underfoot, a genuine hazard on a sloping drive or near a door, when moss is building in the joints, when weathering has dulled the colour, before selling or letting a property, or before sealing a drive.
Cleaning is only half the job. A rotary head blasts the jointing sand out of block paving, and if that sand is not replaced the blocks lose their interlock, start to move and let weeds straight back in. Resanding is not an optional extra; it is what makes the clean worth doing.
BeforeAfterWhat Happens If It's Left
A shaded, damp drive or a north-facing patio grows a film of algae that becomes treacherous in wet weather, particularly on a slope or at a doorway. It is one of the most common causes of slips around a house, and it builds up gradually enough that people stop noticing until someone goes over.
Moss and weeds rooting in the joints hold moisture against the block edges and slowly prise the units apart. Open joints let more sand wash out, the blocks lose their interlock, and what started as a cosmetic problem turns into paving that rocks and rutts under a car.
Too close, too much pressure or the wrong nozzle strips the face off block paving, etches concrete and eats out soft sandstone and mortar joints. Zebra striping from an uneven pass is nearly impossible to hide. The damage is permanent, and it is the single most common mistake made with a hired machine.
Our Process
We look at the surface type and condition, how much moss and staining there is, the drainage, where the run-off will go, and whether cleaning is genuinely the right answer. You get a price for the area.
Weeds and heavy moss are cleared, loose material swept off, and anything that needs protecting: planting, doorways, air bricks, garage thresholds, is covered or worked around. Drainage routes are checked so the run-off has somewhere to go.
The surface is cleaned with a rotary head for consistent coverage and a lance for edges, corners and detail, at a pressure and distance suited to the material so the face of the blocks or slabs is not damaged.
Slurry and debris are rinsed and cleared away rather than left to dry across the surface, and block paving joints are refilled with kiln-dried sand and compacted in so the blocks regain their interlock.
Edges, steps and thresholds are finished off, the area cleared, and we walk it with you. If anything is not right after we have finished, you call and we come back.
What You Get
Removing algae and moss takes the slip risk out of a wet drive, path or patio.
Kiln-dried sand is replaced and compacted so blocks keep their interlock.
Pressure, nozzle and distance are matched to the material rather than turned up to maximum.
A sound drive that only looks tired is usually worth cleaning, not relaying.
A clean front drive makes an immediate difference when selling or letting.
If the surface is failing rather than dirty, we tell you and price the alternative instead.
In Detail
Block paving cleans well and takes a rotary head confidently, but the jointing sand comes out with the dirt and must be replaced. Concrete is tough but can be etched or striped if the lance is held too close or moved unevenly. Indian sandstone and other natural stone are porous and softer, they need lower pressure and more care, especially around mortar pointing that a strong jet will cut straight out. Imprinted or pattern-imprinted concrete is cleaned gently because the colour layer and sealer sit on the surface, and it normally needs resealing afterwards to look right. Resin-bound surfaces need a light touch to avoid dislodging aggregate. Tarmac is cleaned at low pressure only, as the jet will lift the binder and loose chippings.
The green film is algae, thriving anywhere that stays damp and shaded, very common on north-facing Kent frontages and under trees. Moss takes hold in the joints where silt collects and holds water. Black spot lichen, the stubborn dark circles that will not budge under a jet, is a living organism bonded tightly to the stone and it typically needs chemical treatment and time rather than more pressure. Oil, tyre marks and rust from metal furniture or a leaking vehicle are different problems again, each needing its own treatment; we will tell you honestly at the visit what will come out and what is likely to remain as a shadow.
Once block paving is cleaned, kiln-dried sand is brushed and vibrated into the joints and topped up until the joints are full to just below the chamfer. This restores the interlock that makes block paving work as a surface rather than a collection of loose units. Some clients then want a sealer, which slows staining and makes future cleaning easier, but sealing only works on a fully clean, fully dry surface with correctly filled joints, sealing over damp or dirt locks the problem in. Longer term, keeping the drive swept, clearing leaf litter from the edges and improving drainage where water sits does more to hold back regrowth than the strength of the clean.
Cleaning improves how a surface looks. It does not fix a surface that is failing. If blocks are rutting in the wheel tracks, if slabs rock or ring hollow, if the edge restraint has given way and the perimeter is spreading, or if water is ponding because the falls are wrong, then the base and drainage are the problem and a pressure wash simply gives you a clean version of the same fault. Because we build driveways and patios as well as clean them, we will say so plainly at the visit and price the repair or the relay instead. That is a better outcome for you than paying for a wash that looks good for a season.
Questions
It is priced after a site visit, based on the area, the surface type, how heavy the moss and staining are, and whether resanding or sealing is wanted. Shane looks at it and gives you a straight figure.
Most domestic drives and patios are a single-day job. Very large areas, heavy moss or areas needing chemical treatment take longer, and you will be told at the visit.
Not when it is done at the right pressure, nozzle and distance for the material. Damage happens when a machine is turned up to maximum and held too close, it strips the face off blocks and etches concrete, and it cannot be undone.
Yes. Cleaning removes jointing sand, so kiln-dried sand is brushed and compacted back into the joints as part of the job. Without that, the blocks lose their interlock and start to move.
It varies with shade, tree cover and drainage. A shaded, damp frontage greens up far faster than an open sunny one. Many Kent drives benefit from a clean every year or two, with sweeping and clearing leaf litter in between.
Black spot lichen is bonded to the stone and usually will not come off with pressure alone. It needs chemical treatment and time. We will tell you before we start what is realistically achievable rather than promising a perfect finish.
Sealing can be done where it suits the surface, but only once the paving is fully clean, fully dry and correctly resanded. Sealing over damp or dirt traps the problem underneath.
Access to an outside tap and power is helpful and usually the simplest arrangement. Mention it at the site visit and we will confirm what is needed for your property.
We will tell you. If the blocks are rutting, the edge restraint has failed or water is ponding, the problem is the base and cleaning will not fix it. We build driveways too, so we can price the repair instead.
Across Kent, including Maidstone, Medway, Canterbury, Ashford, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Dartford and Gravesend.
Driveway Cleaning across Kent. If your town isn't listed it's still worth a call, travel depends on the job as much as the postcode.
Tell us the surface and rough size, or call Shane directly. Site visit, straight price, and a start date once a 10% deposit secures the booking.
7am to 5pm, seven days a week when needed. 10% deposit secures your booking; the balance is settled on completion.
