Driveway & PatioPressure WashingAcross Wirral
Patios, driveways, decking, brickwork and render cleaned back to the colour they were, with block paving re-sanded as part of the job, not as an extra.
Free site visit · No obligation · Re-sanding included
From £85
After a free site visit
Included
Block paving re-sanding
3 finishes
Sand options to choose from
£5m
Public liability cover
The Stone Is Usually Fine. It's What's On It.
Wirral weather is hard on hard landscaping. Rain off the Mersey and the Dee keeps everything damp for most of the year, and damp means algae, moss and black spot. What people usually take for worn-out paving is a film of organic growth sitting on top of perfectly sound stone, which is why a driveway that looked like a replacement job often comes back to its original colour in a morning.
The work covers block paving drives, patios and flagging, decking, brickwork, render, steps, paths and walls. Each of those takes a different pressure, and the single biggest cause of ruined paving in this trade is one setting used on everything.
On block paving, re-sanding the joints is included in the price. It is not an add-on and it is not an upsell, washing the joints out and leaving them empty is half a job, because the sand is what locks the blocks together. You choose from three sand finishes at the quote stage.
There are too many variables with jet washing to price it blind, so I will always come out and look first. The site visit is free and there is no obligation. Prices start from £85.
Block paving drives
Cleaned and then re-sanded, so the blocks lock back together properly instead of rocking and spreading.
Patios and flags
Algae, black spot and years of grime taken off without chewing up the surface or blowing the pointing.
Decking, brick and render
Pressure dropped right down for softer surfaces that will not take a full blast.
Before selling or letting
A clean drive and patio change the first photograph of a property more than almost anything else.
Why It's Not Just Cosmetic
Growth on a hard surface causes more than a tired look.
Algae is genuinely slippery
A green patio, a shaded path or a set of steps under trees is dangerous underfoot from October onwards. It is the most common reason people finally get it done, usually after somebody has gone over on it.
Weeds open the joints
Roots in the joints lift blocks, break the seal and let water down into the sub-base. Once water gets under the base, the settling that follows is a re-lay rather than a clean.
Washed-out sand lets blocks move
Jointing sand disappears over the years through rain, sweeping and previous jet washing. With the joints empty, paving rocks under a car, sinks in the wheel tracks and spreads at the edges.
Black spot gets harder to shift
Lichen black spot bonds into the surface of the stone. Early on it responds well; left for a decade it becomes very stubborn, and I will tell you honestly which of those you have.
How it works
Start To Finish
- Re-sanding included. Not a hidden add-on. On block paving it is part of the job and part of the price.
- Three sand finishes. Chosen at the quote stage depending on the paving and your budget, from standard kiln-dried up to a stabilising jointing product.
- Honest about the outcome. If a stain will not fully lift, I say so at the visit rather than after I have taken the money.
- Self-contained van. Own water and power on board, so nothing is run off your outside tap or your socket.
- Mess cleared before I leave. Silt rinsed off walls, borders and the pavement, the thing Wirral customers mention in reviews more than anything else.
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1. Free site visit
I look at the surface, the condition of the joints, the drainage and the access before quoting. No charge and no obligation.
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2. Treat and pre-clean
Weeds and heavy growth are dealt with first, so the wash is removing dirt rather than fighting vegetation.
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3. Controlled wash
Pressure matched to the surface, full power on concrete block paving, far gentler on sandstone, render or timber decking.
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4. Rinse and clear
Silt flushed off the area and directed away from drains, borders and neighbouring properties rather than left to dry as a grey film.
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5. Dry and re-sand
Block paving is left to dry enough to take sand, then re-sanded with the finish we agreed at the quote.
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6. Final walk round
We look over it together, and anything you want revisited gets done before I pack up.
Pressure, Surfaces and Sand
Jet washing goes wrong when one setting is used on everything. Most of the skill is in deciding what a surface can take before the trigger is pulled.
Matching pressure to the surface
Concrete block paving will take serious pressure. Indian sandstone, old York flags, render and timber decking will not, push too hard and you leave visible stripes, pit the face of the stone or blow the mortar out of the joints.
Part of the free site visit is establishing what the surface can actually withstand, and whether a lower-pressure approach with more dwell time will give a better result than brute force.
The three sand finishes
Once block paving has been washed, the joints are empty and have to be refilled or the paving will start to move. There are three options at different price points, from standard kiln-dried sand up to a stabilising jointing product that resists weed growth and washout for considerably longer.
We pick one at the quote stage based on the paving, how exposed it is and what you want to spend. Whichever you choose, the re-sanding itself is included in the price rather than charged separately.
Driveways, patios, paths and steps
Driveways take the worst of it: tyre rubber, oil spotting, moss in the wheel tracks and edge spread where the blocks have lost their restraint. Patios suffer more from algae and black spot because they sit shaded and damp.
Paths and steps are often the smallest part of a quote and the most worthwhile, because they are where the slip risk actually is.
Decking, render and brickwork
Timber decking is cleaned at low pressure with the grain, because a high-pressure jet raises the grain, furs the surface and leaves the boards rough for the rest of their life.
Render and brickwork need the same restraint. Water forced into an old lime mortar joint or behind a rendered finish does damage that will not show until the following winter.
Commercial and landlord exterior work
The same service applies to business premises: forecourts, service yards, bin areas, entrance paving and communal paths on blocks of flats. It is quoted after a site visit in exactly the same way.
For landlords and agents, a cleaned drive and patio between tenancies photographs far better in a listing and removes the most obvious complaint at the start of a new let.
Questions
Common Questions
- How much is driveway cleaning in Wirral?
- From £85, but exterior work is always quoted after a free site visit. There are too many variables in surface, size, condition and access to price it accurately over the phone.
- Is re-sanding extra?
- No. Re-sanding of block paving is included in the price, with three sand finishes to choose from at the quote stage.
- Will it damage my patio?
- Not when the pressure is matched to the surface. Assessing exactly that is the main purpose of the site visit, particularly on sandstone, old flags, render and decking.
- Do you need my water and electricity?
- No. The van carries its own water and power, so nothing runs off your supply.
- Will the black spot come off?
- Most of it usually does. Lichen black spot that has been on the stone for many years bonds into the surface and may not go completely, I will tell you what to expect at the visit rather than afterwards.
- How long does a driveway take?
- A typical driveway is a day's work including the wash, the drying time and the re-sanding. Larger areas or heavily grown-over paving take longer, and you will be told at the quote.
- How often should a drive or patio be cleaned?
- Every two to three years suits most Wirral properties. Shaded, north-facing or tree-covered areas green up faster and are often better done every couple of years.
- Can you clean decking without damaging it?
- Yes, at much lower pressure and working with the grain. A high-pressure jet on softwood decking raises the grain and leaves it permanently rough.
- Do you do commercial forecourts and yards?
- Yes: forecourts, service yards, bin areas and communal paths, quoted after a site visit in the same way as domestic work.
- Which areas do you cover?
- The whole Wirral peninsula, including Wallasey, Birkenhead, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake, West Kirby, Bromborough and Moreton.
Related services
Areas covered
Next step
Book a Free Look At Your Driveway
I'll come out, look at the surface and give you a price. No obligation either way.
Mon–Fri 8am–6:30pm · Sat 9am–3pm · Sunday closed