Soft Washing in Centre Wellington

Centre Wellington has old and new side by side. Fergus and Elora both have histories that go back to the 1830s, and the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Aboyne is a two-storey Italianate stone building that opened in 1877. The township has also grown by 10.3 per cent since 2016. A wash that suits new vinyl siding can damage old stone, and one strong enough for stone can be wrong for painted wood.

Old walls need the most care. Soft mortar can wash out of the joints, painted wood can lift at the edges and worn caulking lets water in behind. A low-pressure wash with a cleaning product matched to the surface avoids most of that, and we test a small hidden patch first. Green algae collects on shaded walls, and grey lichen holds harder. Both may need more than one pass.

Newer vinyl and aluminum are more forgiving, but hard spray can still drive water behind the laps, and a dark stripe along the base is often splashback from the ground. Soft washing starts from $350. The final price follows the wall height, the materials and how much growth there is. Each wall material is listed on its own line.

What we plan for in Centre Wellington

• Test patch: we start with a small hidden spot on old stone, painted wood or trim, to see how the surface responds.
• Mortar and caulking: we look for soft joints and cracked caulk before washing, and note them so they are not blamed on the wash.
• Material list: we name every wall material in the quote, so the mix and rinse can be matched to each.
• North-side walls: algae and lichen hold longest where sun rarely reaches, so those walls get more dwell time.
• Runoff: downspouts, beds and the slope of the ground tell us where rinse water can safely go, and we plan around them.

Questions from Centre Wellington homeowners

Nearby: Soft washing in Fergus · Soft washing in Elora · Soft washing in Guelph · Soft washing in Elmira · Soft washing in Rockwood · Soft washing across Kitchener-Waterloo