Pressure Washing in Boerne and San Antonio, TX
Jesse and Isaac Tellez wash houses, driveways, decks and fences across Boerne, San Antonio and the Hill Country towns between. Most of the time the wash is step one of an exterior repaint. It is also booked on its own.
- Family run since 1982
- Insured and bonded
- Veteran owned and Latino owned
Six surfaces, six ways to wash them
The tiles run from gentlest to firmest, and the numbers match the dial further down. Each lists the method the surface needs and what goes wrong when it is washed the other way.
- 1
Limestone
The method, soft washSoft wash only, wand held well back. A cleaning solution and a gentle rinse lift algae and grime off the older limestone homes of Boerne.
Done wrongHard pressure pits the soft face, eats out the mortar joints and leaves a rough surface that holds dirt faster.
- 2
Stucco
The method, soft washSoft wash, top down, rinsed gently and never aimed up into cracks, seams or window edges.
Done wrongPressure drives water behind the finish coat, blasts the surface away and opens hairline cracks.
- 3
Hardie and wood siding
The method, soft washSoft wash, then a gentle rinse angled down along the laps, never up under them.
Done wrongWater forced up under a lap soaks the sheathing, gouges the grain and loosens paint that did not need to come off.
- 4
Iron fence or railing
The method, low pressureLow pressure and a rinse. Dirt and loose rust come off, not the paint.
Done wrongStripping to bare steel invites fast rust.
- 5
Wood deck
The method, low pressureLow pressure through a wide tip, kept moving and run with the grain.
Done wrongHard pressure raises and splinters the grain and leaves furrows and fuzz.
- 6
Concrete driveway and walkway
The method, pressureThe one surface that takes real pressure: a narrow fan tip, even distance, overlapping passes.
Done wrongUneven passes leave pale stripes, and a tip held too close etches the surface.
Who pressure washes houses in Boerne and San Antonio?
Tellez & Sons Painting does. Jesse Tellez and his son Isaac wash houses, driveways, walkways, decks and fences across Boerne, San Antonio and the Hill Country towns between, and the family has painted in this area since 1982. Most of that washing is the first step of an exterior repaint, because new paint will not hold to chalk, mildew and grime. It is also booked on its own, for a driveway that has gone black, a deck that has greened over, a fence that has gone dull, or a house that is not getting painted this year. Because the crew paints for a living, it washes with the paint in mind. Stucco and limestone, the older finishes around Boerne, get a soft wash. Siding gets a gentle rinse angled down. Only concrete gets real pressure. Estimates are free.
How the wash is sold
With an exterior repaint, the usual job
The wash is planned around the paint: wash, dry, scrape, repair, paint. See exterior painting.
On its own, also booked
Driveways, walkways, decks, fences, railings and houses not being painted yet. Offices, retail units and warehouses too: see commercial painting.
How the setting gets chosen
On the left the cleaning solution does the work. On the right the stream does.
- Soft wash1Limestone2Stucco3Siding
- Low pressure4Iron5Deck
- Pressure6Concrete
Soft wash
Under about 500 PSI at the surface. A cleaning solution loosens algae, mildew and chalky dirt, and a gentle rinse carries it away.
Pressure
About 3,000 PSI and up through a narrow fan tip, so the stream itself lifts the dirt. Concrete takes it. Very little else on a house does.
A washer rated at 3,000 PSI can be gentle or brutal. Through a wide tip held well back, with detergent doing the work, it is gentle. Through a narrow tip held close, it cuts wood and stone. So the number on the machine matters less than the tip, the distance and the detergent.
Where washing fits before a repaint
On an exterior repaint the wash is step one, not an extra. Paint will not hold to chalk, mildew and grime, so the walls are washed first and left to dry.
Hill Country sun bakes south and west walls, and shaded walls turn green. Older limestone and stucco in Boerne need a gentler wash than the newer builds along I-10, so we look at the house before we pick a method. More on the area is on our Boerne page.
The order on an exterior repaint
- WashChalk, mildew and grime come off.
- DryWalls dry fully. Shade, stucco and wood take longest.
- Scrape and sandLoose, failing paint comes off.
- FixRotted wood and cracked pieces are repaired.
- PaintPaint goes onto a clean, dry, sound surface.
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“…They scraped away all the old paint and rotting wood on the house and even replaced some cracked or broken windows that were already there. The actual house painting came out beautifully. Our house is almost 100 years old and it looks like a completely new house.…”
Eric Ravenwolf, Google, Jan 2023A review of an exterior repaint, about the prep and the finish and not about washing.
Pressure washing questions, answered
Something not covered here? Ask when you request a quote.
How much does pressure washing cost in Boerne?
It depends on what we see on a walk around the property: the surface, the square footage, the number of stories, how dirty it is, and whether the wash is part of an exterior repaint. Limestone and stucco take more care than concrete. We quote after looking at the job, and estimates are free.
Can pressure washing damage limestone or stucco?
Yes, with too much pressure. Limestone is soft and stucco is porous, so a hard stream pits the stone, opens mortar joints and drives water behind the finish. That is why both get a soft wash instead: low pressure, a cleaning solution, a wide tip and a steady distance.
What is soft washing and what is it for?
Soft washing is a low pressure rinse that lets a cleaning solution do the work instead of force. It is used on surfaces pressure can hurt, such as stucco, limestone and painted siding, where the solution loosens algae, mildew and chalky dirt.
How soon after washing can a house be painted?
Once the walls are fully dry, which is often a day or two in warm weather and longer in shade, on stucco or on wood. We check dryness before any paint goes on instead of working to a calendar, because paint over a damp wall can blister and peel.
Can you wash a deck or a fence?
Yes. Wood decks and fences get low pressure through a wide tip, run with the grain, because a hard stream splinters the surface. Iron fences and railings get a gentle wash that takes off dirt and loose rust without stripping the paint to bare steel.
Do you pressure wash in San Antonio and the Hill Country?
Yes. We wash in Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch, Grey Forest, Timberwood Park, Shavano Park, Scenic Oaks, Bulverde, New Braunfels, San Antonio and Alamo Heights, all in Texas. Boerne comes first for us now, and San Antonio is where more than 40 years of the family's painting work sits.
Tell us what needs washing
Name the surfaces. We will tell you which method each one needs, and whether a repaint belongs in the plan. Estimates are free.
Rated 4.7 on Google from 88 reviews. Insured and bonded. Family run since 1982.
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