Driveway & Patio Cleaning in Quinton

Joint growth on Ridgacre drives, slick paths in the old village

Two conditions set the work here. On the Ridgacre drives it is growth in the joints and across the shaded half of the slab: moss, algae and weed, which look neglected and, on a sloped or north-facing drive, get slippery in winter. On the frontage properties there is a second layer, because a drive that opens onto a busy road picks up a greasy road and tyre film that plain washing lifts unevenly and leaves patchy. At the village core the issue is different again. A narrow path and a doorstep under permanent shade turn green quickly, and a slippery step at a front door is a falling hazard first and a cosmetic irritation second.

• Moss and weed in the joints of the block and concrete drives across the Ridgacre estate
• Greasy road and tyre film on the drives that open straight onto the busier frontages
• Oil marks from two-car households, which are common on the widened estate drives
• Narrow shaded front paths and doorsteps at the old village core, where algae is a slip risk
• Rear yards and side entries behind the terraces, which nobody quite treats as their responsibility

Pressure for sound concrete, a soft wash for old brick

We identify what we are standing on before anything is switched on. Sound concrete and block paving on the estate take rotary pressure cleaning, with the joints cleared out and re-sanding quoted separately when the joints need it. Where a drive meets the original 1930s render at the house wall we drop the pressure right down, because forcing water into render at ground level creates a damp problem that outlasts a clean drive. Old brick paths, doorsteps and anything soft get soft-washing instead. Frontage drives get a degreasing pre-treatment first, or the road film simply comes up in patches.

• Rotary cleaning on sound block and concrete, with re-sanding quoted separately where the joints need it
• Pressure dropped right down where the drive runs against original 1930s render
• A degreasing pre-treatment on frontage drives, since road and tyre film lifts patchily otherwise
• Displaced silt swept up and bagged for your own bin, which matters at the village core where there is nowhere to heap it

More detail on the equipment and the order of work: how we do patio & driveway cleaning, step by step.

Drives on Ridgacre, paths at the village core

Spring is the natural time, once the winter’s growth is visible. On and around Ridgacre Lane and the roads off it the drives are wide and the rear patios often adjoin a conservatory, and a drive and patio can be done on the same visit. At the Christ Church end the work is paths, steps, entries and yards, done off the pavement with the van parked as close as the street allows. We are about eighteen minutes from Selly Oak.

Surface, method and dwell time on a Quinton drive

Area and condition set the figure, but the surface decides the method and the method decides the time. A soft-washed brick path is not quicker than a pressure-cleaned drive, because the solution needs dwell time and the edges and steps are done by hand. There is also the sand. Washing a block drive empties the joints, and re-sanding is quoted separately when the joints need it, so you see it at the quote. Frontage drives carry the extra cost of the degreasing stage. A long green path that has been left for years may need two applications.

Get a free, no-obligation quote

Every year or two on the estate, yearly for the village paths

Every one to two years for a block or concrete drive on the Ridgacre estate, and annually where the drive is shaded or slopes. Front paths and doorsteps at the village core are worth doing every year, and on a step that is a safety interval rather than an appearance one. Both are best done in April or May, when the growth is visible and the surface has a chance to dry out properly afterwards.