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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:06 pm
by kalooki77
Hello All,
I am starting a Driveway cleaning business and would like any advice on the benefits and problems I may encounter, as well as what are essential items I may need but not realise.
I appreciate there are many yrs of experience with the laying and cleaning of block paving and other types of driveway on this site and forum and would really like to tap into that.
Anything you can offer that I can take in and make me do a better job will be more than helpful.
Thanks
Tom
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:54 pm
by Edgecraft
Hi Tom
First off buy a descent petrol or diesel Pressure washer not some cheap chinese C**p, you should be looking for a minimum output of 15Lpm / 2500 - 3000 Psi, and buy a descent Rotory surface cleaner.
Make sure the washer unloader valve feeds back to the water tank and doesn't just loop back to the pump as this can cause the pump to overheat, you even find this on good quality washers like Brendon but it is bad practise.
If there is a lot of weeds in the joints Ideally you should remove them first with the aid of a weed knife or weed brush (a "V" profile wire brush on along handle) as it is a damn site less messy than trying to clear the slurry away afterwards.
Have a few good buckets ready to cart the mess away with and dispose of it asap because if you leave it it will turn into some of the most foul smelling gank on the face of the earth.
Make sure the paving is fully dry before re-sanding with KILN DRYED SAND usually the day after in good weather and use a good width soft bristle boom.
If you offer a sealing service use quality sealer designed for use on block paving and make sure you you always spray your first coat on because if you use a brush or roller it will pick up the sand and look a right mess. (sealing is a good earner)
Oh yeh get yourself some chest wader if you want to stay dry and wear a visor if using a lance on the hard to reach bits because trust me, no matter how careful you are there will be a time when you get sand blasted back into you face !
Knock some A frames together and ask if you can leave them at the job for a while afterwards to advertise your services.
Hope this is of some use ?
Darren
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:13 pm
by kalooki77
Hey Darren,
Thanks for the advice I have a 5.5 hp 2200 psi pressure washer and a VT62 Rotary Floor Cleaning Tool Surface Cleaner, hopefully this will get me in the right direction for a few months before I need to upgrade, just bought a weed knife off ebay and next purchase is sealer sprayer resiblock seems to be the favourite there only 20 miles away from me.
Got a few buckets to get me going , when do you spray your weed killer? if you do?
Cheers
Tom
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:19 pm
by Tony McC
A weed knife? FFS!!
If you look up the definition of "neither use nor ornament" in a dictionary, there's a picture of one of those weed knives used to illustrate the point.
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:05 pm
by msh paving
Tony McC wrote:A weed knife? FFS!!
If you look up the definition of "neither use nor ornament" in a dictionary, there's a picture of one of those weed knives used to illustrate the point.
As allways a straight to the point no holds barred answer, no beating about the bush from our leader..................MSH 
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:14 pm
by msh paving
Theres alot more to sealing a driveway with resiblock than just spraying it on
spraying it on is not in my opinion the best way to apply it as the sprayer needs to be a viton equiped sprayer which means it needs to have viton seals in the hoses and pressure parts
you can only clean it with resiblock cleaner and every last spek has to be off other wise it will jam solid with the stuff, the best way to put it on is with a poundland shaggy roller use it once and chuck it
there are other sealers on the market as good as that stuff and not as expensive also they are zylene based easy to clean
there is alot to learn about sealers before you jump into it as a buisness MSH 
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:09 pm
by dig dug dan
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:27 pm
by worldofpaving
I agree Dan, great stuff Tony.
First class advice from Darren, to roll first coat or to spray, opinions in my experience are divided - as MSH says, a sprayer needs to be Viton equipped so there is a cost there and it is fiddly to clean, contrary opinion is also valid that you avoid sand pickup and, I would say,
get better sealer economy than using a roller.
General consensus that I have heard has been that rolling the second coat improves sand joint stability, I used to use a back pack sprayer and the roller on the second coat, it just seemed easier than having to move the sealer can around or decant into others.
Best,
WOP