Salt film
Airborne salt settles on siding, trim, and fasteners and stays there. Paint applied over salt film has a contaminated layer between it and the substrate, which is where early lifting starts.
Professional Coatings · Washing & Prep
Pressure Washing in Wilmington, NC
Cerro Painting washes homes and buildings across Wilmington the way a painter does it — soft washing siding and trim, real pressure only where the surface can take it, mildew killed rather than rinsed, and the substrate dry before anything gets coated. Book it on its own, or as step one of an exterior repaint.
Licensed & insured
•Owner-led crews
•Soft wash on siding & trim
•Prep-grade clean before coating
•Written estimate in one business day
How we work
Why have a painter wash your house?
A washing-only company is finished when the house looks clean. A painter is not. We are washing toward a coating, so the standard is different: the surface has to be free of salt film, mildew, pollen, and chalk, it has to be undamaged, and it has to be dry before a primer or topcoat ever touches it. That is the same wash we run whether or not you paint afterward.
Our four-step washing process
- Walk the property first. We identify each surface — siding, trim, soffits, masonry, concrete, wood — and set the method and pressure per surface, not per property.
- Protect what stays. Plants get covered and rinsed, fixtures and outlets get protected, and openings are checked before water hits the wall.
- Soft wash, then pressure where it fits. Cladding and painted surfaces are soft washed with a cleaning solution and dwell time. Concrete drives, walkways, and patios take higher pressure.
- Rinse, dry, verify. Everything is rinsed down, and if a repaint follows, we confirm the substrate is dry before scheduling prime and topcoat days.
Washing is already included in every exterior painting project in Wilmington. If you are comparing scopes, our residential painting services page covers what comes after the wash.
Method by surface
Soft washing vs. pressure washing
Same truck, two very different tools. Which one we use depends entirely on what the surface can survive.
| Surface | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl, fiber cement & wood siding | Soft wash | High pressure drives water up under laps and behind trim, and raises grain on wood |
| Painted trim, soffits & railings | Soft wash | Failing paint chips into a larger scrape-and-prime repair under pressure |
| Brick & stucco | Low pressure, solution-led | Mortar joints and stucco faces erode when the wand gets too close |
| Concrete drives, walks & patios | Pressure wash | Dense, non-porous, and unpainted — it takes the force that siding cannot |
| Decks, fences & porch floors | Controlled pressure | Enough to clean and open the grain for stain, not enough to furr the wood |
Coastal conditions
What actually builds up on a Wilmington exterior.
Four things we are washing off here that an inland house barely deals with — and each one changes how a coating behaves.
Mildew & algae
Humidity and shade feed growth on north-facing walls, under soffits, and behind shrubs. Live mildew painted over keeps growing and comes through the new film.
Pollen & road grime
Spring pollen coats everything, and homes near busy roads collect a fine grit that dulls the finish and keeps a new coat from wetting out properly.
Chalking
Older exteriors sun-degrade into a powdery surface layer. That chalk has to come off, or the new coat bonds to powder instead of to siding.
Vinyl sidingFiber cementWood sidingBrickStuccoSoffits & trimDrivewaysWalkways & patiosDecks & fencesPorches & railings
Project snapshot
What to expect at a glance.
The questions Wilmington homeowners ask before booking a wash — timing, access, dry time, and what happens if a repaint follows.
Typical timeline
Most houses are a single day. Larger homes, heavy mildew, or a property with drives and decks added to the scope can run into a second day.
What you need to do
Close windows and doors, move vehicles and grills clear of the walls, and let us know about any window or siding leak you already have. We handle the rest.
If a repaint follows
The wash becomes day one of the repaint. We let the substrate dry, then move into scraping, rot repair, caulking, and priming rather than rushing a topcoat onto damp wood.
- Typical timeline
- Usually one day
- House exteriors
- Soft wash
- Concrete
- Pressure wash
- Before coating
- Dry-down confirmed
Where we wash
Homes & buildings across the coast.
The same method-per-surface approach covers an inland ranch, a beachfront rental, and a storefront on a schedule.
Wilmington & Leland homes
Houses in Forest Hills, Sunset Park, and across Leland get soft-washed siding and trim, with drives, walkways, and porches added where they need it.
Beach rentals & coastal properties
Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach rentals carry the heaviest salt load on the coast. Washing is scheduled between bookings so the property is clean for the next guest.
Commercial exteriors
Storefronts, offices, warehouses, and municipal buildings washed on a schedule that fits the operation, including work staged outside business hours. See our commercial painting services.
Washing FAQ
Pressure washing questions Wilmington homeowners ask.
Straight answers on method, damage risk, dry time, and mildew before we start.
01Do I need to pressure wash before painting my house?+
Yes. Paint bonds to the surface it touches, not to the dirt on top of it. Coating manufacturers specify a clean, dry, sound substrate, and near the coast that means removing salt film, mildew, pollen, and chalking first. Washing is the single cheapest step that decides how long the repaint lasts.
02What is the difference between pressure washing and soft washing?+
Pressure washing cleans with force; soft washing cleans with a solution at low pressure and lets dwell time do the work. Siding, trim, soffits, and painted surfaces get soft washed. Concrete drives, walkways, and patios can take real pressure. We choose per surface rather than running one wand at one setting over the whole property.
03Will pressure washing damage my siding?+
It can, when the pressure is wrong for the surface. High pressure drives water up under lap siding and behind trim, raises the grain on wood, and can chip already-failing paint into a bigger repair. That is why house exteriors are soft washed and why we test an inconspicuous area before we work an elevation.
04How long does a house need to dry before painting?+
Longer than most people expect in Wilmington. Wood and porous substrates generally need at least a full day after washing, and humid or overcast stretches push that out further. We check moisture before coating rather than working off the calendar, because paint applied over a damp substrate can blister or peel later.
05Does washing get rid of mildew for good?+
Washing removes what is growing now; it does not change the conditions that grew it. Shaded north-facing walls, heavy tree cover, and coastal humidity all bring mildew back over time. Killing the growth rather than just rinsing it, and following with a mildew-resistant coating on a repaint, is what buys the longest clean stretch.
06Can you wash my house without painting it?+
Yes. We wash as a standalone service and as the first step of an exterior repaint. If you are weighing a repaint, a wash first is useful either way — a clean exterior shows you what is actually failing underneath, which makes the estimate more accurate.
Start a conversation
Have a surface that needs protecting?
Tell us about your project and a Cerro Painting project manager will respond within one business day. Prefer to talk? Call or email anytime.
Request a free estimate
Most quotes delivered within one business day with a clear scope, timeline, and prep plan.