Pressure-washing flaking paint off siding can leave millions of unsightly paint chips strewn around a building. There’s no good way to pick up any but the largest pieces. One client was adamant that he didn’t want any chips around his home. I planned to lay down tarps to collect the chips when we hand-scraped, but the tarps would be flooded by the water during the preliminary wash. To catch the flakes and let the water pass through, I spread some landscaping fabric left over from another project about 6 ft. out from the house. Although the water puddled up initially, it passed through shortly after we shut off the equipment, and it caught even the tiniest particles.
Mike Guertin, East Greenwich, RI
