Pressure washing
Driveway Pressure Washing Cost Calculator
Prices a driveway wash, where a surface cleaner does the work and a wand leaves stripes.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus chemicals and the call-out, priced by area. Driveways are the surface where high pressure is appropriate, and the productivity comes from a rotary surface cleaner rather than a wand: it covers a consistent width at a consistent distance, which is both much faster and avoids the striping a hand-held wand produces. Stains are chemistry rather than pressure, so oil and rust need the right pre-treatment and dwell time before washing.
What moves the number
- Area, and whether a surface cleaner can be used across most of it.
- Stains present, since oil, rust and tannin each need different pre-treatment.
- Surface material, as concrete, asphalt and pavers tolerate very different pressure.
- Whether sealing afterwards is in scope, which is a separate service.
Where this one goes wrong
Asphalt is not concrete. High pressure on asphalt erodes the binder and loosens aggregate, so a driveway that takes a surface cleaner at full pressure in concrete needs a far gentler approach in asphalt. Pavers are the third case: pressure washes the jointing sand out, which then has to be replaced and the joints re-stabilised, so that belongs in the quote rather than being a consequence. On stains, pressure does not remove oil; a degreaser with dwell time does, and attacking an oil stain with pressure alone just etches the concrete around it while leaving the stain.
Before you quote
- Identify the surface as concrete, asphalt or pavers before setting pressure.
- Pre-treat oil and rust stains rather than relying on pressure.
- Include re-sanding joints if washing pavers.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why does my driveway have stripes after washing?
Because it was cleaned with a hand-held wand rather than a rotary surface cleaner. A wand varies in distance and overlap, which leaves visible banding on concrete. A surface cleaner holds a consistent width and standoff, which is both faster and produces an even result.
Will pressure washing remove oil stains?
No. Oil needs a degreaser applied and left to dwell so it can lift the oil out of the concrete, then washing. Attacking the stain with pressure alone etches the surrounding concrete and leaves the stain, which makes it more obvious rather than less.
Can asphalt be pressure washed?
Only at much lower pressure than concrete. High pressure erodes the binder and loosens the aggregate, which damages the surface permanently. The same equipment settings that clean a concrete driveway well will take material off an asphalt one.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $95 |
| Parts and materials | $35 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $415 |
| Labour | $285 |
| Before tax | $415 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $415: $285 of labour, $35 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $48 | $274 |
| $71 | $343 |
| $95 example above | $415 |
| $143 | $559 |
| $190 | $700 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.