Why do older Grayton Beach cottages need a gentler wash?
Many of the town's cottages are decades old, with wood siding that has been painted many times over. Those layers are brittle. High pressure peels them in sheets, soaks the bare wood and leaves the house needing a repaint it did not need the day before.
Age also matters for safety. Paint applied before 1978 may contain lead, and federal rules treat work that removes it as a job that needs lead-safe practices. Our aim on these homes is to clean the surface, not remove paint — low pressure, a mild cleaner and careful rinsing, with any loose or flaking areas left alone and pointed out to you.
What about the sand, the lanes and the trees?
Grayton's sandy lanes and tall scrub bring two problems. Wind-blown sand sticks to damp walls and screens, and the vegetation keeps the lower walls shaded and humid. We rinse the sand off before any cleaner goes on, so it is not scrubbed into the paint, and give the shaded bases extra attention.
The community sits beside Grayton Beach State Park and Western Lake, so we control runoff and pre-wet all the plants around the house. Beds that are soaked first do not absorb the cleaning solution.
- Old painted wood — low pressure, no stripping
- Screens and porches — sand rinsed off first
- Shaded wall bases — longer dwell time
- Landscaping — pre-wet and rinsed after
How often should a Grayton Beach home be washed?
A gentle wash every 9 to 12 months suits most older cottages here. It removes mildew before it gets under the paint and helps the existing coating last longer. Homes directly on the beach may need it every 6 to 9 months.
If the wash shows that the paint is failing, we can quote the exterior repaint as a separate job — with the right prep for an older house.