Pressure Washing Estimate Calculator: Price Driveways, Patios and Decks

A pressure washing estimate is the area of each surface times your price per square foot, plus an extra for heavy stains or hard access, and never less than your minimum job charge. Our pressure washing estimate calculator does that for up to three surfaces and shows where your price sits against published per square foot ranges.

How to use the pressure washing calculator

1. Measure each surface. Length times width for a driveway, patio or deck. Split odd shapes into rectangles and add them up.
2. Pick the surface type. The rate box fills with the middle of the published range for that surface. Type over it with your own price.
3. Add an extra for hard jobs. Oil stains, rust, thick mildew and awkward access all take longer. Enter the extra as a percentage.
4. Set your minimum charge. Small jobs still cost you travel, setup and cleanup, so most contractors set a floor.

Pressure washing prices per square foot

These are the ranges the calculator uses for the market low and high. They are national figures for hiring a professional, so local prices can sit above or below them.

The homewyse figure is a full job cost: it includes labor for setup and cleanup, basic cleaning solutions, and a daily rental allowance for a 3,000 PSI, 4 GPM gas pressure washer. It is a useful ceiling check if you are pricing a surface the other two rows do not cover.

How much to charge for pressure washing a driveway

HomeAdvisor puts a typical two-car driveway at 600 to 800 square feet and the cost at $120 to $320. In the calculator, a 600 square foot driveway at the middle rate of $0.30 comes to $180. If the driveway has oil stains or has not been cleaned in years, we would put the extra in the percentage box rather than raise the base rate, so your standard price stays the same for easy jobs.

A surface cleaner makes flatwork much faster than a wand and leaves an even finish without stripes. Size its tips with our pressure washer nozzle chart, because a two-tip bar needs smaller tips than the wand.

How much to charge for pressure washing a deck

HomeAdvisor gives $0.30 to $0.35 per square foot, or $100 to $350 in total, for a deck. It also notes that composite decks should be washed at 1,500 PSI or lower, so a deck job may need a wider tip and more care than concrete, which is a fair reason to charge the top of the range.

Is pressure washing priced by the hour or by the square foot?

Customers compare by the job, so we would quote a job price worked out from square feet. Then check it against your time: divide the estimate by the hours you expect on site, including setup and travel. If that hourly figure is below what your crew, fuel and chemicals cost per hour, raise the rate or the minimum charge.

Bigger jobs usually cost less per square foot. HomeAdvisor’s example is a 300 square foot deck at $0.40 per square foot that might cost half that rate per square foot when combined with 2,000 square feet of siding, because setup and travel are spread across more area.

What equipment changes your price

• Flow. A 4 GPM machine cleans flatwork far faster than a 2.5 GPM homeowner unit, so you can bid lower and still earn more per hour. Our best commercial pressure washers guide compares the common contractor machines.
• Hot water. Grease and oil come off much faster with heat, which matters for restaurant pads, fleet yards and parking garages. See hot vs cold water pressure washer.
• Downtime. A machine that loses pressure halfway through a job costs you the whole day. Our guide to a pressure washer losing pressure lists the checks in order.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• HomeAdvisor, Cost to pressure wash a driveway
• HomeAdvisor, Cost to pressure wash a deck
• HomeAdvisor, Pressure washing cost
• homewyse, Cost to pressure wash per square foot