How much to charge for pressure washing: a price table with the math shown

Pressure washing is usually priced by square foot, per job with a minimum, or per hour. Whichever way you quote, check it against the real cost of the job. If you only need one job type, see our guides on how much to charge for pressure washing a driveway and how much to charge to pressure wash a house.

Pressure washing price table by job type

The table below prices eight common jobs with the same method. Every row uses $28 as the full cost of one person-hour and a 55% margin. These are illustrative numbers, not a price list. Your wage, your area and your equipment will change them. The point is to see how each price is built, so you can redo it with your own costs.

Every hour figure includes drive, loading and setup time, not just time spent spraying. To get the price, take the job costs and divide by 0.45 (that is, one minus the 55% margin). Overhead, like the office, ads, software and your own pay, comes out of what is left.

Dividing by 0.45 is not the same as adding 55% on top. Adding 55% to $285 gives $442, which is only about a 35% margin. If you price with a markup, know which number you are using. Our guide to profit margin vs markup explains the difference in plain terms.

Two things stand out in the table. Small jobs cost more per square foot, because the drive and setup are the same no matter the size. And the roof and commercial rows assume extra things you must price yourself: roof safety gear and insurance for the roof, and night or weekend work for the commercial lot. Some owners take a thinner margin on big commercial bids. That is your call to make, not a rule.

Start with what an hour of your crew really costs

Before you pick a rate per square foot, work out your cost per hour. Not the wage. The full cost of one person working one hour.

That number starts with the wage. Then add payroll taxes, insurance and workers' compensation (the insurance that covers a worker hurt on the job). Many owners also add a share of the washer, hoses, surface cleaners and trailer that wear out each hour. The wage alone is never the real cost of that hour.

Once you know it, every quote becomes a simple test. Can this job be done in the hours you expect, at that hourly cost, with money left over?

How to price pressure washing jobs: four ways to quote

Each method fits a different kind of work. Many companies use all four, depending on the job.

• Per square foot works for flat, open surfaces like driveways, patios, walkways and parking lots. It is easy to explain and easy to compare.
• Per house or per job works for houses, fences, decks and anything with a lot of detail. You measure, then quote one number. For houses, a common way is to set the price by size and number of storeys.
• Per hour works for odd jobs, heavy mildew, graffiti, and anything you cannot measure well in advance.
• A job minimum sits under all three. It is the lowest price you will take for any visit.

Whatever method you use, always set a job minimum. A small patio still needs the truck loaded, the hoses rolled out, the drive there and the drive back. If the minimum does not cover that fixed block of time, small jobs will eat your week. In the table above, the small job costs $65 to do, so the minimum at a 55% margin is $144. A trip charge is another way to cover the drive on small or far-away jobs.

How much to charge per square foot for pressure washing

A per square foot rate is the job price divided by the area. It is a shortcut, not a starting point. The rate that works depends on the size of the job, because the drive and setup do not shrink when the area does.

Here is the same method on two flat concrete jobs (illustrative numbers, $28 full cost per person-hour, 55% margin):

If you quoted the patio at the big job's $0.17 rate, you would charge $68. That is less than the $72 it costs you to do. This is why one rate per square foot for every size of job loses money on the small ones. Use these rules:

• Set your rate per square foot in bands by size, such as under 800 sq ft, 800 to 2,000 sq ft, and over 2,000 sq ft.
• Charge a higher rate for heavy staining, oil spots, moss, or rough surfaces like exposed aggregate. They take longer.
• Never let a per square foot price fall below your job minimum.
• For big commercial flatwork, price from hours first. The rate per square foot drops a lot, and small mistakes in the hours make a big difference.

How much to charge per hour for pressure washing

An hourly rate comes from the same math. Take the job costs, divide by the crew hours, then divide by one minus your margin.

In the 1,400 sq ft driveway example, the job costs $285 over 7.5 crew hours. That is $38 per crew hour once supplies and the truck are spread across the time. Divide by 0.45 for a 55% margin, and the hourly rate is about $84 per person, or about $169 an hour for a two-person crew. These are illustrative numbers. Run your own in the hourly rate calculator.

Three rules keep hourly work from losing money:

1. Say in writing when the clock starts. Either bill from when the truck leaves, or add a set charge for drive and setup.
2. Set a minimum number of hours, so a short job still pays for the trip.
3. Charge materials on top, or build them into the rate. Do not give them away.

Even when you quote a fixed price, the hourly number is a useful check. Divide any quote by the crew hours you expect. If it comes out well below your hourly rate, the quote is too low.

How much to charge for pressure washing a deck

Decks take more time per square foot than concrete. Wood is soft, so you use lower pressure, work slower, and often apply a cleaner first and a brightener after. A brightener is a mild acid rinse that brings back the wood's colour after cleaning. Composite decks also need low pressure and often some scrubbing.

That is why the 400 sq ft deck in the price table works out to $0.76 per sq ft, about twice the rate of the driveway. When you quote a deck, count these on top of the floor area:

• Stairs and railings. Measure railings in running feet. Each spindle is slow, careful work.
• Wood condition. Grey, soft or splintering wood needs a lighter touch and more time. Note it on the quote before you start.
• Staining or sealing. If the customer wants stain after the wash, that is a second job with its own hours, materials and drying time. Price it separately.
• Damage risk. Too much pressure can raise the grain and leave marks. If the wood is in poor shape, say so in writing or pass on the job.

The costs that hide inside a pressure washing job

The spraying is only part of the day. These are the pieces owners forget to price.

• Setup and teardown. Hoses, the surface cleaner, the water source and the tarps all take time before and after.
• Travel. Drive time is paid time. Fuel and vehicle wear come on top.
• Chemicals. Soap, degreaser, and house wash mix get used faster on green or stained surfaces.
• Water access. If the customer has no usable tap, you carry or tow water. That costs time and money.
• Wear on equipment. Nozzles, pump seals, surface cleaner parts and hoses all wear out. Price a share of that into each job.
• Surface condition. Old moss, oil stains and sealed concrete take longer than lightly dirty concrete.

How to bid a pressure washing job and check the price

A unit price is only a shortcut for the real cost. To bid a job, or to test a rate you already use, follow these steps every time.

1. Estimate the on-site hours, including setup and cleanup.
2. Add the drive time both ways.
3. Multiply total hours by your crew size and your full hourly cost.
4. Add materials and fuel.
5. Divide by one minus your margin to get the price you need.
6. Divide that price by the square feet. Compare the answer with the rate you were about to quote.

If your usual rate gives you less than the number from step six, the rate is too low for this job. The worked example further down shows the math for one driveway.

How to build a pressure washing price sheet

A price sheet is a one-page list of your standard prices. It lets you, or anyone in your office, quote common jobs fast and the same way every time. Build it from the method above, not from what other companies charge.

1. List the jobs you do most. Driveways, walkways, patios, house washes, decks, fences, roofs, gutters, commercial flatwork.
2. Pick the unit for each. Square feet for flat surfaces, size and storeys for houses, running feet for fences and railings.
3. Time a few real jobs of each kind. Include drive, loading and setup. Your own times are the most valuable number on the sheet.
4. Work out the price with your full hourly cost and target margin. Use size bands so small jobs carry their fixed time.
5. Add your job minimum and your add-ons. Common add-ons are heavy staining, oil spots, a second or third storey, hauling water, and sealing.
6. Review the sheet at least once a year. Wages, insurance and fuel go up. A sheet that never changes gets cheaper every year.

Keep the sheet for your team. Customers should get a clear quote for their job, not your whole list. Once a quote is out, a steady quote follow-up routine wins more of the work you already priced. In CrewBrain, a clear quote goes out in minutes, and automatic follow-ups chase the quotes that go quiet.

Mistakes that quietly cost you money

• Using one rate for every surface. Stained, mossy or sealed concrete should not be priced the same as light dirt.
• Skipping the minimum. Small jobs feel easy, but the fixed time around them is the same.
• Pricing from the wage. The wage leaves out insurance, taxes, and equipment wear.
• Forgetting the second trip. Rinse-back, touch-ups and callbacks are unpaid work. Build a small allowance into your price.
• Not measuring. A guess from the street is often off by a lot. Measure with a wheel or a map tool.
• Giving the discount first. If you cut your price before the customer asks, you have lost your margin for nothing.

When to say no or raise the price

Some jobs are worth turning down, or worth doing only at a higher price.

• Access is poor: steep slopes, tight yards, or a second storey with no safe way up.
• The customer wants a result the surface cannot give, such as removing deep rust or old paint with water alone.
• The surface is fragile, like soft wood, loose mortar or old siding. Damage claims cost more than the job.
• The job is far away and does not pay for the drive.
• The customer wants a price that is below your cost and will not move.

When in doubt, raise the price instead of cutting the scope. A higher price covers the risk. A lower price just pays you to take it.

Keep checking your real numbers

Your quote is a forecast. The job is the truth. After a job, compare the hours you planned with the hours you used. If you are always over, your unit price is too low, or your estimates are too hopeful.

CrewBrain tracks crew hours by job, so you can compare what each job cost with what you charged.

A worked example: a 1,400 sq ft driveway and front walkway

Hourly cost per person is the full cost of one hour, including taxes, insurance and equipment wear, not just the wage. Drive time is counted as paid time. These numbers are an illustrative example of the method. They are not a price list, and not a promise of what your jobs will earn.

Try it with your own numbers

Built for pressure washing: the pressure washing pricing calculator works from house siding, driveway, patio and walkways, deck and fence, with example speeds you can change to your crew’s.

Keep going

• CrewBrain for pressure washing companies: how the software handles quoting, scheduling and crew time for this trade.
• How to price a service job: the five-step method behind every page in this series.
• Job price calculator: the same calculator as above, on its own page.
• Price increase calculator: see how many customers you can lose before a raise stops paying.
• How to price window cleaning jobs
• How to price gutter cleaning jobs
• How to price house cleaning jobs
• What is a good profit margin for a service business?
• How to estimate labor hours for a job
• How to quote a job professionally
• All pricing guides by trade

Questions owners ask