Which pressure washer should I buy?

by Michael

I am considering starting my own painting business and I am in the market to buy a washer. I am not sure which specs to buy. In your article you say 2500 psi is plenty. Do I just go with this max? When I called the store I was shopping at they said you would need more to peel paint off if the job required.

Answer

The recommendations I offer on my site are primarily for the average DIY home owner, but can be used by professionals as well. In most situations 2500 psi is enough.

The unit I own is manufactured by Graco and develops 3500 psi. This is plenty of power to clean almost anything and do some damage if used improperly.

Plus stripping off loose paint with a pressure washer is difficult at best. Even if a lot of loose paint comes off during washing you still need to do some hand scraping and possibly sanding. I use full power only when necessary.

As a professional painter you should have a powerful washer but only if you think you will need the extra psi. A better idea is to rent a pressure washer for a few jobs. Try to evaluate different models with different power ranges. Most paint stores rent equipment, airless sprayers and pressure washers.

You might be surprised, only needing the extra power occasionally. It’s better to spend a little extra for a quality pressure washer with lower psi that you will use often than spend a lot more for the extra power that you will use only occasionally. If you need a bigger more powerful unit for a particular job rent it. Just figure this into the cost to do the job when you bid it.