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ANOKA COUNTY, MN
Concrete washing in Ham Lake, MN
The one surface around your home where real pressure is the right tool.
Ham Lake driveways, walks and patios take salt, sand, freeze-thaw and a summer of sprinkler water every year. Glass House cleans them at real pressure, through a surface cleaner rather than a wand, so the finish comes out even.
Rust and oil receive their own chemistry on request, and stripping, sanding and sealing are specialty projects Carson prices in person after testing what, if anything, is already on the slab.
HONEST EXPECTATIONS
Porous concrete may need a stronger treatment and may not return to a perfectly uniform finish. We tell you before we begin.
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Insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Based in Ham Lake
HAM LAKE SPECIFICS
What concrete washing means in Ham Lake
The local conditions that shape how Glass House approaches concrete washing in Ham Lake, and the standards it holds to on every visit.
STORMWATER
No pollutants in storm drains
Ham Lake City Code prohibits discharging pollutants or polluted water into the city storm drain system or into any watercourse. Water hosed off a driveway runs toward the street, and anything it carries, from motor oil to degreaser, can enter a storm drain and reach the watercourses the code protects. Runoff is diluted heavily and watched closely, and oil is treated on the slab, not rinsed away.
WATER
A private well at every home
Ham Lake has no city water system. Every property runs on its own private well, on a lot of at least one acre, so sprinklers apply groundwater exactly as it leaves the ground. Minnesota groundwater commonly carries dissolved iron and hardness minerals. When sprinkler spray dries, the water evaporates and the minerals remain: iron oxidizes into orange stains on siding and concrete, and calcium leaves white spots on glass. Rust treatment on a slab lasts only after the sprinkler heads that caused it are re-aimed.
HOMES
A median home built in 1994
The median Ham Lake home was built in 1994, and about 45% of homes date from the 1990s and 2000s. After about three decades of sunlight, the surface of vinyl siding, painted trim and gutters breaks down into a chalky film, a process called oxidation. Rain running over the chalk leaves streaks, and the roughened surface gives dirt and algae a better grip. Slabs that age have seen decades of freeze-thaw and salt, and we point out any scaling.
TREES
Oaks protected by a no-cut season
Ham Lake protects its oaks with a no-cut period from April 1 through July 15 to slow the spread of oak wilt. Oak shade keeps roofs and siding damp long after rain and dew, which gives algae, moss and lichen the moisture they need. Oak leaves, catkins and acorns pack gutters, and wet debris left on a roof holds moisture against the shingles and feeds further growth. Shaded slabs grow green film, which the pre-treatment kills before the surface cleaner lifts it.
Sources: Ham Lake City Code, Section 11-1900.31; City of Ham Lake, History of Ham Lake; Minnesota DNR, Blaine-Ham Lake well interference fact sheet (2023); Point2Homes, Ham Lake demographics (U.S. Census ACS 2019-2023); City of Ham Lake, Oak Wilt (Parks and Forestry).
HOW WE CLEAN CONCRETE
Even, stripe-free and safe for the slab
Concrete is not siding or shingles. It is the one surface where real pressure is correct, provided it is applied evenly and the slab is old enough to take it.
PRESSURE ON CONCRETE ONLY
When we say we never pressure wash, we mean your siding and your roof, which receive a soft wash at low pressure. Concrete is dense enough to take 2,000 to 3,500 psi, and on concrete that pressure is what cleans it properly.
01
Walk it and check its age
Every job starts with a walk-around. Carson looks for cracks, scaling, stains and existing sealer, and confirms the concrete is at least two years old. Sealed or stamped concrete receives a test corner first, so the method is proven on a spot nobody looks at.
02
Pre-treat the growth
A sodium hypochlorite pre-treatment goes on first, so organic growth is killed at the root rather than blasted around. Oil and rust are separate treatments with their own chemistry, handled on request in a fixed order: degreaser first, then the organic wash, then acid last and alone.
03
Surface cleaner, not a wand
A surface cleaner, a round housing with a spinning spray bar inside, lays down even passes at 2,000 to 3,500 psi. A bare wand leaves stripes, and any later sealer magnifies every overlap line, so the wand is kept for edges, steps and detail work.
04
Post-treat and detail the edges
A post-treatment evens out the tone across the whole slab. Curbs, steps, expansion joints and the edges along the house and lawn then receive a final rinse and detail, so the surface dries evenly from edge to edge.
05
Stay off for a few hours
Keep people and cars off cleaned areas for at least 3 hours. After sealing, the wait is up to 96 hours so the coating can cure as well as possible, and vehicles always wait longer than foot traffic, so plan around it.
FOR HAM LAKE HOMES
What to know before your visit
SPRING
Wash off the winter
A spring wash takes off the salt, sand and grime winter leaves behind, and it reveals any new scaling, the flaking of the top surface, since a scaled slab should never be sealed.
SPRINKLERS
Keep rust off
Aim sprinkler heads at the lawn. Water that hits concrete leaves orange fans that trace the throw of the head, and they return after treatment until the head is moved.
PAVERS
Joint sand goes in last
On pavers, polymeric joint sand goes in only once everything is fully dry, and every grain is swept off the faces first, or it activates into a haze.
SEALING
Mind the weather
Cold nights and heavy morning dew are how a fresh seal turns milky. If a fall weather window is marginal, a sealing job is better booked for spring.
HOW PRICING WORKS
Quoted after we see the surface
YOUR CONCRETE JOB AT A GLANCE
QUOTE FIRST
Concrete washing
Quoted
Driveways, walks, patios, steps and pavers, surface cleaned
Rust or oil stain removal
Quoted
Stain-specific chemistry, on request
Stripping, sanding and sealing
In person
A 2 to 3 day project, priced by Carson in person
Concrete under 2 years old
Not yet
Pressure washing waits until the slab has cured
Builders and commercial sites
In person
Quoted in person by Carson
Every slab is different
Quote first
Concrete washing is quoted after Carson sees the surface, its age and what is on it. Stripping, sanding and sealing are priced by Carson in person, never over the phone, because the preparation and the weather window determine the job.
THE OWNER
The person who quotes your home does the work
Glass House is owned and run by Carson Brenny, with no crews, subcontractors or handoffs. He grew up in Ham Lake, went to Blaine High School and has worked full-time in exterior cleaning for six years. The person who quotes your home is the person who arrives, does the work and walks it with you at the end.
Every job receives the gentlest method that will do the work, because too much force or too strong a mix can cause damage that no cleaning undoes. Every homeowner receives a clear explanation of what is on the house, why the method was chosen and what cleaning can and cannot fix, before any money is spent.
IN CARSON'S WORDS
“It's my neighbors' homes: their biggest investment, one of the places they spend the most time, and where the people they care about most live. It's something everyone should enjoy, and I believe that.”
Carson Brenny, owner
WHAT IS INCLUDED
What concrete washing includes, and what it does not
Concrete is the one surface that receives real pressure, and even then it is controlled. A concrete wash covers the following.
INCLUDED
In every concrete wash
• Driveways, walks, patios, steps and pavers
• A pre-treatment that kills organic growth
• Even surface cleaner passes, with no wand stripes
• A post-treatment that evens out the tone
• Edges, curbs and expansion joints rinsed and detailed
NOT INCLUDED
Quoted separately, or not something we do
• Concrete under two years old, which pressure would permanently etch
• Oil, rust, iron, efflorescence, paint and graffiti stains
• Stripping, sanding and sealing, priced by Carson in person
• Repairing cracks, spalling and pitting
• A perfectly uniform finish on older, porous surfaces
EQUIPMENT AND METHODS
A surface cleaner, not a bare wand
Sodium hypochlorite and a spinning surface cleaner at 2,000 to 3,500 psi, high flow. Together they clean the surface, kill organic growth and leave an even finish without etching the concrete. Sealed or stamped concrete receives a test corner first. A heated machine is available on special request for oil, because heat thins oil and draws it out of the pores; it does not come to most jobs.
HAM LAKE QUESTIONS
Concrete Washing in Ham Lake: FAQ
Can you clean a new driveway in Ham Lake?
Not until it is two years old. Concrete that young has not finished curing, and pressure would permanently etch the surface. Once it passes two years, it can be cleaned like any other slab. Sealing is a separate question: new concrete waits at least 28 days, and Carson prices any sealing in person.
Do you serve all of Ham Lake?
Yes, every neighborhood. Glass House is based in Ham Lake, so homes here are the shortest drive on the route and there is never a trip fee. Carson often works within a few miles of where he grew up, and he quotes, cleans and walks every job himself.
Can you get oil stains out of my driveway?
Often, and the age of the stain decides how far. Concrete is full of tiny capillaries that draw oil down and outward, so a wash cleans the surface while oil below can rise back up as a shadow. Fresh spills usually come out completely and recent stains nearly so. Old, soaked-in stains improve substantially but may leave a shadow, and more than one application is normal.
Can you remove rust from my driveway?
Yes, with iron-specific chemistry, starting with a spot test. Bleach sets rust rather than removing it, which is why reaching for bleach usually makes the stain worse. Before treating, we make sure the sprinkler that caused it has been re-aimed, or the rust comes back. Iron left long enough bonds to the surface permanently, so the sooner it is treated, the better.
Should I seal my driveway?
Often, yes, and usually with a penetrating sealer. It soaks into the concrete instead of forming a film, so it breathes, cannot peel and holds up to freeze-thaw far better, typically lasting 7 to 10 years. Carson looks at the slab, its age and any previous sealer before recommending anything, and he prices sealing in person.
What should I do with a fresh oil spill?
Act within the first hour, because the clock matters more than the product. Cover the spill with non-clumping clay cat litter or oil-dry, grind it into the surface underfoot so it reaches the oil in the pores, leave it an hour or overnight, then sweep it up and follow with a degreaser.
