Facade cleaning · Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland

Commercial Facade Cleaning for Stone, Brick and Masonry Buildings

Rose Restoration cleans building facades in Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland for property managers, facility teams, hotels, institutions and general contractors. Every job starts with a look at the wall and a test area on it, because the right method depends on what the facade is made of and what is on it.

Request a Facade Assessment Call 703-327-7676

Since 1978 · Licensed, bonded and insured · Occupied-building work is routine for us

Rose Restoration crew in a boom lift cleaning the limestone wall of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, with the granite base and taped-off plaza below

Recent work

Facade work we have done

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC: stone wall cleaning for Events DC (2022)

Rose cleaned the granite and limestone stone walls at the 7th Street and Mount Vernon corner and the 9th Street and Mount Vernon corner. Crews worked from a rented 125-foot boom lift, with the plaza below taped off while the building stayed open.

Limestone wall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center part-way through cleaning, with the cleaned band at the top — Limestone wall part-way through cleaning. The cleaned band is at the top.

Crew in a boom lift on the Convention Center limestone wall — Crew in a boom lift. The granite base and plaza below are taped off.

Technician hand-cleaning the base of the Convention Center wall, granite below and limestone above — Hand work at the base of the wall. Granite below, limestone above.

Historic brick facade, Northwest DC: full repointing (2026)

For a general contractor, a Rose crew repointed the front and back elevations of a historic brick building, working from scissor lifts. This was masonry repair, not cleaning, and it is the kind of work that often follows a facade assessment. See the project and masonry restoration.

Smaller exterior work we do regularly

Stained stone at hotel entrances, graffiti removal on brick, stone and concrete (including a federal building), and low-pressure washing of lower facades and storefronts.

Buildings and buyers we work with

Property managers and ownersOffice buildings, condominiums and mixed-use buildings where the facade is part of the first impression.
Facility and engineering teamsCampuses, institutions and government buildings that need work scheduled around daily operations.
HotelsEntrances, porte-cocheres and street-facing elevations that guests see first.
General contractorsFacade cleaning as a trade scope inside a renovation or restoration project, priced to the drawings and specification.
Historic buildingsMasonry where the method has to be the gentlest one that works, often with a preservation architect or reviewer involved.
A straight answer on fitLarge or high-rise elevations are possible where access can be planned. If a job needs access or specialties we do not provide, we say so at the assessment.

Facade materials we assess and clean

LimestoneSoft and absorbent. Cleaners made for granite or brick can etch it, so we test first.
GraniteDense and durable, but polished and flamed finishes react differently to cleaning.
Brick and mortarBrick and mortar clean differently. Failing joints are repair work, not cleaning.Masonry restoration →
Precast and cast stoneCementitious surfaces that can etch or change texture if the method is wrong.
MarbleExterior marble weathers and can turn sugary. Cleaning has to account for the condition of the surface.
GraffitiPaint and marker come off each substrate differently. Removal is tested first.Graffiti removal →

Dirt, growth, staining, coatings or damage: why the diagnosis comes first

A dark facade can be dark for very different reasons, and each one calls for a different approach. Some of them are not a cleaning problem at all.

Atmospheric soilingTraffic and pollution grime. Usually the best candidate for cleaning.
Carbon or gypsum crustsHardened deposits on sheltered stone. They usually need a stronger approach, chosen in a test area.
Biological growthAlgae, mold, lichen and moss, often on north-facing or damp walls. Cleaning removes it; moisture keeps bringing it back.
EfflorescenceWhite salt deposits carried out by water moving through the wall. It returns until the water source is dealt with.
Metallic and rust stainingFrom anchors, railings or runoff. It needs targeted treatment, and some stains lighten rather than disappear.
Coatings, paint and old sealersRemoving these is a separate scope with its own tests.
DeteriorationCracked, spalled or eroded stone, open joints and failed sealant. Cleaning does not fix these and can make them more visible. We note them and price repair separately.
What we put in writingAt the assessment we tell you which of these we see. When complete removal of a stain cannot be promised, the scope says so.

Our process: assess, test, clean, inspect

Assessment. We walk the elevations, look at the material and its condition, and note access, water, drainage, pedestrian routes and what is below the work area. Photos you send ahead help us plan the visit.
Test area or mock-up. We clean a small, agreed area with the methods we think will work, sometimes side by side. You, and your architect or consultant if there is one, approve the result before the full job is priced or scheduled. That approved area becomes the standard for the job.
Method selection. We choose the cleaner, dwell time, water temperature and rinse to suit the material and the soiling, starting with the gentlest approach that works. If a project specification names products or limits, we work to it.
Protection. Windows, frames, doors, metals, landscaping and entrances are protected, and walkways are taped off or rerouted so the public stays clear of the work.
Cleaning. Elevation by elevation, in the order agreed with the building, with the building contact kept updated on where crews are and what is next.
Inspection and walkthrough. Each area is checked against the approved test area, and we walk it with you before we call it complete.

Why the method has to match the material

High-pressure water can erode soft stone, open mortar joints, drive water into the wall and leave marks where the wand passed. Some chemical cleaners are safe on granite and damaging on limestone or marble. So we do not pick a method from a price sheet. We choose it on the wall, in the test area, and use low-pressure rinsing to carry the cleaner away rather than to blast soiling off. For historic masonry we work from the gentlest means that gets an acceptable result, the approach set out in the National Park Service's Preservation Brief 1 on cleaning historic masonry.

Working on an open building

AccessMost of our facade work is done from rented boom and scissor lifts that our crews operate. When a facade needs scaffolding or suspended access, we plan it with the owner, the general contractor or their access provider, and the proposal says who supplies it.
Occupied buildingsWe plan around entrances, loading docks, deliveries and tenant hours. Work can run early mornings, nights or weekends when daytime work would get in the way.
Pedestrians and the publicWork zones are marked and taped off, and entrances stay usable or are rerouted by agreement. Public-space permits are identified at the assessment and assigned in the proposal.
Water and runoffWe confirm water and power sources, where rinse water will go, and how it will be collected or managed on each site before work starts.
WeatherWet cleaning needs workable temperatures, and some cleaners need minimum temperatures. We plan the sequence with the season in mind, especially late in the year.

What determines the price

Typical ranges for the cleaning work itself, per square foot of facade:

Work	Typical range
Standard facade washing	$0.25 to $1.50 per sq ft
Historic masonry cleaning	$1 to $3 per sq ft
Efflorescence removal	$1 to $3 per sq ft

These ranges cover the work only. Lifts, scaffolding and other access are priced separately, as are permits, repairs and protective treatments. Where a job lands in the range depends on the material and the depth of soiling shown by the test area, the area by elevation and its detail, access, protection, work hours, water and runoff arrangements, and permits. After the assessment and test area you get a written scope that lists what is included, what is not, and what would change the price.

Help us evaluate your building

You do not need all of this to reach us. Whatever you have speeds things up:

Building address and type (office, hotel, condo, institutional, historic)
Which elevations, or the whole building
The facade material, if you know it
Approximate height or number of stories
What bothers you: grime, dark streaks, green growth, white deposits, rust, graffiti
Your timing, and any deadline such as an event, a sale or a lease-up
Photos of each elevation plus a close-up or two of the worst areas
Drawings, a specification or a conditions report, if one exists

Project photos

Real Rose Restoration jobs, photographed by our crews.

Convention Center limestone wall during cleaning in 2022, with the cleaned band at the top — Convention Center, 2022: limestone wall during cleaning; the cleaned band is at the top.

Rose crew washing the lower limestone wall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 2022 — Convention Center, 2022: washing the lower limestone wall from the plaza.

Rinsing the upper limestone wall from the boom lift at the Convention Center, 2022 — Convention Center, 2022: rinsing the upper wall from the boom lift.

Streaked stone at a hotel entrance in 2026, before cleaning — Before: streaked stone at a hotel entrance, 2026.

Convention Center limestone wall above the granite base during the 2022 cleaning job — Convention Center, 2022: limestone wall above the granite base during the job.

Looking up the Convention Center limestone wall during the 2022 cleaning job — Convention Center, 2022: looking up the limestone wall during the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should a commercial facade be cleaned?

There is no single interval. It depends on the material, the exposure, nearby traffic and how the building is expected to look. Many owners clean on a multi-year cycle and treat entrances and street-level stone more often. After a first cleaning we can suggest a cycle based on how quickly your building's facade soils.

Will cleaning damage our stone or brick?

Aggressive methods can. That is why we test first, choose the gentlest method that works for your material, and have the test area approved before the full job. Where a surface is already deteriorating, we point it out before cleaning so it is part of the decision.

Can you remove every stain?

Not always. Some staining is in the stone rather than on it, and some deposits lighten rather than disappear. The test area shows what is realistic, and the approved test area is the standard for the job.

Can you clean while the building is open?

Yes. Most of our work is in occupied buildings. We plan work zones, entrances and hours with building management, and night or weekend work is available.

Do you repair or seal the facade too?

Cleaning is priced on its own. Repointing, stone repair, sealant replacement and protective treatments are separate scopes that we price only when the assessment shows they are needed.

Do you work on historic buildings?

Yes. We start from the gentlest effective method, test before cleaning, and work with the architect, consultant or reviewer where one is involved.

How do you reach upper floors?

Usually with boom or scissor lifts operated by our crews. Where a facade needs scaffolding or suspended access, the proposal says who provides it. Lift and scaffolding charges are priced separately from the cleaning.

What happens after I send a request?

We review your photos and details, contact you to set up an assessment visit, and follow it with a test-area recommendation and a written scope.

Start with an assessment

Tell us about the building and send a few photos. We will look at the facade, recommend a test area and give you a written scope that shows what is included and what is not. Service area: Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.