Now is the time to protect your concrete with Rolling Thunder Window Cleaning and Power Washing
By Mimi Vanderhaven
Fall is right around the corner and that means it’s time to have your concrete surfaces power washed and sealed. Here in Northeast Ohio, the icy grip of winter goes after your porous concrete like a jackhammer, turning tiny holes into cracks and crevices, and causing pitting and flaking. Left untreated, Jack Frost can reduce your driveway to rubble.
You’ve read a lot in the pages of Mimi about the importance of protecting your concrete from this damaging freeze-thaw cycle, but you may not have heard of one local contractor who specializes in it. Rick Winrod, the founder of Rolling Thunder Window Cleaning and Power Washing, has been doing professional home maintenance since 1993, including house washing, driveway cleaning and sealing, gutter cleaning and window cleaning.
Power Washing Your Driveway
Rick uses professional-grade power washing equipment that is both effective and safe, but that, he says, is just the beginning. “One of the most important aspects of proper driveway maintenance is using the right sealer after it’s been cleaned,” Rick explains. “It’s absolutely critical. We use a professional-grade, water-based silicone water repellent made of a special hybrid of silane and siloxane. It features a mixture of different-size particles—some larger, some smaller—to fill different size voids in your concrete. This ensures good penetration, which results in better coverage and more durable water repellency.”
Although Rolling Thunder pressure washes all kinds of homes, Rick specializes in the popular vinyl-sided homes found throughout Northeast Ohio. “We typically power wash siding in the spring and summer and turn to concrete in the fall,” he says. “But many homeowners opt for having both jobs tackled at once.”
And unlike large firms, either Rick himself—or his lead supervisor, Anthony—is on every job or inspects every job.
“We’re a small, family-owned company and we have a 26-year reputation to protect,” he says. “We don’t take chances with quality or safety. This is difficult and dangerous work we do. I’m not going to send anybody on a job who’s not going to do it as properly and as safely as I would do it myself. And we’re fully insured, but, unfortunately, not every company is.”
Window Cleaning
When it comes to cleaning windows, Rick has one goal: he wants your window to look like it has no glass in it.
Now, that’s a clean window.
“I look at a dirty window in the moments before I clean it and imagine what it’s going to look like clean,” he says. “I also imagine how the client is going to feel when they see it. When you clean windows on a house that haven’t been cleaned in months or years, it can be an emotional experience. It changes everything.”
Rick started cleaning windows at a Lakewood high-rise back in 1993. “I really do see it as my calling,” he says. “I get to meet great people. Plus, it keeps me in shape. I burn a lot of calories on the job.”
Gutter Cleaning
Rick also does gutter cleaning, which he says is absolutely essential. “Overflowing gutters can cause very expensive problems to your foundation and your basement,” he explains. “That’s why we get in the nooks and crannies; we even clean the downspouts. I’ve been cleaning gutters for decades and I know there is a true science behind it. If we clean your gutters, they’re going to be free flowing when we leave. Water will be diverted where it’s supposed to be, not in your basement, and you won’t have mulch washing onto your driveway.”
The Rolling Thunder Window Cleaning offices are located at 33480 Liberty Parkway in North Ridgeville, but the company services homes throughout Northeast Ohio. For more information or to receive a free estimate, call 440-897-6317. The website is RollingThunderWC.com.