You get a grade, not a guess
The test patch tells you what stage you are at before you spend anything.
Restoration
Hard water and mineral stain restoration
Staged restoration for sprinkler spotting, salt etch and construction overspray on glass.
- From
- Quoted after a test patch
- Typical time
- Half a day to two days
Overview
What this actually involves
Hard water damage is not dirt and it will not wash off. Sprinkler water, salt aerosol and mortar splash all leave calcium, magnesium and silica on the glass. Left alone, those deposits slowly dissolve the surface of the glass itself, and past a certain point no amount of cleaning brings it back.
We grade every job before quoting it. That grading decides the method, the price and whether restoration is even worth doing compared with replacing the unit.
Scope
What is included
- Free stage test on one representative pane before any quote
- Written grade per elevation, not per house
- Acid-free mineral dissolver on stage 1 deposits
- Cerium oxide polish with a variable-speed machine on stage 2 etch
- Honest recommendation to replace at stage 3 rather than take your money
- Post-restoration protective coating option with a documented reapplication interval
Method
How the visit runs
Order matters. Most damage in this trade comes from doing the right steps in the wrong sequence.
Stage 1, surface deposit
Mineral sits on top of the glass. A dwell-time dissolver and a white pad lift it with no measurable glass loss. This is the outcome everyone wants and it is only available early.
Stage 2, early etch
Mineral has begun to bond with the silica in the glass. Removal means a cerium oxide polish, which removes a microscopic layer of glass. Done correctly the pane is clear; done badly it is distorted, which is why this is machine work with a trained hand.
Stage 3, deep etch
Pitting is visible at a low angle and you can feel it with a fingernail. Polishing enough to clear it distorts the view through the pane. We recommend replacement and say so in writing.
Prevent the repeat
The stain came from somewhere. Usually it is a sprinkler head hitting the glass, and moving that head is cheaper than restoring the pane twice.
Why it is worth it
What you get out of it
We will tell you to stop
At stage 3 restoration is a waste of money. We would rather say that than sell a polish that leaves you with a distorted pane.
Cause gets fixed too
Sprinkler heads, downspout splash and failing mortar joints are identified so the stain does not simply return.
Pricing factors
What moves the price
Every figure on this site is a sample. A real number follows a count on site.
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stage | Stage 1 is a fraction of the cost of stage 2. Stage 3 is a replacement conversation. |
| Glass coating | Soft-coat low-E and applied films cannot be polished. Surface-2 coatings limit what is possible from the outside. |
| Pane size | Polishing is time per square foot. Large fixed picture windows carry the most time. |
| Access | Machine polishing above ground level needs a lift or scaffold, not a ladder. |
Questions
About hard water and mineral stain restoration
Anything not covered here, call and ask. You will reach someone who has done the work.
No, and anyone who does has not tested it. That is exactly why we run a free test patch first and grade the glass before quoting.
A correctly executed cerium polish removes a fraction of a thousandth of an inch. The risk is optical distortion from uneven work, not structural weakness.
If the source is still hitting the glass, yes. Moving one sprinkler head is usually the whole fix.
Yes, but tempered glass often carries fabricating debris and surface roll distortion, so we assess it individually and set expectations before starting.
Often booked together
Related services
Residential window cleaning
Interior and exterior glass, sills, sashes and frames on houses from cottages to oceanfront builds.
Pressure washing and soft wash
Low-pressure soft wash for siding and roofs, controlled pressure for hardscape.
Free estimate
Get a written figure for hard water and mineral stain restoration.
No sales visit. A technician counts the glass, checks the storey and the coating, and sends a written figure the same day.
Insured and IWCA. Certificates issued to your property manager on request.