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Any Ideas for Cleaning Stained Brick?

Cynthia White

Cynthia White

Member
Messages
3,220
Location
Vancouver Island, Courtenay/Comox Valley, British
Is this the right place to ask about brick?
brick.jpg

My husband and I are having a little problem. :rofl:
Now before everyone goes berserk, I just got married and moved here last fall. and my husband lived like an old bachelor for years and years and....didn't notice it......:rolleyes:....don't be too hard on him, he's a little disabled....

Okay. We renovated the house top to bottom (with professionals) to get the house updated and ready to sell. This is the LAST thing to deal with.

There was a problem with the gutter above it FOR YEARS. The gutter has been repaired. since this photo was taken, there is a new roof too, and the water damage on the inside has all been repaired. The flower bed is cleaned up too. The house has been completely repainted (stained) and looks great--except for the brick.

What do we do? My husband tried a bunch of different (acid) chemicals on it (from Home Depot) that didn't help. Tried power washing. Nope. A neighbor suggested trying a dry stiff metal brush. Nope. He suggested trying a grinder with a brush. Well in order to grind off enough to get rid of the stain, the brick will be so damaged that you'll see it anyway.

Does anyone have any idea what to do for this? I've called several masons and no one seems to know how to clean it. Will sandblasting help? Are going to have to paint the brick?

Thank you for any suggestions.
 
Cynthia,
The other solution is to sell it as is, After all it's a used house there are bound to be things that aren't what the new buyer wants so let him/her deal with it. I did when I sold my mothers house after she died. I built in $5k into the price and gave the buyer a $5k discount to buy new carpeting...:rolleyes::D
 
It might make people question about water damage to the structure. I would have suggested as Don said with the muratic acid as well I would install a down spout in that corner to channel the water away from the wall and the building before listing it. You could also take the pic to a mason and ask what they suggest. My parents had a problem with their back deck and bricks and it was called efloresence ( the white stuff on the bricks) and they couldn't give him an answer for it so he re coated the bricks with the sealer and it went away. Not saying that this is the answer but just some avenues to look at.
 
yeah, we'll try the muriatic acid. All the gutters have been repaired. No more Niagara Falls. Everything has been repaired or replaced from top to bottom except that brick (yet). I can't see leaving the stain like that. I wouldn't buy a house that looked like that. ;) I guess we'll paint it if we have to. thanks guys
 
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Cynthia White said:
... I wouldn't buy a house that looked like that. ;) I guess we'll paint it if we have to. thanks guys
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And I'd be more likely to buy a house with stained brick than one with painted brick. ;) Especially if I saw the problem causing the stain had been fixed.

Drew's right...it looks like efflorescence, which is caused when water leaches the salts and other minerals out of the cement in the mortar. Muriatic acid might help, but read and follow the instructions closely...it can be nasty stuff. You also don't want to get any of it on any plants. Here's another product I found, but have no experience with:

http://www.aldonchem.com/popup-ab-efflorescence.htm

And another link...talking about efflorescence on concrete slabs, but the solutions are in line with what I've seen used on masonry in the past:

http://concreteconstruction.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=710&articleID=233348

Personally, I think I'd leave it for the next owners to deal with. My guess is that the house has enough other pluses to offset any minus the stain might have on a buyer's decision-making process. :thumb: I also suspect that the stain will fade over time, now that the wall's no longer being used as the downspout. ;)
 
Vaughn McMillan said:
Personally, I think I'd leave it for the next owners to deal with. My guess is that the house has enough other pluses to offset any minus the stain might have on a buyer's decision-making process. :thumb: I also suspect that the stain will fade over time, now that the wall's no longer being used as the downspout. ;)
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The only problem with that Vaughn is that there is a stigma going around Vancouver in regards to leaky condo's and any signs of moisture damage is a scare factor to most people. It doesn't have to actually be a problem and it may have been fixed but people are funny when they see something like that rather than understand the situation they will just turn away or ask for a substantial reduction in the selling price. It is also becoming a buyers market right now as the intrest rates are starting to go up a bit and there are more homes coming on the market. Just in my area alone we have seen a substantial increase of homes for sale from last year, where maybe 20 -30 homes were for sale now there are well over 100. With still another 5000 homes being built just down the street from me. The market is becoming saturated with homes for sale and as I am sure you are aware anything that puts a question in the mind of a buyer as to the condition of a home could potentially squash a sale. I have done lots of home inspections and I would seriously have to question this if I was doing an inspection on a home with any signs of water damage like this. I have also done lots of repairs on homes where there is water damage. I am sure that the inside of the home has framing, insulation and dry wall and you have no idea what is happening on the other side of the brick without opening the walls up to have a look. There may be nothing but it could be a huge mess.
 
Dont mean to sound simplistic but have you tried CLR.( You know this product as a Canadian right?) I dont have any connection to the company just in case someone thinks that and i have no clue whats in the product but it does work on a variety of things. Its pretty cheap you can buy a bottle try it on a small area with a stiff brushing and then consider whether its worth enlarging the area of cleansing thats if it does the job. If it does i would consider putting it on with a power washer neat. You want to leave it on when you apply it before taking it off it needs some time on certain things to do its job.

Its biodegrable too. Just stinks. :eek:

Hope you find a solution.

Another thought, given what Drew is saying about buyer perception is what about having someone come in and sandblast all the brickwork. Yeah i know this will cost a little but it will freshen the brick up like a new building and that could be a huge plus if you looking to move it. Worth getting a quote to evaluate. Quotes dont cost you anything.

Personally i am anti painting. Makes me suspicious but hey thats just me.;)
 
Rob, we did try C-L-R and another acid cleaner with a stiff metal brush. And it didn't budge.

Yeah, I know that painting is really a last resort, it's just that I can't leave it like that. Yes there was water damage inside, but we opened up the walls and had it all repaired. All new. So if I leave it, then who is going to believe me that it was repaired?

I already called a guy to come and give me an estimate for sandblasting it. The big question is, will sandblasting remove the stain?

Thanks guys for all the help. Yes, the market is a little softer here, but Drew it might be better here than where you are. It's still pretty good here, and it's a beautiful custom home, but we've got to get rid of that stain.

THANKS :thumb:
 
Rob Keeble said:
Personally i am anti painting. Makes me suspicious but hey thats just me.;)
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Cynthia White said:
Yeah, I know that painting is really a last resort, it's just that I can't leave it like that.
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I wouldn't touch a house with painted brick.

As is, brick is practically maintenance-free.
Once you paint, that's it, game over. You're painting and repainting forever. Unless you rip down the brick.

I have a friend with a house with painted brick, and it looks awful, since the paint is flaking. The only solution is to repaint the entire house.

Sorry, I don't have a stain-removal idea. And I understand that you're worried about resale with a stain there. But I just have to say it might be worse on your resale if you paint!

If it was a smaller area, I'd suggest that instead of painting as a "last resort", how about ripping it down and having a new brick wall put up. But that is a BIG wall!
 
i agree with art on the paint,, i think sand blasting will cure it and the fact that you had gutters put in to correct the trouble.. never paint brick.. my opinion.. and if there is any way to soften the sand blasting like fading a color with a sprayer i would do that as well!!!
 
Try muriatic acid first, and if that doesn't work, then media blasting will be the only recourse.

Note I said "MEDIA" blasting, not SAND blasting. Sand is likely too abrasive and will take the outer glaze off the bricks.

You'll need to consult a pro for the recommended media. There's glass beads, corn cobs, walnut shells, baking soda, and a whole bunch of other blasting choices.
 
Have you tried high pressure water cleaning after brushing. I think this can give you some positive result. Try to clean the bricks with hard brushing and then give it full water pressure. As I think painting is not a good option because it will need time to time repainting. :huh:
 
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