HOW TO CLEAN NEW MASONRY?

[jim williams]

Guys and Gals, I have heard 50/50 on muriatic acid wash and pressure wash to the lemon juice and that's when I aid what the #^%$^.

Can I just pressure wash my new mason brick and seal? I went over it with a 4" wire wheel and appreciate the look both dry and wet.

one other threw at me, It will not seal without  cleanser first??? Brick is a very porous material. Help me pals!!!!

 

[dbga]

Smokers looking good Jim.
The folks that clean the brick on buildings use a product called Sure Clean which is a mild acid.
The acid softens the mortar making it easier to hit it with a pressure washer to remove. They work in small areas, apply the acid and let in soak a few minutes while they use a scrapper to hit some of the slobbers or extra mortar on the face. Then hit it with the pressure washer being carefull not to blow the mortar out of the joints.
When I lay brick I try to wipe as much of the excess mortar off the face so it winds up just being a film and hit it with a pressure washer after about a week of curing. No acid and being carefull not to blow the mortar out of my joints.
It's hard to tell from the photos how much mortar is on the face of your bricks. It looks like a film. I would try a 3500 psi. Pressure washer first and if there were stubborn places use the acid to soften it.
As far as the sealer goes you are right, brick is not waterproof. That is why on buildings a damp proofing is applied to the interior walls along with flashings to direct the moisture out of the walls thru weep holes at the base of the wall.
With your radius top a sealer would help to stop the moisture from penetrating down to your damper I guess. But once you fire it up it will dry it up.
I built a roof over my smoker and when I fire it up with the temp difference I will have condensation on the inside that dries up after it gets hot.
Just my opinion!

 

[jim williams]

Thanks for the info. If I have troubles with condensation in the attic...I will add bungalow style vents to the brick roof.

thank you much for the response, I have the sucker glazed right now!

 

[foamheart]

I just had the kitchen fireplace remortered. It was so old it was the old burnt crushed limestone mortor and it was just blowing out of the layers. I figure I had my money's worth out of it, it had built in 1882. No, thats not a misprint.

Wanted it to come back looking original. I won't bore you with the story of hows and whys but once it was all done, the applied a coating of this.

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• foamheart
• Aug 2, 2015

It stinks like all get out for a few days but its supposedly what they always use on chimneys to seal 'em up after remodeling.

This fireplace used to be outside the back wall ogf the old house. I started to just tear it down but it just wouldn't been the same come the holidays.

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• foamheart
• Aug 2, 2015

Thats right it was the first stove in the house.....

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• foamheart
• Aug 2, 2015

Still just looks as old as it did, its just functional again and not continiously bleeding motar dust.

I assume if it works on a fireplace, well your grill might be hotter...... <shrugs>

 

[jim williams]

Thanks buddy. probably not hotter on this end but I did put -lock "N seal- on it and looks amazing. I am trying to upload pics and damn windows 10 will not let me work with this program windows 7!!!

 

[wes w]

LOL!  Gotta love a computer... :-)