How to clean mortar stains off brickwork?

[zepplin]

How to clean mortar stains off brickwork?

[Akanksha]

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @zepplin. We're delighted to have you join us. 

My apologies for the slow response to your question. Can I please request you to post some photos of those mortar stains and the surrounding area? This will enable our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL and other members to get a better idea of what you're dealing with and enable them to provide more tailored advice suited to your needs.

Do let me know if you need a hand uploading photos. Happy to assist. 

Akanksha

[EricL]

Hello @zepplin 

My apologies for the late reply. Depending on how bad the mortar stains are, I suggest trying standard cleaning methods first with water and detergent in combination with a scrub brush. If the stains are persistent, I recommend using Chemtech 1L Brick Tile And Paver Cleaner. A lot of trades people use this product to clean mortar and concrete slurry. Please note that this is a concentrate and must be diluted before use. 

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask when using the cleaning product. Please make sure to follow all the safety precautions printed at the back of the bottle.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Scarab]

Hi Eric,

I have a similar issue. Mortar was repaired on a wall but the cleanup was not timely so the mortar is on the brick face - in some cases covering more than 3/8 of the face. Would wet grinding with a polystrip disc work here? I'm unsure of using a corrosive chemical as it may damage the brickwork plus the issue is an aesthetic one.

[EricL]

Hello @Scarab 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us. 

Wet grinding has its own set of aftereffects. If the brick face has already aged it's possible that any area that you polish will all of a sudden look fresh and brand new. The area you did not polish will have its old front finish. If that is the result, I suggest doing the entire wall to give it a uniform fresh finish. 

If you have a poly strip disc in hand, I suggest testing a small area first and see if it removes the mortar. If the brick face remains intact, then it would be worth doing the affected areas.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Scarab]

Thanks @EricL. Good suggestion to test a small area before I go all out.

Would using the Chemtech cleaner retain some of the brick face? The wall is at least 20 years old and is red brick.

[EricL]

Hello @Scarab 

I suggest doing the same thing with Chemtech and that is to test a small portion of the affected bricks and see if it changes the bricks surface. Please remember that Chemtech is a concentrate and must be diluted.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[Scarab]

Hi all

Just an update....I tried a few products (didn't get the Chemtech as I had others at home). CLR didn't do a great job. Liquid Hammer worked best though it took a few tries to clean up the affected wall. 

[ER1]

Hi @EricL 

Any suggestions for removal of;

1. The black staining at the top of the blockwork (assuming this is something/rainwater running off the capping?) this is present at other areas of blockwork around the house as well…

2. The general blockwork face needs cleaning, some dags also present, but mostly just mortar. 

 

Many thanks in advance. 

Cheers

Ewan 

[JacobZ]

Hi Ewan(@ER1), 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Mortar dags can fairly easily be removed with a chisel. Hold the chisel at an acute angle to the block and run it along the surface of the block to hit the join between the mortar and the block. With a minimal amount of effort, the mortar should chip off the block.

Once the dags are cleared, I'd suggest using a pressure cleaner to clean the blocks. 

It looks like the dark spots are just dirt deposits from dripping water, so they should be fairly easy to remove, but if they are a bit troublesome, using some Gerni Concrete And Stone Cleaner should help with their removal.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob