Always used a 4-inch trowel for brick cleaning until a job in Phoenix last summer

Guy on site handed me a hard nylon brush and told me to use water and a dash of vinegar instead of muriatic acid on this new white brick wall. The acid was etching the surface and turning it yellow after a few months, and this way the brick stayed clean without damaging the color. Anybody else ditch the acid for regular cleaning?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekp705d ago

Last summer I had a job in Austin where we were cleaning a whole neighborhood of new builds and ran into the same yellowing issue with the white brick. Swapped to the vinegar and nylon brush trick after the first house looked awful a month later and never went back to acid on that project. The vinegar smell isn't great but it beats having to explain to a homeowner why their brand new wall looks like someone peed on it. I still use muriatic for really old dirty brick that's already got some patina though, just not on new white stuff anymore.

campbell.nora2d ago

Vinegar and a stiff nylon brush saved my ass on a similar job. That acid yellowing is a nightmare you don't see coming until it's too late.