Masonry Magazine June 2007 Page. 30
NEW RULES FOR CLEANING
and has stained and etched nearly every type of masonry, leading many a contractor into a legal bed of thorns. Simply put: Don't use it!
The Basics Still Apply Follow Them
WHILE NEW RULES need to be learned, the following time-tested truths still apply.
Don't Spare the Water
LOTS OF WATER is one of the secrets to a great masonry clean down. Before applying the cleaner, drench the masonry (ie., pre-wetting). When the masonry pores are filled with water, the cleaner can't soak in and it stays on the surface where it does its job of dissolving excess mortar and dirt.
Use more water to rinse the spent cleaner, dissolved mortar and dirt off of the wall. Use the appropriate cleaning equipment; we're not talking garden hose here, as weak rinsing can leave stains and residue. Ideally, rinse with 400 to 1,000 psi, at six to eight gallons per minute.
Clean Bottom to Top, Keeping Lower Areas Wet
A CONTRACTOR in New Orleans began cleaning at the top of a building, one that features red clay brick and red mortar above white cast stone. He paid no attention to keeping the areas beneath the cleaning area wet. The result was
During both the pre wetting and rinsing steps, water and plenty of it is vital to a successful post-construction clean down of new masonry.
Photo courtesy of Scott Buscher, PROSOCO
that reddish rundown from the cleaning soaked into the white cast stone, leaving nasty streaks. Fortunately, a remedial cleaner corrected the situation; however, the cleaning contractor was required to do the remedial cleaning at his own expense, which amounted to thousands of dollars in lost revenue and several weeks of lost time.
Unlike many other types of cleaning, masonry clean down begins at the bottom and works up, making it easier to keep lower parts of walls wet. Keeping the walls wet stops rundown from penetrating into them. That's important, if you plan to make money on your jobs.
Masonry Façade Re-Anchoring Solutions
SAVE THE WALL! Don't Tear it Down or Cover it with Insulation and Stucco
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Masonry
June 2007
www.masoncontractors.org