White walls

[Aquajetexteriorcleaning]

I have a customer that lives in a new build, his walls have turned white.

Any ideas how to clean it? Will it come back?

View attachment 6986

 

[TolishAPurd]

I have a customer that lives in a new build, his walls have turned white.Any ideas how to clean it? Will it come back?

It's called efflorescence, it's salts coming out of the mortar/bricks. Just leave well alone imo, anything you do could harm the brickwork and it it likely to come back anyway.

 

[Aquajetexteriorcleaning]

Thank you

 

[steve garwood]

Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure someone told me that spraying it with vinegar shifts it, but that could be a load of bol1ocks

 

[BigFoot]

Just found this, interesting read but a job not without risk it seams.

How to remove efflorescence

One method is to use water under pressure or one of a number of products available from stone dealers; another is muriatic acid followed by copious flushing with clean water. Acid applied to brick masonry, without previous wetting, may cause discoloration of the brick and may also eat into the mortar itself. Another method frequently used is the light sandblasting of the brick for removal of stubborn efflorescence. Allowing the surface of the brick to dry thoroughly and then using a stiff brush, prior to flushing with water, has helped prevent repenetration of the brick surface by the salt.

Various methods have been used in attempts to remove efflorescence from brick buildings. It has been found that when efflorescence is caused by soluble alkali salts, the salts will dissolve in water applied to the structure and migrate back into it. These salts would then reappear on the surface as the structure redried. It is now accepted that the best way to remove these soluble salts was to brush the surface thoroughly with a stiff brush. Water, however, has been satisfactory for removing efflorescence from the face of brick buildings. In fact, efflorescence has frequently been washed from the surface of brick buildings, if exposed to rain, over some period of time. If the coating is largely calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate, it adheres rather strongly and is difficult to remove by brushing alone. The practice developed in this case for brick and other masonry surfaces, has been to saturate the structure as thoroughly as possible with water, and then wash with diluted muriatic acid, followed immediately with an alkaline wash, then washed with water. The acid recommended is five parts hydrochloric to one hundred parts water, or twenty parts vinegar to one hundred parts water. The alkaline wash recommended is diluted household ammonia.

A great deal of care must be taken in applying acid to Portland cement products. The acid will attack, not only the calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate efflorescence, but also other calcium compounds to produce calcium salts such as calcium chloride. It is, therefore, very important to neutralise the acid before it can attack other compounds.

So if you would like to know more about efflorecence and how to avoid it, why not give us a call at ET Clay Products.

 

[Eviestevie]

I have it some of the bricks at my house

I've tried everything on them and couple week later it's back

 

[Eviestevie]

I steam my cars once a week on the drive so I just lightly go over it but it's a repeat thing never found anything to take it away fully

 

[Taxlossloz]

Paint the wall white

Job done !