How Thoroughly Do You Need To Clean Out Mortar Before Using Mortar Caulk

A reader's neighbor patched this mortar but left a mess. First thing to practice: Find out what material he used. (Reader photo)

Q: I was told I had some holes in the 50-yr-old brick under a bay window on the front of my house. My neighbor kindly offered to fill up in the holes for me. Unfortunately, he did non wipe off the excess mortar equally he went along, and now that it is dry out, it looks pretty bad. He offered to "paint" over information technology, but I don't desire to make the trouble worse. Practise I need a bricklayer, a painter or both?

Bowie

A: The right way to repair deteriorating mortar joints is to repoint, a process that involves scraping out the front half-inch or and so of the old mortar and replacing it with the same blazon of mortar, a lime-based mixture on former homes simply probably i with Portland cement on yours.

The pictures you lot sent show brilliantly white smears, a hint that the patch material on your house might take been a waterproofing product or fifty-fifty a sealant (as well known equally caulk). So offset by asking your helpful neighbor what he used.

If it'south actual mortar, of any type, or a waterproofing production that contains cement, removal involves scraping off equally much equally possible and so using an acid to etch off the remainder. To avoid impairment to the bricks and the main mortar, the Brick Industry Association, a trade group, cautions that it'south very important to dampen all the bricks first and to avert letting the acid cleaner dry on the bricks. The association recommends using a ability washer set within a specific range of pressures to assistance ensure that you remove all of the cleaner from the dimpled surface of the bricks. The association offers detailed instructions on its Web site, www.gobrick.com. Many masons dilute standard hydrochloric acid in h2o (always pouring the acid into the h2o, non the water into the acid). But the association recommends using hydrochloric acid with buffering agents, sold under various brand names. Some cleaners use acids other than muriatic acid. Whatsoever the product, information technology'south critical to read and follow all prophylactic precautions.

If your neighbor used something other than a cement-based production, it might have an acrylic, silicone or polyurethane base. So finding out the exact product volition assist you pinpoint the correct removal product. Some sealant-removal products marketed to homeowners, such as 3M Caulk Remover, are designed to soften a dewdrop of caulk, such as those around a bathtub or sink. These won't help with your project because the material is spread over the face of the brick in a thin motion-picture show. However, Tim Boyd, a technical representative for Goof Off Foam & Caulk Remover said that product should work, but he suggested testing it first on one or two bricks that are low on the wall, where they are least noticeable. Apply the remover when the bricks are dry, let information technology work the recommended time (2 to seven hours, depending on the caulk type, or until the caulk softens), and scrape off as much as you can. And so scrub with a bristle castor. "Just brush," Boyd said. "No h2o." Finally, wash the area with a little hand-dishwashing soap and rinse thoroughly.

Larry Burkhardt, Eastern regional managing director for Conproco, which makes masonry restoration products for professionals, recommended the StripIt products available from world wide web.chemique.com for small-scale projects like yours. StripIt Safer Water Based Paint Remover Gel is rubber for use on brick and works on many architectural coatings. Again, though, you lot'd need to test a small surface area to know for certain.

Equally to whom you lot might hire to do the work, the best selection would be a mason, preferably one who has completed training on appropriate restoration techniques, such as those offered by the International Masonry Institute, a national resource that happens to exist located in Bowie (www.imiweb.org), or the Mason Contractors Association of America, which has a handy state-by-state database of contractors on its Spider web site, www.masoncontractors.org. Simply your job is very pocket-size, so y'all might demand to settle for a home repair generalist who takes on modest jobs.

We had an L-shaped sofa made for our sitting room. At the time of purchase, the price to add cloth protection was extremely high, so we declined it. Fast-forward three years and it has its first stain. What options do nosotros have at this point for (1) textile protection and (2) getting a modest stain out?

Fairfax

One solution is to phone call a company that provides in-home upholstery cleaning, typically along with rug-cleaning. Merely be forewarned that it isn't usually assisting for a company to make a business firm call to treat ane little spot; you might need to spring for having the whole sofa cleaned.

Simon Verderame, who owns the Northern Virginia franchise of Heaven'due south Best (703-706-0455; world wide web.heavensbest.biz/carpetcleaningfairfax), said he would work with a customer to make spot-cleaning affordable, such as by trying to schedule a visit when he is in the area on another call. His minimum fee for upholstery cleaning is typically $135, which covers the cost of cleaning a three-cushion burrow. He uses cleaning solutions supplied by the franchise, followed by a rinse with water and vacuuming up the remaining moisture.

Verderame also offers a stain-protection treatment, usually for an additional charge of 20 percent. He has a sale going on now, though, so the upcharge is only 15 per centum. The protectant helps forbid stains for about 18 months but isn't foolproof, he said, explaining that if you spill a glass of red vino, "it's not going to levitate on your sofa." But the treatment should give you more fourth dimension to absorb up the vino before information technology stains.

Or y'all can try to remove the stain yourself. Upholstered article of furniture ordinarily has a care characterization with a lawmaking — W, South, W-S or X. Due west means you tin spot-clean with water or a water-based cleaner. South ways to use a water-free cleaner, such as a dry-cleaning product or a solvent-based cleaner. Westward-S means either kind is safe for the fabric. And 10 means vacuuming and brushing are the only options. However, because your sofa was custom-fabricated, it might not take a care label. Polyester, nylon, acetate and other human being-made fibers typically are okay for water-based cleaners, while natural fibers such as cotton fiber, rayon, linen and wool typically are not because h2o could crusade shrinkage or make colors run.

If at that place is no code — and probably even if there is one — test the cleaning solution in an camouflaged area before you become after the stain. If the exam shows no trouble, use the cleaner with a cotton wool cloth, then blot several times, using a fresh part of the cleaning cloth each fourth dimension. Repeat if necessary. Take care not to soak the area, though, or you could air current up with stains along the edges of the damp area once the moisture evaporates.

Stains are always easiest to remove right after a spill occurs. So even if you lot pay for a professional cleaning now, you might want to invest in a stain-removal solution matched to the fabric type so you're ready the side by side time something spills.

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