Efflorescence On Brickwork: How To Remove Efflorescence On Brick? The Reasons For Their Occurrence And The Best Remedies For Removal

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Brick houses are being built by zealous owners for a long time. Brick is an environmentally friendly and fairly expensive material, so I want it to look decent for many years. They try to keep the surface of the beautiful brickwork open. Very often, growing spots of an irregular shape of a whitish color appear on it. These are the so-called efflorescence. They spoil the appearance of the facade and are a kind of catalyst for the destruction of bricks.

How to deal with this phenomenon, we will analyze in the article.

What it is?

Already in the first years after the construction of houses, white areas can be observed on the brickwork, as if splashed with chalk. So, under the influence of excess moisture and a number of other reasons, alkaline elements appear on the surface of the brick. They look very ugly, giving the facade a sloppy look. But it is necessary to deal with them not only to improve the exterior of the building … The fact is that, having appeared once, efflorescences constantly grow, occupying an ever larger area. In addition, they go deep into the brick, contributing to its early destruction. therefore if efflorescence is detected on brickwork, the fight against them must be started immediately until the consequences turned into irreversible processes.

Most often, violation of the basic SNiP by builders leads to the occurrence of alkaline plaque. Also, incorrectly calculated design features of the house, which are revealed already when living in it, have a detrimental effect on ceramic bricks. However, technological disruptions are not the only problem for brick house owners. The formation of efflorescence is facilitated by the structure of the brick itself, the features of the terrain and climate, as well as a number of other factors, which will be described in more detail.

Causes of occurrence

Before starting the fight against an annoying phenomenon, it is worth finding out its reasons. It is on them that further steps to eliminate white plaque will depend. The reasons for the appearance of efflorescence are divided into those independent of a person, as well as those caused by his activities (in particular, a violation of the technology for making bricks and the masonry process).

The following factors are considered the main reason for alkaline plaque on facades

• The use of a low-quality masonry mortar with a high content of alkalis, chemical additives and excess impurities leads to brick damage. Over time, it not only turns white. In deeper layers, scales begin to form, which leads to the gradual destruction of the material under the influence of additional mechanical stress.
• Carrying out construction work in winter or rainy weather, especially with the use of various hydrophobizing and antifreeze additives, which also negatively affects the quality of the structure.

It also happens that efflorescence occurs due to non-compliance with the manufacturing technology of the material itself at the plant. For example, if instead of drying in a special oven, it was simply air-dried. Salts in one amount or another are contained in alumina itself, which is one of the main components in the manufacture of bricks. Its excess with a low quality of raw materials, moreover, in the event of a disruption in the production process, at the first serious moistening will lead to the removal of salt to the outside.

A grayish-white coating on the outside of walls is common and common. It occurs due to natural chemical and physical processes. Basically, the evaporation of water-soluble salts occurs with their transfer to the surface. Moisture moves along the capillary structure of the brick, washing out the salts behind it. Thus, in the places where it comes to the surface, water evaporates, and impurities in the form of tiny crystals accumulate in spots.

Precipitation with a high content of various impurities and harmful substances in the water can also lead to brick damage. This happens especially often in large industrial cities with poor ecology.

If there is a factory near the future house, it is worth taking care in advance of keeping the brick on the facade in good shape.

The least rare reason is improper storage conditions for bricks during the cold rainy season without protection right on the ground. Also, moisture can get from the soil, but this is possible only with poorly performed waterproofing of the foundation layer.

Removal methods

If efflorescence appears on the wall, you can remove them yourself. To do this, you can use ready-made acid solutions sold in stores, or try to remove white plaque with folk remedies. High-quality cleaning is carried out in several stages. The technology of correct disposal of plaque should be followed, then it will not return to the walls again.

First elimination of the largest particles is carried out using mechanical action … To do this, you need a stiff brush with metal bristles and regular water, preferably clean, free of impurities. This process is quite laborious and takes a lot of time. But with due diligence, the effect becomes noticeable immediately.

Then choose a special product for cleaning from efflorescence. Alkalis are affected by acids contained in ready-made solutions. It is advisable to find out the composition and chemical nature of the spots themselves in order to choose the most effective remedy. Since it is not possible to do this in most cases, it is necessary to select a remedy by the method of tests in order to get rid of the ugly plaque as effectively as possible.

For testing, the wash is often used first on the test site, after which the result is awaited. Sometimes you have to experiment to select a remedy, so you should not buy a large container right away if you are not sure of its effectiveness. You should work with personal protective equipment, since most products contain fairly strong acids and surfactants.

In some cases, it is permissible to prepare your own solution at home. To do this, 20 grams of hydrochloric acid, a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and 50 grams of detergent are diluted into 10 liters of water (liquid soap or foam for dishes is suitable). The composition is usually applied with a brush with artificial bristles or a roller. If the area to be treated is large, a spray bottle or conventional garden sprayers can be used. The brick should be well saturated with the cleaning agent ..

If a ready-made product is chosen, then the instructions attached to it should be strictly followed. The time it takes to clear the masonry is usually shown on the packaging. The work is carried out using gloves, glasses and sometimes a respirator, since the composition of this kind of products contains acids in different concentrations.

After the brick has been cleaned of traces of efflorescence, it should be rinsed. A small surface can be worked by hand.

Large areas are washed with water from a regular garden hose or use a mini car wash.

Washed this way the surface should dry well. This may take up to one and a half days .… After that, in order to remove such a problem forever from the walls of the room, they are covered with a special compound, often based on acrylic components. Such a tool simply repels water, preventing it from penetrating into the pores of the brick. In addition, the impregnation additionally protects the masonry from dirt and dust, which simply cannot settle on it. The surface always looks clean and shiny, which looks very attractive.

From simple tools that are always at hand, you can recommend an inexpensive way, to remove white plaque from a small area. Cleans it with regular ammonia … A standard bottle of this liquid is diluted in 10-12 liters of pure water. If desired, the concentration can be increased slightly by taking a smaller volume of water. Apply the product with a fine spray spray.

Sometimes, even with the correct implementation of all cleaning measures, plaque appears again. The point here is not in poor-quality processing, but in the structure of the material itself. Any brick and mortar contains alkaline compounds that cannot and do not need to be completely removed. The peculiarity of building organic materials lies precisely in the inclusion of such elements in their composition. External treatment washes away efflorescence only temporarily. If a large amount of moisture gets on the masonry, after a while, the treatment will have to be carried out again.

In order to avoid repetition of the cleaning measures carried out, the surface, which is exposed to significant atmospheric influences or water ingress, must be protected from moisture. At the same time, requirements for vapor permeability are imposed on it.

Prevention recommendations

It is much easier to prevent the appearance of efflorescence than to deal with them later. After all, they appear rather quickly and increase their localization. Removing them can take a lot of time, effort and money. In addition, there is no guarantee that white spots will not reappear after cleaning. Therefore, we decide in advance with possible factors that can spoil the brickwork.

• It is better to buy a brick from a manufacturer, which has been proven by many customers for years .… It is definitely not worth saving on material. At the same time, it is very difficult to distinguish a high-quality material for construction from one obtained with technological violations simply in appearance. Reviews and recommendations will help in finding a good supplier.
• For construction, you need to dilute as thick a solution as possible .and carry out construction work exclusively in dry weather. It is advisable to carry out construction only in the warm half of the year.

• If possible, no special additives need to be added to the masonry mortar .… It is better to try to dilute the mixture itself with clean water and high-quality coarse sand.
• If it is necessary to suspend work, unfinished parts of the building should be covered with foil … It is advisable to bring them under the roof as soon as possible so that atmospheric moisture and precipitation does not get inside the material and does not saturate it.

The laying should be carried out as carefully as possible, without leaving traces of mortar on the facade. If the brick does become dirty, it should be cleaned as soon as possible. After that, a special hydrophobic substance is applied to the surface of the masonry, well impregnating the brick, which is capable of repelling moisture from mineral surfaces.

A system of drainage, stormwater drainage and special sheds should be carefully designed .in order to avoid the ingress of excess water on the facade during precipitation. This will reduce rainfall on the bricks.

• It is better not to dilute or dilute the solution once again .… Often when using old bricks, they are soaked in water. It is better not to do this, but to remove the remnants of the old cement or mixture by mechanical action.
• Special additives are added to the working solution, which replace lime substances and give the binder greater plasticity to prevent the natural process of salt formation in the masonry and their subsequent release to the surface. This is an important preventive measure, since the convenient and most accurate application creates the most correct and even load on each brick. Previously, egg yolks were used for this purpose. The modern industry offers turnkey solutions. These are microfoaming agents based on petroleum derivatives, fatty acids or organosilicon compounds.

The formation of efflorescence is often a natural and inevitable process. It is not always possible to control its appearance. But if possible, it is necessary to create conditions for observing the correct masonry technology, then many problems can be avoided.