Cleaning old brick floor

[ayashasky]

Hi
I wondered if anybody has any ideas.......We live in a cob cottage and have brick floors laid on earth, the brick has not been pointed. However there are many blobs of mortar/cement on the floor, which are difficult to remove. I have attacked cautiously with a wire brush and an old knife but it is very slow going. Some of the brick surfaces are no longer smooth anyway. There is also a build up of grot and grime. Has any one got any ideas to help clean the bricks without sealing them or damaging them and any tips for keeping clean in the future?
Many thanks for any ideas.

 

[Penners]

As you've already discovered, cleaning a brick floor is not a quick or easy job. But do it properly and it will (a) look wonderful, and (b) be much easier to keep in good condition in the future.

The blobs of mortar must, I'm afraid, be hacked off with a chisel or similar. Try not to dig into the surface of the brick, as this will tend to destroy its "skin", but get the mortar off as cleanly as possible, down to the surface of the brick.

You then have a choice. Often, a really good scrub with strong detergent will work wonders, particularly if you hire an industrial scrubbing machine. After this you'll need to rinse well and get the bricks as dry as possible - here again you can make the job much easier with a hired machine that squirts on the water and sucks it up again.

If this process doesn't get the floor satisfactorily clean, you'll need to consider scrubbing with brick acid (hydrochloric acid). But this is nasty stuff! Be sure to wear full protective gear, including goggles, a fume mask and acid-proof gloves, and ventilate the room extremely well while you're carrying out the work. Again, you need to rinse thoroughly after using the acid, to ensure that it's properly neutralised.

Don't seal the floor until it's completely dry. For a breathable sealer, I favour something wax-based like Johnsons Traffic. Some people will advocate boiled linseed oil, but in my experience this can build up after several applications over the years, giving a sticky surface.

At every stage, do a test area before you proceed, to ensure that you will be happy with the results. And don't regard my advice as expert knowledge - I'm just an amateur with some experience of this kind of job.

 

[Moo]

Machines that squirt water and then suck it up are known by Hire firms as carpet cleaners. They are invaluable.