How to treat exposed brickwork?

[Anonymous]

I have recently bought an old brick cottage in Nottinghamshire. I have removed the existing plasterwork to expose the GF chimney breasts from floor to ceiling revealing two brick arch fireplaces in good condition i.e. none of the bricks require replacing and only a small amount of repointing is required. The bricks are covered with the remanants of the plaster – most of which has come off fairly easily.

However I am a little unsure of what process to use to restore and clean the internal brickwork on the chimney breasts to it’s best effect. I have considered using a wire brush but have read that this can mark the bricks. Other alternatives include using some kind of brick acid or brick cleaner. Part of one of the fireplaces is also covered with a few layers of paint so I may need to use a stripper on this. Other people have recommended using a pressure washer or sandblaster. There seem to be so many options I’m not sure what to do!

I’m not after anything fancy I would just like two nice clean exposed chimney breasts so any advice on how to achieve this would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Adam

 

[Anonymous]

You can try " sanding" by holding another similar texture brick with both hands and keep rubbing it against the face of the bricks in a circular motion.

A bit laborious but the result is very pleasing.

Obviously you will sacrify the original patina on the brick faces, as they say, " beggers can't be choosers".

You only nees to soft brush down and hoover the surface, under your circumstances it is worth doing.