Very OT: exposed brick care

[veggieburger]

Howdy folks!

I was digging around in my kitchen (renos starting next week) and happened to find the old hearth. I chipped away at the plaster and revealed an old fireplace and 9 feet of hearth that had been well preserved. Very cool, and very lovely. Aside from brushing it and vacuuming the dust off, how should I treat it? I like the dry look and don't want to sandblast it, but some sort of light varnish might prevent the brick and mortar from dropping dust.

Anyone tackled this before?

Thanks!

[moose8]

You can get sealant at Home Depot. I can't remember what it's called but I did it to my bedroom wall ten years ago and it still works great. Clean the bricks first, then apply the clear coat, let dry and reapply. They'll know if you go there - it smells for a few days as it offgasses but then is totally odorless and preserves the bricks.

[pitonpat]

Have a look at this... http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.html

I regularly clean new masonry with a diluted muriatic acid solution, and it may be effective in your situation to remove plaster residue, especially if you wish to use a sealer later. Be careful though... Rubber gloves and goggles are mandatory when using muriatic acid!

How fortunate to discover an undamaged fireplace &hearth! Good luck.

[SlackMan]

If you brush and vacuum it really well a first time, you shouldn't have *ongoing* dust issues (assuming it is not abraded on an ongoing basis). I would leave it unfinished because I think any sort of varnish or sealant risks making it look imitation or at least taking away from the old charm it has.

[moose8]

Have a look at this... http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.html

I regularly clean new masonry with a diluted muriatic acid solution, and it may be effective in your situation to remove plaster residue, especially if you wish to use a sealer later. Be careful though... Rubber gloves and goggles are mandatory when using muriatic acid!

How fortunate to discover an undamaged fireplace &hearth! Good luck.

I cleaned mine up with muriatic acid before sealing them and it got lots of nastiness off the bricks.

[moose8]

If you brush and vacuum it really well a first time, you shouldn't have *ongoing* dust issues (assuming it is not abraded on an ongoing basis). I would leave it unfinished because I think any sort of varnish or sealant risks making it look imitation or at least taking away from the old charm it has.

I tried this approach with mine first but it didn't work - the bricks seemed to be pretty crumbly spontaneously without any sealant, but then again the bricks were like 150 years old so with newer bricks it might not be an issue.

[josephr]

I cleaned mine up with muriatic acid before sealing them and it got lots of nastiness off the bricks.

+1 on this. A good scrub and then a sealant from the tile section at Lowe's or Home Depot. A small bottle should be all you need...quikrete, dupont, and others are common makers. Any guy thats worked in the tile section for longer than 2 weeks should know exactly what you're looking for.
Joe
PS: If you live in birmingham, al...come over and I'll give you what I have leftover from sealing a slate floor in the kitchen.

[veggieburger]

If you brush and vacuum it really well a first time, you shouldn't have *ongoing* dust issues (assuming it is not abraded on an ongoing basis). I would leave it unfinished because I think any sort of varnish or sealant risks making it look imitation or at least taking away from the old charm it has.

Well....I don't need to clean the brick, as the plaster came off beautifully. Also, the newspapers in the plaster read 1897, so the bricks aren't exactly fresh. :) I think they'll probably give off some dust, and I'm ultra sensitive to that sort of thing.

I think I'll apply a touch of sealer to some inconspicuous brick and see how she looks.

Thanks for all the replies!

[rwsaunders]

Pro level products...call a concrete or masonry accessories supplier as they usually carry this line.

http://www.prosoco.com/Products/6ca8a055-263d-473a-a30c-13bbd50cccb4