FAQ’s

What's the difference between brick cleaning and building cleaning?

-Brick cleaning refers to a process that takes place in the overall construction process. It refers to the cleaning of excess mortar from the bricks after the bricks have been laid. This required the use of acids and high pressure water. 

-Building cleaning generally refers to the process of cleaning dirt and organic matter such as  moss, algae, mold, mildew & lichens from established buildings. Generally you use sodium hydroxide based chemicals and this is normally done by a soft washing process using far lower pressure water than brick cleaning.

-There is also the process of removing stains from brick and concrete such as rust, calcium, efflorescence, other salts, manganese, vanadium stains and so on. These can occur in the construction process but also on older buildings. We can also help clean these stains too. 

Does brick cleaning cause damage to other materials such as metals, tiles and concrete?

-The answer is maybe. Brick cleaning requires the use of acid; either hydrochloric acid or softer acid based solutions. These chemicals can mark certain metals, metallic coatings, tiles and concrete so we always recommend brick cleaning as soon as is practicably possible after the bricks have been laid when there are very few other finished surfaces in place. 

-As part of our cleaning process, we always check and test to see if the chemicals we propose to use will cause damage to other finished surfaces. If we discover they do, we put in place processes that will prevent any damage being caused. We proactively look to take care of all the other materials on the building site and work with our clients and other tradies to eliminate risk of causing any damage. 

Do you use any chemicals when cleaning buildings and do they damage plants and other materials? 

-Not always but generally some cleaning products are necessary to achieve a great result. 

-When cleaning buildings we use what's called a soft wash process where we allow the chemicals to do the work. Of course it's essential that no damage is caused during the cleaning process. To do this we soak all surrounding plants, shrubs, trees and any other at potentially risk surfaces with water prior to chemical application. We rinse again immediately after chemical treatment and then rinse plant life during and immediately after cleaning. This prevents any damage from occurring.

I’ve got some staining on my brickwork. What causes the staining?  

-Many different types of stains can occur on brickwork and there are many different causes.

-Bricks are made up of clay, shale, sand and potentially colour additives. Clay in particular can be made up of many different mineral compounds. After their production, bricks can be exposed to water, both before and after being laid and in recent decades are usually cleaned with acid during the building process. Staining occurs when these compounds and minerals in the brick chemically react with water and/or acid and the by-product of these chemical reactions lead to stains appearing on the surface of the brick. 

-The good news is that all stains can be treated and cleaned particularly if dealt with when they first start to occur.

How can I clean stains off my brickwork?

-There are many different types of stains that can appear. For example white staining can often appear on older brickwork which is usually a salt migrating out of the brickwork. It is routinely described as efflorescence but in fact there are many different types of salts and they need to be treated very differently. 

-As stage one of our cleaning process we first test to establish what stain or stains we are actually dealing with. We find a discrete area of brickwork, normally at the side of the house and test a number of chemistries. Often we know really quickly what the issue is and can then advise our Clients how best to deal with the issue at hand. 

-During the process of cleaning we can often identify likely causes and if relevant, provide recommendations on the best way of minimising the stains re-occurring in the future.

What is brick tinting? How is it different from painting

-Brick tint is a mineral silicate based product. It is different from paint in many ways. 

-The key distinction is how mineral tint bonds to a surface. Mineral tint reacts chemically to the surface so creates a permanent bond whereas conventional paints bonds onto the surface. This is why paint is not permanent and over time can crack, blister and peel off. Generally, paint will need to be redone over time but tint is permanent. This is why there are examples of minerally tinted buildings in northern Europe that are still in great condition, some up to 140 years later!

Other key differences are:

-Mineral tint allows the substrate to continue to breathe over time which is good for its well being, particularly in the Sydney environment. 

-Mineral paints contain no biocides, no solvents, no plasticizers and no VOCs. As a consequence they are Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified, meeting the world's most rigorous sustainability standards.