Exposing brick. removing plaster?


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Old 03-07-03, 07:19 AM
schlitz100
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Exposing brick. removing plaster?

I'm currently exposing brick in my 80 y/o house.

The bottom layer is plaster which as far as i can tell has been applied directly to the brick. What is the best way to remove this?
 
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Old 03-07-03, 07:36 AM
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Probably could just tap it and it'll crack and come off in chunks being 80 yrs old. You could try misting it down with water to try & soften it up. Are you sure it's plaster & not mortar?
 
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Old 03-07-03, 08:33 AM
schlitz100
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it's plaster. it is whatever the orginal walls were, there are a few layers of paint and wall paper over it.

 
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Old 03-07-03, 05:53 PM
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A small sledge and a broad nosed chisel. I would not count on it just falling off the wall just because it has been on for 80 years.

Wetting the plaster will help get it to release from the wall.
 
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Old 03-08-03, 07:18 PM
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schlitz100

A picture's worth a 1000 words, yeah that's a plaster wall right over the brick. I'd follow Chris' suggestion, might opt for a flat bar over the chisel though. Wear eye protection, you're gonna have stuff flyin everywhere. Best of luck on the project.
 
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Old 03-11-03, 06:00 AM
schlitz100
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got a good portion done with hammer and chisel. It actually came of a lot quicker than i thought once i got it started.

Anyway I'll post a pic tomorrow but how do i clean the brick up to give it a nice finished look. Would sandblasting be a good idea. Would that be a DIY type job? How about sanding with a wire brush? Repointing?

BTW how much does it generally cost to get it either repointed or sandblasted if i wanted a pro to do it. the wall is @300 sq ft
 

Last edited by schlitz100; 03-11-03 at 07:32 AM.
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Old 03-11-03, 04:14 PM
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Pressure washing with water may be what you want rather than sandblasting. Repointing is supposed to be a good DIY project from all that I have read.

Here is a site with pictures and commentary.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/m...t/smbrick.html

Hope this helps.
 
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Old 03-11-03, 08:25 PM
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Sandblasting or pressure washing inside can be real messy. Could attack it with a wire brush & then to the tuck work on it as Chris suggested, not that won't be messy as well. Good luck
 
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Old 03-12-03, 09:35 AM
brewhill
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I exposed brick along one side of my house. I used a hatchet to remove the plaster then a wire brush to remove the remaining plaster. Then I wiped the wall down with a damp sponge to remove the dust and finally sealed it with a nappy roller and polyurethane.

I left the brick as it was and didn't repoint it to keep the rustic look. This is an extremely dirty and dusty project but so very worth it!
 
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Old 03-12-03, 09:53 AM
schlitz100
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tried the wire brush, it worked well. might need to point some areas where the mortar is missing. My realtor who has a house a few doors down (same age/construction) has brick that looks amazing so i'll have to ask her what she had done on it. But for now i think it'll look good with just being wire brushed.

As for the sealer, does that give it a wet appearance? I think the brick looks a lot better when damp so i'm thinking of possibily finishing with something that gives a damp look to it. I've also seen some exposed bricks that had a glossy finish, wasn't a fan of that though.
 
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Old 03-12-03, 09:58 AM
brewhill
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I used semi-gloss on mine to give it that wet look without being too shiny and that worked well.

What neighborhood do you live in? I'm in Brewer's Hill.
 
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Old 03-12-03, 10:07 AM
schlitz100
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Funny, i asked you this in another thread. i'm in canton, close to highlandtown.
 
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Old 03-12-03, 11:05 AM
daves_trip
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Thumbs up

hey

having wanted to do this in my house, I have inquired as to the best way. the best answer i have recieved comes from a friend who owns many 50+ year old brick buildings in Maine. The ahort answer was this. You will need four tools. A hatchet a broom a shovel and a mop. A bucket might be helpful as well as a garden sprayer. Water won't soften it up but it will keep the dust down considerably if you keep it wet as you go. When you are done if you are really keen you can blast the exposed brick with walnut shells and seal it with something (don't know what, shellac or PE?). Last but not least cover everything you possibly can and be prepared to clean 6 or 7 times, maybe less if you have a powerful fan to vent the space while you work, and keep the forced air HVAC off while you do it too. Don't even bother trying to sweep the floors, it will just raise more dust. Sweeping compound is good but it can stain some wood floors.

enjoy. PS these guys use the same technique for asbestos removal. the wetting down keeps the dust pretty much non existent if you really soak it. Or so they say. YMMV...

dave in dc
 
 

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