Lobster wrote:
"Jerry Built" wrote...
It's fine to clean external
brickwork by non-destructive means. Things like sandblasting or
scabbling are right out though! You don't really want a build-up
of moss etc. on your house!

Am I allowed to have my house sandblasted (to be followed up by
repointing and coating with waterproofer)? It's worrying me; but how
else do I remove all the old bits of crud and cement left behind when
the render was hacked off, to restore the facade both aesthetically
and functionally?

To some extent it depends on the brick, but it's not generally
a good idea outside! The brickwork can be made much more susceptible
to water absorbtion and spalling. The operator's technique and the
"sand" used to blast clean are factors too. What sort of bricks
is the construction of? As a matter of interest, why was the render
removed, and was it an original feature? If you have not too much
to clean up, could you use brick cleaner (acid based)?


J.B.