Removing Efflorescence from garden wall

ashe

We've got a curved garden wall and on both sides of it there are heavy efflorescence deposits. Is there any solution to this?

i tried giving the thicker parts a bash with a hammer to no avail - it's fairly solid stuff! 

I have seen products on amazon but they all seem to have 3* reviews with many saying it did nothing at all. 

Ideally I'd like to just strip it back so it's plain brick as it's a bit unsightly. Neighbour has got around this by painting his white but not keen on that!

FreeBear

Something like this should work - https://www.diy.com/departments/skip19c-sika-concrete-remover-5l/797782_BQ.prd

Wear goggles, rubber gloves (Marigold type), and old clothes that you don't mind getting trashed. When diluting, always, always add to cold water, not the other way round.

A light scrub, and hose down should remove the white deposits.

ashe

FreeBear said:

Something like this should work - https://www.diy.com/departments/skip19c-sika-concrete-remover-5l/797782_BQ.prd

Wear goggles, rubber gloves (Marigold type), and old clothes that you don't mind getting trashed. When diluting, always, always add to cold water, not the other way round.

A light scrub, and hose down should remove the white deposits.

Thanks - I take it you avoid the pointing and only apply to brick?

stuart45

If you use acid on the wall it's best to soak the wall down first so that the acid works more on the surface and doesn't get absorbed into a wall.
Hydrochloric acid attacks Portland cement, so it can damage the joints.

ashe

stuart45 said:

If you use acid on the wall it's best to soak the wall down first so that the acid works more on the surface and doesn't get absorbed into a wall.
Hydrochloric acid attacks Portland cement, so it can damage the joints.

Thanks for the tip. I presume some contact will be unavoidable, but generally best to stick to the bricks themselves. As for scrubbing do I need a wire brush or just a standard brush do the job? 

stuart45

A wire brush would be too much for those bricks. Scrubbing brush would be better.
Effloresance is an age old problem in the bricklaying trade, and there isn't always an easy answer to it. There are a number of different types of salts that can cause this problem as well as lime run off. 
You might find that acid works, it might not. Textured bricks like yours are always a lot harder to clean.

greyteam1959

That's character !!
Leave it alone.
😁😁

ashe

Thanks. Do I need to apply  anything afterwards to seal them or anything like that? Or just rinse and let dry?

stuart45

Just rinse it off and let it dry and see what it looks like. You can also give it an alkaline wash.