I have a 35 year old two storey house. The upper level of the home is white aluminum siding, the lower level brick. Over the years the white from the siding has washed down and stained the brick. Any ideas on how to clean the brick would be appreciated. I have tried a power washer (not too close) without success.
That sure is a pain. There is no really good answer. Most anything that will clean the brick will create problems.
First, I guess you already know that you will not be able to just clean the stained area as that will then be cleaner than the rest of the brick.
Next most anything that will clean that off the brick is also going to damage the brick. The damage may not be noticed at first, but in time the brick may fail due to the damage to the surface.
There are many kinds of brick and what works with one may not work well with another.
You may find some sort of chemical solution and that may be the safest and easiest if you can find one that works for you. The likely solution will be sand blasting, but that is also the one most likely to damage the brick. Not all sand blasting is the same. Different equipment and air pressure as well as different materials used (ground coconut shells is one good option) can mean the all the difference.
The best bet would be to find a local contractor with a lot of experience with that specific problem and check references from prior like jobs.
You might find some useful information on the BIA (Brick Industry Association) web site. Look in the Tech Notes section. However, different brick require different treatment. A local masonry contractor might have some suggestions for your particular brick. TB
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