Brick-laying is hard -- update!

No power tool will fix it. On days 1 & 2 after pointing you can brush it. After that there's brick acid, but it's very slow going.

NT

I had to do this when I helped out with a house renovation. The bricklayer had left snots everywhere and mortar on the bricks. I'd have sacked him weeks ago. Seems the only method is a sort of razor blade in a handle and then brick cleaner and a scrubbing brush. Took forever but it worked.

I haven't found a power tool that helps. If the bricks have a rough surface it's an impossibility really.

Bill

Thanks for the advice, everyone. The bricks do indeed have a rough surface, and there's no way I am going to mess around with brick acid up a ladder, thanks!

I'll try one of these [1] in the angle grinder, then give up gracefully and try not to notice!

sounds like a recipe for damage & hazard.

Can be done with a stiff brush and brick acid (before they ban it)

Take your time, wear googles (the brish will flick it about).

I've cleaned small amounts of herringbone brick faces like this, so anything is possible!

That will mark the surface of the brick and actually make the mess worse.

You can actually get cement off the surface of a rough brick but only if you damage the surface and make things look worse.

You can reduce the cement a bit with a pressure washer.

If you wait until there's a forecast of very cold weather and spray the area liberally with a hosepipe late evening and do this several times the frost might help.

Bill

The answer is simply brick acid. If he doesnt want to, then tough s*it. The mortar stays.

I'd rather brick acid than power tools up a ladder any day. You can daub acid with one hand...

Brick acid without a doubt, Its easy and I've done m2 of it.

ditto, especially an angle grinder with wire brush.

NT