A customer wants these runoff stains removed from her brick facade (these are more pronounced in person than they show in the photos. I tried a normal house wash mix, then brushed on straight 10% SH and let it sit for about 30 minutes - did not seem to touch it. What should my next step be, including product or technique? Thanks in advance!
I like OneRestore myself, can be used on a lot of stains and surfaces.
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Might be oxidation runoff from the shutters? Not organic so SH wont touch it, Try a Degreaser or Gutter Grenade.
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Thank you. I thought it might be oxidation runoff and have some Gutter Grenade available. I will try that tomorrow (in an inconspicuous spot to start)
Start diluted and work your way up.
If needed, might need a scrub with a brush but I’m not sure.
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I had another customer with the same problem, only much worse. I found two things that worked - Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) and TSP substitute (Savogran). It is not the easiest of tasks, nor are the results universally perfect, but for this customer, it was a vast improvement (the last two photos were a test to demonstrate the effectiveness for the customer before proceeding).
Any scrubbing done?
I found this link. https://www.lurveys.com/uploads/files/Common-Masonry-Stains-Guide.pdf It doesn’t talk about your particular situation, but it might be applicable?
Also, by chance could this be Aluminum oxide from the aluminum framed window above it?
Yes, with a hard bristle brush.
I think you might be right about the aluminum oxide from the window frame. I’ve seen this elsewhere, but always with black or gray shutters, which may have misled me into blaming them. The most recent customer thought it might be the caulk, but the frame itself seems a much more likely culprit. Thanks for the suggestion.
Nice! I used TSP for years when painting foundations, that stuff just plain works. I heard some people saying that they use it for removing oil from concrete, they have had success with it, but it lightens it a bit. I did not come up with this formula and I have not used it. TSP, baking soda, dawn, apply, agitate, rinse, reapply as needed. They claimed it took oil stain off a driveway that sat for awhile.
I wish I could remember their names, I met them in Tennessee, think it was a husband and wife team.
