Author: haroonkhan

Removal of stains can be done easily if its origin is known. Iron stains show rusty appearance which can be removed by rinsing the area with a solution of ½ kg oxalic acid in 5 l of water. After 2–3 hours, the surface should then be scrubbed with brush and clean water. Darker stains may be removed…

Appearance of efflorescence occurs commonly due to use of certain type of mortars. Removal of efflorescence has to be done as done in brickwork. Stones are to be kept saturated with water to remove the action of acids.

Maintenance of stonework involves in removing efflorescence and stains, repair of cracks and waterproofing.

Re-painting is necessary for walls which have been previously painted. The type of paint and colour should be decided and accordingly the surface has to be prepared.

In the case of brickwork which are pointed may be needed to re-point in order to improve the appearance and to make it water tight. Generally mortar at the pointed portions gets lost due to rain, wind, freezing, etc. Following procedure may be followed for re-pointing:

Cracks in brickwork are rectified by adopting the following procedure:

Soluble salts after drying get deposited on the surface of the walls as white layer. These salts may be present in the material of the walls and come out. Sources of these salts are mortars and plasters. As moisture is the cause for the creation of efflorescence, this can be checked by proper damp prevention.…

Brickwork has to be cleaned with steam or steam and hot water jets. This treatment is suitable for fine-textured and hard-burnt bricks. Sand blasting can also be done. However, this disturbs the texture of the bricks and absorbs the painting.

Cracks are frequently found in brick masonry wall. Causes for such cracks have been discussed in Section 17.2. It has been discussed that prevention of cracks in brick masonry may be avoided by proper foundation design and providing different joints such as expansion joints, isolation joints, sliding joints, etc. Maintenance of brickwork involves in cleaning,…

Washable paints can be cleaned with clean water. Most of the paints, viz., soda, soft soap and other alkaline substances are injurious. In order to remove stains, they should be highly diluted and removed off the paint with clean water as soon as the dirt is removed. Re-paint of surfaces have to be done before…