Cleaning Stone Fireplace With Muriatic Acid
Let the solution dwell for five minutes.
Cleaning stone fireplace with muriatic acid. If you try cleaning off the mortar while it is still wet it just smears on the stones. Never use muriatic acid on stone or masonry. Our tutorial on how to clean and prep a stone patio is also super helpful. Avoid uneven or prolonged contact because etching uneven cleaning or streaking can result.
Acid will etch most stone brick masonry surfaces. Dunk a clean soft sponge in the remaining tsp solution then apply it to the entire fireplace surround making sure to wet both the stone and the grout. Prepare a diluted solution of your acid based cleaner. Removing efflorescence from stone walls takes a bit of effort and this a good method for anyone with stubborn salt deposits.
An easy solution is to let the mortar dry and at the end of the project clean the mortar off the wall with muriatic acid. This will totally neutralize the muriatic acid. The stones absorb heat from the fire and radiate it into the room and they can remain hot for some time after the fire is out. Using a pump up sprayer spray a small area no larger than 3 x 3.
Dip a second brush into the masonry cleaner mixture then gently apply the brush to the brick. Rinse the stone with water and you re done. Masonry projects that use cement products like mortar concrete and grout can be messy muriatic acid is a sure way to clean masonry surfaces this product is a very strong acid that will clean dried cement products off stones bricks and other masonry surfaces. Before cleaning your stone with the muriatic acid test it on an inconspicuous area.
These fireplaces also can accumulate soot dust and burn marks. You can beautify and brighten a stone fireplace and add some protection to the stone and mortar by cleaning and sealing it. Muriatic acid is available for purchase at home improvement centers and janitorial supply stores. When building a stone wall or other stone projects it is almost impossible to avoid getting mortar on the stones where you don t want it.