Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 252 Section 4 Techniques ■ ■ Cover walls with a waterproof membrane at the end of the workday to prevent mortar joint wash out and entry of water into the completed masonry. ■ ■ Protect brick stored on the worksite from dirt and mud. Store brick on pallets or similar materials and place them under protective covering. ■ ■ Practice careful workmanship to prevent excessive mortar droppings. Excess mortar should be cut off with a trowel as the brick are laid and returned to the mortar board. ■ ■ Tool joints when thumbprint hard. After tooling, brush excess mortar and dust from the surface. A medium soft bristle brush is preferable. Avoid any motion that results in rubbing or pressing mortar particles into the brick faces. Safety Note When cleaning brick with chemicals or acids, refer to the manufacturer’s directions for mixing and application instructions. Consult the product’s SDS document for specific safety procedures, precautions, and cleanup. Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eye protection, a face shield, rubber gloves, and boots, as specified in the SDS document and the manufacturer’s documentation. 12.5.1 Cleaning Brick Cleaning new brick masonry involves removing mor- tar, mortar stains, and other materials such as dirt that are deposited on the masonry during construction. Some mortar stains may result even when the con- struction work has been done skillfully and carefully. Therefore, most specifications require a final washing down of all masonry work. Small quantities of various minerals found in some burned clay masonry units react with some cleaning agents to cause staining. These reactions cannot be pre- dicted in advance. Prior to using any cleaning agent on a masonry wall, apply the cleaning agent be applied to a sample section of 10–20 sq ft to judge its effectiveness. Wait a minimum of one week before inspection. A solution of hydrochloric acid is used extensively as a cleaning agent for new masonry. The following sec- tions describe procedures for cleaning dark and light colored brick. Cleaning Dark Colored Brick Dark colored bricks include red, red flash, brown, and black. They are most likely to show light gray, brown, or yellow discoloration from failure to rinse off dis- solved mortar or dirt. Dark brick may be cleaned with or without acid. Pictorial view Second course First course Foundation Footing Frost line Footing Footing Grade line Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 12-67. Procedure for laying a 16″ by 20″ hollow brick pier. The footing and foundation to support the pier are indicated by dashed lines.