Currently building a fireproof wall behind a wood-burning stove. I haven't found really good information on how to wash off mortar residue on indoor bricks. I've tried scrubbing with water mixed with a little vinegar the day after each step, but later used pure 12% vinegar concentrate which worked somewhat. However, the wall seems to get a bit lighter in color from the undiluted vinegar after a few days.
I'm only building about 3 rows at a time during each work session, and I'm a beginner at masonry, so it's going very slowly and I'm spilling/smearing quite a bit. In the latest sessions, I've only washed with plain water from a spray bottle, but dissolved mortar runs down from the upper rows and stains the lower bricks again, which were somewhat clean before.
Should I use hydrochloric acid after a week instead or when the entire wall is finished?
Is it better to wait a certain number of days before trying to wash off the mortar residue?
Indoors, I can't rinse the wall off after acid treatment, so I would have to spray and wipe off with clean water 5-10 times maybe. Would the bricks be damaged if there are remaining hydrochloric acid residues due to insufficient rinsing/washing?
What makes it even more difficult is that I have grooved bricks (not smooth), which means I can't scrub in all directions over the bricks when trying to remove the mortar residue.
Thank you in advance for your tips and advice.
I'm only building about 3 rows at a time during each work session, and I'm a beginner at masonry, so it's going very slowly and I'm spilling/smearing quite a bit. In the latest sessions, I've only washed with plain water from a spray bottle, but dissolved mortar runs down from the upper rows and stains the lower bricks again, which were somewhat clean before.
Should I use hydrochloric acid after a week instead or when the entire wall is finished?
Is it better to wait a certain number of days before trying to wash off the mortar residue?
Indoors, I can't rinse the wall off after acid treatment, so I would have to spray and wipe off with clean water 5-10 times maybe. Would the bricks be damaged if there are remaining hydrochloric acid residues due to insufficient rinsing/washing?
What makes it even more difficult is that I have grooved bricks (not smooth), which means I can't scrub in all directions over the bricks when trying to remove the mortar residue.
Thank you in advance for your tips and advice.
