The art of renewing 114-year-old brick

November 14, 2011

We’ve just finished cleaning the brick over the Santa Fe Craftsman storefront. Note the deep color of the repointed and cleaned brick (right), compared to the brick we haven’t yet cleaned (left). What a difference!

For anyone who’s new to historic preservation, it’s probably hard to imagine that something that sounds so simple as “cleaning” the exterior of a building could actually be a sensitive and critical process. But when “cleaning” old masonry, there are many techniques and cleaning agents to choose from, and the right choices can make the difference between renewing the grandeur of an old building and causing serious damage.

Many materials fall in the broad category of “masonry” – from the sandstone and brick of the Avery Building to limestone, terra cotta, marble and many others. Considering sandstone alone, some varieties are sensitive to acid, while some are not. Some can be eroded by water-cleaning, while others respond well to water. A cleaning strategy must be chosen with care to protect the building we are working so hard to preserve!

In the case of the Avery Building, we are cleaning the brick with water in the photo above – removing the mortar dust that settled on the brick during raking and repointing. With it we are also removing years of dirt to reveal the historic brick façade. Closer to the corner of Mountain and College Avenues, we are using a chemical agent – in the Peel-Away product – to remove layers of paint from the brick wall.

   > Avery Restoration
       Partners

   > Avery Restoration
       Blog Index

   Avery History
   > Franklin C. Avery
   > Avery Block Building
   > Life on the corner
       of Main & Main
   > Avery Murder Trial
   > Battle of the Banks
   > Preserving
       Fort Collins