BRICK CLEANING SYSTEMS

Bucket and Brush Cleaning

Bucket and brush cleaning is a method of cleaning newly constructed brick walls in both small and large jobs. A minimum amount of equipment is needed, and workmen do not need to be highly skilled. Only the job foreman or supervisor needs to be knowledgeable and experienced.

This method may be used for cleaning all colors and textures of brick. However, care must be used in selecting the proper cleaning solution for the job. The safest way to determine the proper cleaning solution for a given type of brick is to ask the brick manufacturer for their recommendation.

As a general policy statement, the Brick Association of the Carolinas does not recommend the use of muriatic acid to clean brick. Although muriatic acid has been used successfully in the past in select situations, too frequently its improper use has caused problems. If a request to use muriatic acid is received, permission to do so should be obtained from the brick manufacturer.

Technical Notes on Brick Construction

Technical Notes on Brick Construction are FREE bulletins that contain design, detailing, and construction information based on the latest technical developments in brick masonry. Drawings, photographs, tables and charts illustrate appropriate topics. Most of the details in the Technical Notes are available as CAD Details on the AEC website.

Technical Notes on Brick Construction are recommendations on the use of fired clay brick. They are explicitly written for fired clay brick which are manufactured:

1)  From clay, shale, or similar naturally-occurring earthy substances
2)  With a firing process that creates a fired bond between the particles of the brick.

The properties of fired clay brick and the clay brick masonry made from them were used to establish the recommendations in these Technical Notes.  Using these recommendations with other products that are not manufactured as outlined above may not result in the same performance associated with fired clay brick masonry. Further use of these Technical Notes for the design, installation and maintenance of construction built with other products may be detrimental to those products and the building on which they are installed. Thus, BIA does not advise the use of these recommendations with other products, including but not limited to those claiming to be similar to fired clay brick products such as “fly ash” brick, concrete brick and other unfired or non-clay brick.

The Brick Industry Association is currently in the process of revising many of the Technical Notes. Technical content will be updated to current standards and construction practices. Other changes will include updated format, graphics, drawings and photographs.

Technical Notes are available individually online or may be ordered as a set through the Brick Bookstore. Once registered, the purchaser of a complete set with a binder will be notified via email of new or revised Technical Notes. Technical Notes Index

1 Hot and Cold Weather Construction June 2018
2 Glossary of Terms Relating to Brick Construction Mar 1999
3 Overview of Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures July 2002
3A Brick Masonry Material Properties Dec 1992
3B Brick Masonry Section Properties May 1993
4 Heat Transmission Coefficients of Brick Masonry Walls Jan 2016
4A Residential Energy Code Compliance June 2016
4B Energy Code Compliance of Brick Masonry Walls Feb 2002
5A Sound Insulation – Clay Masonry Walls Aug 2000
6 Painting Brick Masonry Dec 1985
6A Colorless Coatings for Brick Masonry Aug 2008
7 Water Penetration Resistance – Design Nov 2017
7A Water Penetration Resistance – Materials Nov 2017
7B Water Penetration Resistance – Construction and Workmanship Nov 2017
8 Mortars for Brickwork Mar 2020
8B Mortars for Brickwork – Selection and Quality Assurance Mar 2020
9 Manufacturing of Brick Dec 2006
9A Specifications for and Classifications of Brick Oct 2007
9B Manufacturing, Classifications, and Selection of Brick – Part 3 Dec 2003
10 Dimensioning and Estimating Brick Masonry Feb 2009
11 Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 1 Aug 2001
11A Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 2 Sept 1988
11B Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 3 Sept 1988
11C Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 4 May 1998
11D Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 4 Continued Sept 1988
11E Guide Specifications for Brick Masonry – Part 5 Sept 1991
13 Ceramic Glazed Brick Exterior Walls June 2017
14 Paving Systems Using Clay Pavers May 2017
14A Paving Systems Using Clay Pavers on a Sand Setting Bed May 2017
14B Paving Systems Using Clay Pavers on a Bituminous Setting Bed June 2010
14C Paving Systems Using Clay Pavers in a Mortar Setting Bed July 2011
14D Permeable Clay Brick Pavements Feb 2012
14E Accessible Clay Brick Pavements July 2012
15 Salvaged Brick May 1988
16 Fire Resistance of Brick Masonry Mar 2008
17 Reinforced Brick Masonry – Introduction Oct 1996
17A Reinforced Brick Masonry – Materials and Construction Aug 1997
17B Reinforced Brick Masonry – Beams Mar 1999
17L Four Inch RBM Curtain and Panel Walls Sept 1988
17M Reinforced Brick Masonry Girders – Examples Sept 1988
18 Volume Changes – Analysis and Effects of Movement May 2019
18A Accommodating Expansion of Brickwork May 2019
19 Residential Fireplace Design Jan 1993
19A Residential Fireplaces – Details and Construction Aug 2000
19B Residential Chimneys – Design and Construction Apr 1998
19C Contemporary Brick Masonry Fireplaces Oct 2001
19D Brick Masonry Fireplaces – Part 1, Russian-Style Heaters June 1987
19E Brick Masonry Fireplaces – Part 2, Fountain and Contemporary Style Heaters Feb 1988
20 Cleaning Brickwork Aug 2018
23 Stains – Identification and Prevention June 2019
23A Efflorescence – Causes and Prevention June 2019
24 The Contemporary Bearing Wall June 2002
24C The Contemporary Bearing Wall – Introduction to Shear Wall Design May 1988
24F The Contemporary Bearing Wall – Construction Sept 1988
24G The Contemporary Bearing Wall – Detailing Feb 1987
26 Single Wythe Bearing Walls Sept 1994
27 Brick Masonry Rain Screen Walls Aug 1994
28 Brick Veneer/Wood Stud Walls Nov 2012
28A Adding Brick Veneer to Existing Construction Mar 2020
28B Brick Veneer/Steel Stud Walls Dec 2005
28C Thin Brick Veneer Apr 2014
28D Brick Veneer/Concrete Masonry Walls June 2018
29 Brick In Landscape Architecture – Pedestrian Applications July 1994
29A Brick In Landscape Architecture – Garden Walls Jan 1999
29B Brick In Landscape Architecture – Miscellaneous Applications May 1988
30 Bonds and Patterns in Brickwork Mar 1999
31 Brick Masonry Arches Jan 1995
31A Structural Design of Brick Masonry Arches July 1986
31B Structural Steel Lintels May 1987
31C Structural Design of Semicircular Brick Masonry Arches Aug 1986
36 Brick Masonry Details – Sills and Soffits Jan 1988
36A Brick Masonry Details – Caps, Copings, Corbels, and Racking Feb 2001
39 Testing for Engineered Brick Masonry – Brick and Mortar Nov 2001
39A Testing for Engineered Brick Masonry – Determination of Allowable Design Stresses Dec 1987
39B Testing for Engineered Brick Masonry – Quality Control Mar 1988
40 Prefabricated Brick Masonry – Introduction Aug 2001
41 Hollow Brick Masonry Jan 2008
42 Empirical Design of Brick Masonry Nov 1991
43 Passive Solar Heating with Brick Masonry – Part 1, Introduction June 1981
43C Passive Solar Cooling with Brick Masonry – Part 1, Introduction Feb 2001
43D Brick Passive Solar Heating Systems – Part 4, Material Properties Sept 1988
43G Brick Passive Solar Heating Systems – Part 7, Details and Construction Sept 1986
44 Anchor Bolts for Brick Masonry Apr 1986
44A Fasteners for Brick Masonry Aug 1997
44B Wall Ties for Brick Masonry May 2003
45 Brick Masonry Noise Barrier Walls – Introduction July 2001
45A Brick Masonry Noise Barrier Walls – Structural Design Apr 1992
46 Maintenance of Brick Masonry Dec 2017
47 Condensation – Prevention and Control June 2006
48 Sustainability and Brick Nov 2015
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