How To Acid Wash Bricks Or Concrete

how to acid wash bricks or concrete

Is Acid Washing Concrete Pavers a Good Idea?

Is acid washing concrete pavers a good idea? In a word:

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Why

It's a horrific idea, based on the chemistry involved between the interaction of concrete and acid. The alkaline nature (aka basic nature) of concrete, especially in the cement paste that holds it all together, will react with the acid, especially a strong acid like muriatic acid or hydrochloric acid. It will cause the cement and concrete to weaken, pit, break apart, or even stain.

In fact, those who are looking to stain their concrete on purpose use acid stains for just this reason. If you just want to clean your pavers, there are other options.

Now there is a further caveat to everything I've said so far. If you have a really bad stain on your pavers, sometimes the only option you have is using muriatic acid. This is because the stain won't come up otherwise, and you essentially have to "burn it out" with the acid.  If you are in this unfortunate scenario, go ahead and test out the acid on a hidden part of your concrete paver installation. See how it reacts; you may also want to dilute the acid heavily to make sure that it doesn't totally eat through your project.

Acid Washing Other Pavers

The story is largely the same with other pavers, such as brick and natural stone. The exact reaction between the acid and the stone you have will depend on the identity of the stone, so you should contact your manufacturer or supplier to find out if your stone will stand up. You can also do a small 'test' on an inconspicuous part of your project.

Thus, in summary: doing a huge acid washing of your concrete pavers or other pavers installation is generally a bad idea. The exceptions lie when you have some massive, nasty stain that you can't otherwise get rid of. In those cases, tread carefully.

These are our most popular posts: how to acid wash bricks or concrete

What is the best procedure to remove leached ... - Concrete Sealer

In addition to being used on standard concrete applications such as driveways, walkways, patios, and garage floors, this stain is also useable on brick, stone, tennis courts, and cement blocks. It is very ... It should be washed with an acid wash. read more

White residue after acid wash - DoItYourself.com Community Forums

Theres a number of pressure washing services being offered and you can select any and all types that you want and need for the upkeep of your home. You can choose from pavers cleaning, concrete cleaning, acid wash brick washing, ... read more

Types of Pressure Cleaning

1) How long to I have to wait to apply the muratic acid wash? Until the bricks dry? 2) I have not filled the core with concrete yet. Should I wash the brick before or after I fill the core with concrete? 3) After the bubbles stop, do I ... read more

Behr Concrete Stain – Two Kinds

When you keep everything clean, especially the exteriors, you may not require painting and resurfacing jobs. There are different types of cleaning services like concrete, pavers, driveway, acid wash brick , stone , pool , exterior ... read more