Ivy on Brick

P

Paul Freeman

New member
I’m going to be cleaning a house that has half brick and half vinyl walls. The north wall of the house was loaded with Ivy vines.

Early last spring the vines were removed but the brick and mortar still have vine roots embedded in them. The brick is about 35 years old and it’s porous which helped the vines attach themselves.

What’s the best way to get rid of the vine roots?

Thanks for your advise.
 
dyno-mite

i cant get it off vynal siding i have seen at least 10 posts reguarding this and no one has a good ans. Too much pressure will destroy the brick and i have not heard of a chem.
try www.prosoco.com give them a call
i thought maybe a propane torch like they use to burn the weeds for resealing blacktop but not worth the risk.
 
Ron,

Thanks for the lead. I'll check that site out.

I don't have any problems with the siding because it was replaced, just the brick.

Anyway, I was reading somewhere on the PW boards about a guy using Gutter Zap on vinyl siding to clean-up Ivy roots. You might want to try some searches.

There's got to be a way to get this stuff off.
 
i am

the guy who suggested gutter zap[ron p] it did not work like i thought it would. I used a turbo at a very steep angle i did not try the deck stripper or paint stripper on plastic but would try it on brick.
 
I have not yet found a way to remove the vine debris that is left behind after ivy vines have been yanked down. I have been telling the homeowners that there isn't anything I can do about it.

I have been thinking that maybe muriatic acid would help to disolve the debris. It's the same stuff that brick layers use to clean up all the dried up excess mortar left behind after the brick laying process is complete, so it shouldn't be harmful. I have not since had a chance to try it out.

Awhile back I went to http://www.canadabrick.com to see if they had an answer, but to no avail. However, they specifically mentioned to not use high pressure when cleaning bricks.
 
This house is one of our rehabs. I just finished it. It came out real nice and all it needs is a good exterior cleaning, especially that north wall. As soon as I can get to it, I’m going to try the muriatic acid - and if that don’t work - the strippers. I’ll put up some before and after pics.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
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