The Challenge

They say that first impressions count, and nothing gives an impression of a tired, run down property like unclean brickwork on the outside of the building. This could take the form of old, worn paintwork, pollution (traffic film or carbon deposits), natural growths (like algae, moss and other weeds) or just marks from harsh weather. Whatever the cause, these issues will at best ruin the aesthetic of a building and at worst cause long-term damage.

These are issues that need to be addressed – if left for long periods of time, the architecture of the building can become damaged, which will then require very costly repairs. Also, having a clean exterior to your property can significantly increase its value, so it’s certainly something worth considering.

When some building contractors were doing work on a domestic property, they noticed that the external walls were in a bad way – there was pollution on a large area of a brick facade, and another entire wall that had been painted many years ago. Both looked tatty, and they needed to be cleared up.

They had called another company in to work on the façade cleaning, but they quickly ran into difficulties. They weren’t able to get an even finish as they removed the pollution, using their DOFF cleaning system. The builders were concerned with how it would end up looking, so decided that they needed some experts.

They called Ideal Response.

The Ideal Response

Our team of specialists arrived onsite and surveyed the problems. It was immediately clear what course of action should be taken, so they quickly set to work.

To tackle the pollution, the builders asked that we focus on a 22m² at the very top of the property, which required scaffolding so that we could access it safely. While the cleaning company that had attempted to clean the brickwork had used a DOFF cleaning system, we realised that this alone would not be completely successful. We needed to combine the DOFF steam based cleaning with a TORC abrasive cleaning in order to get the job done properly.

While the DOFF system uses high temperatures (up to 150 degrees centigrade) to work off fragments of paint, as well as algae and moss, it also uses low pressure and dries incredibly quickly, which meant that the bricks weren’t saturated with water. The TORC system on the other hand creates a gentle swirling vortex by using water, low air pressure and a safe fine granulate, which is perfect for removing soot damage and carbon pollutants.

The combination of these two cleaning systems gives an industry leading result. Ideal Response are one of the few providers to be certified specialists of both DOFF and TORC products from stone cleaning product specialists, Stonehealth.

We then turned our attention to the brick wall that was covered in paint. In order to determine the best course of action, we did a 1m² test patch, which would tell us what treatment would be best to use, and to give our client a good idea of how much it would cost.

When the test patch was completed, and our suggested treatment was proven to be a success, we got the okay from the builders to complete the work over the entire wall. Once again, we employed a combination of our DOFF and TORC cleaning systems, which are adaptable to meet the demands of different jobs.

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The result

Our team of highly-skilled experts, coupled with our state-of-the-art technology produced fantastic results for our client. As you will see from the photos, the brickwork was cleaned to an incredibly high standard, giving the entire property a much more appealing aesthetic.

Our efficient and courteous work practices meant that we were able to complete the work with minimal disruption to the other work of the builders, so they were still able to meet their deadlines.

The brick and stone cleaning had been a complete success.