cleaning up exterior red brick (old paint remanant/debris)

[jb1468]

I thought a rather simple problem would not take me so much time researching! I am struggling to find someone or some business that specialize in cleaning up red brick. I live in Northern Ireland and that often presents bigger challenges that when I lived in England.

Some idiot who owned this property before me used the outside of their house walls (red brick) in their back garden to clean off paint rollers and brushes. I am planning over the next few months to landscape that space (one of my last jobs in a total renovation). One of the first jobs I need to do is to get the red brick back to some decent standard. It is not painted as such – just dried of discoloured watery paint from old brushes/rollers (that’s my guess anyhow on what has been done) and general grime from the years. The top half of the brick work is good – and looking to return the bottom half to a similar standard.

On looking for businesses is it just a general builder who can take care of this or if it’s a specialist area what are they called – at least then I would know what to look for. I could consider a DIY job if it does not take specialist equipment i.e chemicals and protective gear! The area needing cleaning is not vast – maybe 10/12 sq meters or to get the thing looking right do I need to do it all – what I mean by that if I only clean up the bottom half will there be a noticeable difference in the half not cleaned.

Need help where to start and my options

[stoneyboy]

jb1468,
I doubt you will have much success the washings will have soaked into the brick and no amount of cleaning will draw it back out.
end

[welsh brickie]

try a sand blasting company, they will be able to remove anything