The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Buildings & planning => Topic started by: Styles087 on March 18, 2016, 08:36:42 pm

Title: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: Styles087 on March 18, 2016, 08:36:42 pm: Hi, I'm looking for some advice on how to clean and seal an old internal stone wall in our kitchen. It's covered in years worth of dust at the moment and making the rest of the kitchen really dusty too! It's an original wall from a house built in 1912 if that's of any use.

Many Thanks!
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: Old Shep on March 19, 2016, 02:24:39 pm: We've used bleach hot water and a scrubbing brush, and also products from here http://www.lithofin.co.uk/ (http://www.lithofin.co.uk/)
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: pgkevet on March 19, 2016, 02:40:45 pm: There's an amazing product called kling-strip which is a poultice usually used for removing paint BUT I used it once to renovate a marble fireplace and the results were superb. You trowel it on and cover in old plastic bags/polythene etc to keep it moist for however long you need... and quite apart from breaking down old paint it sucks the dirt right out of the stone..and just washes off afterwards.
Sealing the stone after is another matter. I've used a coupls of expensive products and not been happy with their longer term performance. Waxing stone is hard work.

Suprising how porous stone really is.
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: bazzais on March 22, 2016, 08:12:08 pm: Red diesel ;)

Seriously, if its just dust then I would suggest wire brush. Of course you could goto the extreme of using brick acid.

I would not think of putting any sealer on them at all. Its like painting your pebble dash white - once you do it - your retreating it every year to a fresh coat.

Its stone - its great as it is.

Thats said - I did throw a jar of mayonnaise at the wall many years ago in temper - the wall look great where it hit - cant wash it out at all - its loverly and damp shiney looking.
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: pgkevet on March 22, 2016, 08:56:55 pm: egg yolk as the basis of tempera ..paints like that have lasted centuries ;D
Perhaps you need the courage to roller the whole thing in helmanns :roflanim:
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: mart6 on March 25, 2016, 07:34:05 pm: Brick acid
used for cleaning split mortar ect from bricks.
Then spray it with something like thompsons water seal , seals dust in and keeps it clean
Title: Re: How do you clean an internal stone wall?
Post by: honeyend on March 26, 2016, 07:41:41 pm: Thin PVA for sealing. I have used this on a old brick and lime morter mantelpiece. Can not really see it has been done but stops it making dust.