During our lives it’s unfortunately usual for things to fall and end up leaving a mark. While repairing and repainting your house, this is even easier, as there is a multitude of liquids and materials laying around. So it’s not difficult to end up needing to remove wood stain from brick.
We do our best to protect the ground and furniture, but sometimes we miss something or the protection we use is not enough.
If you have a wooden deck, walls or furniture, it’s not difficult to end up dropping wood stain on your brick paver while staining them.
The brick makes a nice stable surface to put your furniture on, for example, and staining it outside makes it less of a health hazard, so we are prone to doing these kinds of maintenance over them.
However, bricks can be very porous, and dark viscous liquids are known to leave rather visible stains. Motor oils, for instance, usually leave a dark stain that doesn’t wash away easily.
Fortunately, it is indeed very possible to remove wood stain from brick, meaning you won’t need to replace it to make your floor look cleaner.
We will explain how you can do that in this article.
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Remove wood stain from brick: a short guide
The removal process isn’t very hard, but it can be a bit tedious and involve some strong substances. It’s better to get some protective glasses, masks and gloves ready before doing it.
Step 01 – Remove the wood stain while it’s still liquid
As soon as you notice that the stain has dropped onto the brick, quickly act to take it out while it still hasn’t dried. Pick a dry piece of cloth and try to take out as much as you can, trying not to spread it around to other pavers.
Some of the stain will inevitably find its way into the bricks’ pores, but doing this will make the cleaning process considerably easier.
If you already dropped the stain then came into this article to find out what to do, then more of the stain may have reached into the pores and dried a bit already. Try to remove the excess anyway, as it can take some time for it to dry.
Step 02 – Apply a solvent
Wood stain can be pretty difficult to remove, as it’s viscous and doesn’t dissolve very easily. This is good for wood staining, as it creates a waterproof film on the wood, protecting it from the sun and the rain. However, when it stains something it shouldn’t, it requires the use of a potent solvent.
Acetone
One good option in this case is acetone. Acetone is a well known and widely available organic solvent, being present in nail polish removers and paint thinners. Hence why it’s a good solvent to be used in this case.
However, there is no need to use a lot of.
Using gloves and a piece of cloth, pour a bit of acetone on the cloth, then use it to clean the brick. Clean out what you can from it, wash the cloth, pour more acetone, then do it again. Repeat it until the cloth comes out clean.
By doing this, you’ll be able to clean out the stain outside the brick, and the acetone will also get into the pores and dissolve the portion that managed to infiltrate it.
There are also some other solvents you could try, depending on what you have at home. A paint thinner could be a good choice, for example, as it also contains acetone.
Muriatic acid
Another option is using muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid. Muriatic acid is an extremely strong and toxic acid. This makes it good for this task, but it can also be too potent for it.
Using it in high concentrations can also leave stains, and will end up in a much whiter color compared to the neighboring pavers.
However, if you still want to attempt using it, remember to wear protective equipment, and to protect your plants by saturating them with water before starting.
Also, if your bricks are composed of a calcareous stone, like limestone or travertine, DO NOT use muriatic acid! It will dissolve the stone away in the process.
First of all, dilute the acid in water. You should start very diluted, for example 1 part acid to 50 parts water. Put the solution inside a pump sprayer and spray it onto the stain. See if it reacts. If dark-colored water starts running from it, that means it’s working. If it doesn’t, add some more acid to the solution and try again.
Remember to add acid into the water, and not the other what around. Pouring water into highly concentrated muriatic acid can cause dangerous explosions.
After finding a dilution that works, keep watch on how much of the stain is being dissolved away and spray more of the solution as needed, until the stain gets completely washed away.
Step 03 – Rinse with water
Whether you used acetone or acid, after you are content with results you just need to rinse the bricks with water, for example with a garden hose. A pressure washer could also work, depending on its settings.
Let the water wash away the stain and the cleaning products, then inspect the result. There is still time to do more cleaning if needed.
If the process ended up well, just let the brick dry, and it should be looking much cleaner.
You could also just call the professionals
Removing wood stain from brick can be quite difficult. Not only it involves toxic chemicals, but the is the risk of ending up with a not-so-great finish. It may be a difficult to get the last drops of stain from the bricks’ pores, or you may end up making them look too clean compared to the rest.
For cases like this, it’s better call for professional help. This way, you can make your bricks look perfect again, and it would involve a lot less effort and stress.
If you live in or near Sarasota County, FL, give us a call at +1 941 586 9140, or contact us using the buttons at the bottom of your screen! We would be happy to help you give new life to your bricks.
