Cleaning fireplace brickwork

[padstar]

I am in the process of opening up my fireplace to install a log burner. We were not sure of teh state of brickwork we would find but it has turned out to be in good condition. Te only thing is it needs a good clean after assumably decades of open fire use.

What is teh best product to clean it up? Brick acid?

Once clean i can see if it need re pointing but i am hoping not.

 

[bobasd]

post pics.
dont treat the brickwork with anything until after its been scrubbed with a wire brush.
read Related Threads below.

 

[padstar]

So i have opened up the fireplace fully now and had a good look at teh brickwork. The sides seem charred and have blackened. The rear was covered in a thick layer of what appeared to be soft sand. This knocked off easily and has revealed some nice brickwork. I need to give this a going over with a wire brush as recommended to get the rest off. Is theer anything else that can be applied to strip any old debris and then seal or will the wire brush do the job?

 

[paulandfrodo]

Dust mask, wire brush and a hard scrub. Hopefully you will like the end result. If you don't, you have at least prepared the area for something else. When I did mine, I mixed lime mortar and sand and got a plasterer to cover my bricks as they were in poor condition. It went on 1" thick and in 2 years hasn't cracked.