Removing brick stain due to gutter water

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Hi all, we have a noticeable stain (worse when raining) on the front of our house that seems to be due to the gutter ends not being properly sealed. This is definitely noticeable when it is wet outside, as in sunlight you cannot really tell. I’m going to have our gutters cleaned and have the ends of the gutters caulked to prevent further water run-off.

Question is will this stain be able to be removed once the gutter issue is addressed? Is this mildew or something else? Will power washing suffice or is there a particular cleaning solution you recommend? We don’t want to ruin the brick and make the problem look worse cosmetically either. This is part of a turret in the front of our house so I don’t mind having someone come out to power wash or clean the whole turret so the front facade has more of an even appearance.

Thank you for your help. I’ve included 2 pictures - the first during rain where the stain is noticeable. The second picture is taken in dry conditions.

Our bricks are not painted but are lighter and seem to have a white slurry to them? Will power washing remove that slurry or smear? Or is this color baked into the brick?

Featured Answer

3onthetree

2 years ago

As Windows said, you are missing kick out flashing on both the upper and lower gutters. It is 99.9% not from the gutter cap being leaky. Have the flashing installed and the brick will dry out, and probably the darkness will be gone.

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Comments (10)

cat_ky
2 years ago
It appears to be still wet, even on the dry area. It should lighten still, if it ever dries out. Brick is porous, and takes many days to totally dry out. With all the rain everyone has been getting, it probably hasnt been totally dry for a long time.
HU-965377441
Original Author
2 years ago
There is a slight remaining stain when it is dry, so this has been an ongoing issue it seems like for a long time. We just moved in and did not notice this issue until it started raining. Wondering if it is just mildew build up over time or if the brick just needs some washing and scrubbing with a cleaning solution?

Or are we needing to paint the brick to get rid of this? Hopefully not.
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Izzy Mn
2 years ago
Top gutter may be clogged and/or not draining properly and needs to be cleaned. It's overflowing and running out the back side into house. Also, may not be angled enough to drain properly into the downspout.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
2 years ago
Roof to wall kick out flashing and make sure the end cap is sealed properly.

Light pressure washing should remove the stain. If not, it's more mineral based and might require a bit more aggressive cleaner to break down that stain. Anything that you deploy...test in an inconspicuous location so that you aren't stuck with a "repair" that creates a visual issue on the brick.
cat_ky
2 years ago
Once the problem is repaired and you are sure, it isnt happening again, give it a month or more to dry out, before you start cleaning it.
HU-965377441
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you all for the comments.

So if the brick fully dries this may not be an issue? We bought this house about a month ago, so not sure how long this issue has been going on. No foundation or mold issues were found on inspection. House is about 8 years old, roof replaced 5-6 years ago so I bet its been going on for at least a few years.

I guess there is a chance that the brick has never really dried as we always get rain at least once a month. I have someone coming out to fix the leak, but I will wait before cleaning it.

Just start with power washing? I have never power washed before and am thinking about hiring a professional. Any specific questions I should ask the power washer?
cat_ky
2 years ago
Ask him if he has done brick before, and if he uses light pressure, when he does brick.
A Mat
2 years ago
Ask the professional do wash a ”test” area area.
HU-910663146
2 years ago
Spray & Forget spray?