Cleaning and reusing bricks that are 200 years old (How to)

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In this video, we are taking out bricks from an outer wall and creating an opening for a set of doors. We are taking each brick out carefully and cleaning them so that we are able to reuse them. This is quite a slow process so wouldn't recommend this if you are requiring a large number of bricks.

[@Markycky]

And legend has it he's still on the same job now...

[@nicklazenby2123]

Paid by the day, not for the job. Fair play though they do end up clean.

[@viccky2001]

I gave target to clean 300 bricks in a day and the job was completed within timeline considering cost of brick i still saved a lot money

[@allennovo8231]

Its how its done to this day.

[@wotviewer]

unlikely, he went blind and then died of lime related lung disease long ago

[@ljn4720]

Just the video i needed. Excavating on an old site uncovered tons of bricks from a demolished building that was erected in 1915. The city is throwing the bricks away so I'm taking the good ones home for a patio. Most have a ton of dirt and old mortar stuck to them. Getting an axe today and now i see what my weekend plans are.

[@johnhamilton9229]

Started at the beginning to absorb as much as I can. I don’t plan to become a mason, just learning so I have a good chance of success when I attempt a project for my home. Thank you for the time you’ve spent capturing your work on video.

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Many thanks for watching 👍👍

[@justycrusty]

Nice to see someone doing something properly, leaving an excellent finish. Please post more

[@BuildingwithBudd]

We are hoping to get more out there, many thanks 👍

[@michellasmith6854]

Yes, and thank you!

[@runawaycatwithbreadaroundm2512]

I never would have thought to use a hatchet, I tip my hat to you sir, thankyou

[@shey2444]

Thank you for posting this. Very useful for a little diy project i have in mind to reuse some old bricks to make raised beds in the garden.

[@joedowning2428]

used this video in my architecture technical thesis, cheers mate

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Joe glad it helped and many thanks for watching 👍👍

[@justinwise6781]

I'm currently reclaiming red clay brick from an 1890's school house that caught fire and was leveled afterwards. It's a bunch of work, but will be well worth it eventually. I've had quite a bit of success cleaning the brick on site with a simple claw hammer and small stiff bladed trowel. I just have to be careful when using the hammer to chip the mortar off the bricks. Usually a few light taps knock the big stuff off, the rest scrapes off with the trowel fairly easily. Nothing beats the time tested red clays of old.

[@adumanter]

The amount of comments slating this bloke for doing a job properly. Anyone talking about using grinders and SDS chisels on old bricks should stick to bodging modern buildings and leave restorations to a pro like him

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Well said, many thanks for watching 👍👍👏

[@Jim_Newlands]

Not every brickie was their own personal orchestra on the job with them...... I hope they helped to clean the bricks.🎹🎷🎺👍

[@samrichards8251]

Just use a grinder with flap disc and get the job done in seconds. Hammer drill with chisel to knock of large bits of mortar

[@scottinglebritson4062]

Get a rock hammer and with practice you can chip off the mortar in sheets, then rub two bricks together to clean the remaining mortar. Also, I wonder why he bothers to clean all six sides so thoroughly, when only one shows. He could get away with only cleaning front and back, the mortar will cover the rest. Lots of extra work in my opinion.

[@praveenreddy6783]

Ohh that’s damn hard work. I appreciate you for what you are doing.

[@foodstunts]

This is now my the hobby I have . I'm also deaf after listening to this video in surround sound.

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Good man 👍

[@marcinstein7405]

Brilliamt commitment! Well done

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Many thanks for watching 👏👏

[@watchmakingman9342]

I hate to bust your bubble but I knew an old man that cleaned these old bricks when I was a kid and he said the best method he ever used was to rub two bricks together. He said the mortar removes crumbles and comes right off and the brick is just like new. Also he did about 5-6 a minute because he was doing 2 at a time.

[@yungblazer3627]

WatchMakingMan true i was just gonna say wouldn’t it be quicker to just scrape the against the concrete

[@medsuit1686]

I am cleaning bricks atm because we bought and old farm. I can confirm it does not work all the time, if they have small patches of mortar you can just grind em against eachother sure. But if there is allot of it still on there on different sides it way quicker to knock it off with a little axe. Also if u knock the bricks into eachother to do it that way there is a small chance that they will split in half, and each stone is about €0.50 so reducing that risk is key :) Unless u dont care about money but then why are you cleaning them to begin with.

[@tomaskozler4856]

@@medsuit1686 tried that. works with one pair doesn´t with the other. too many knocked off corners. also exhausting wrists and hands very much, try doing it all day long. not mentioning if the mortar gets tougher. works best when the mortar is excessively weak and bricks rather lightweight

[@medsuit1686]

@@tomaskozler4856 You talking about the axe? I did all day several days. old bricks pre dating WW2. Just make sure the axe aint to heavy :) Hard work, but with the bricks we recovered from 1 old farm. we are now building 3 houses.

[@tomaskozler4856]

@@medsuit1686 no I meant cleaning 2 bricks with each other

[@gillianbc]

Beautiful craftsmanship.

[@TheSamoanWatchman]

dammit brother, thank you for sharing this, im definitely going to be picking up some free bricks

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Go for it 👍👍

[@OriginalMudSlinger]

great vid mate for anything to look top job it involves work

[@RachelLovelaceLive]

I'm trying to see if I can salvage any this these old bricks here on the East Coast of the US. But some of these salvages are with cement. Damn. Wish it was lime mortar. Seems like that'd be a heck of a lot easier. Great video!

[@BuildingwithBudd]

It’s not impossible to save bricks that have been laid with cement but it is very hard to do, many thanks for watching our video and the best of luck with your project, which part of the USA are you from? We are from Norfolk in the uk 👍👏

[@sdn1528]

Grinder with a wire wheel .. lay about 50 out get one face perfect red and the others faces clean enough do a thousand in a day easy

[@vicconstruction9126]

Thank you. He looked like a dork doing them by hand with the axe. Your way sounds sooooooo much easier.

[@Erreul]

Wheel grinder over a side mounted turntable vice, zoop zoop zoop zoop, end end, repeat.

[@kellykurt8339]

I use a hammer and chisel; and a carbide scraper. About one brick in 2 minutes. Only one face need be "perfect".

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Awesome :D

[@jackjones8363]

one per 2 mins? in demolition and reclaim, you're too slow if you can't do it sufficiently in under 15 -20 seconds or so. The odd brick will take a bit longer...

[@robertwoodpa6463]

A few more years and you'll have that wall fixed!

[@reggief50]

lol

[@BuildingwithBudd]

You can’t rush a good job , boom 👍

[@finnk1289]

Tired of seeing the destruction of old buildings in our cities. We know they can be modified, and at the very least the bricks do NOT need to go in the landfill!

[@BGP369]

Protip, get a smaller hammer drill and put a mortar chisel bit in. Rig it so it's attached to something sturdy and won't move. Use your hands to being the bricks to it, it activates when you press the Brick to the bit. Much faster than doing it by hand with a hatchet. Don't forget eye ear lung protection!

[@wemcal]

Great video… I’m cleaning old bricks now, finished about 140, about 300 more to go

[@jhowardsupporter]

I knew a guy at work who used to clean bricks. 12 cents a brick he got paid. Most would not think highly of him but he's the one who told me how to get your full pay check from the government. That man was not even 25 years old when he retired.

[@turkeyidk4080]

​@@jhowardsupporter That's very interesting.

[@jhowardsupporter]

@@turkeyidk4080 He was talking bs. You only get $750 a fortnight from the gov here in Australia and are forced to sell drugs to make up the rest.

[@geraldwashington8975]

great music!

[@infinitycrops]

That would be a fun task to automate

[@BopshotBully]

If only can apply powershell to bricks

[@jackjones8363]

You seem to do it in a loving way, but I use a regular paint scraper and or a light bolster. I use a stabbing method holding it in my fist with thumb on forefinger....

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Jack this was my way on this day, but it’s what ever works for you, cheers for watching 👏👏

[@lmtt123]

That's a real Norfolk accent. Worked with some Norfolk builders once and you can hear where Australians get their accent

[@georgewaynewilcoxjr2102]

Now to reuse the old mortar! Any ideas? Can we roast it or Just pulverize it and blend it in? I have done the blending. Next i will try roasting.

[@PedroPlckle]

I find the claw of a hammer a good tapping and scraping tool for the old mortar

[@milanparis1933]

What is the white stuff called that you are scraping off the bricks?

[@BuildingwithBudd]

It’s called Lime mortar, thanks for watching 👍

[@darren92redrum67]

Not a bricky, but can u not just use a trowel to rough of most the mortar then wire brush? Also does scraping them to much not remove 'the glaze'?

[@BuildingwithBudd]

You can clean bricks what ever way works for you , this method works for me 👍

[@jamesaddis8726]

best tool i used is a diamond tip osalating multi tool after using a large chisel on the big bits of mortar

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Sounds good, cheers

[@_dakota_298]

Does the also sharpen a hand ax as well?

[@GlobalTriathlonNetwork]

Would a belt sander be easier to give them the final sand?

[@pocketsoundpictures]

Beautiful

[@BuildingwithBudd]

That’s right boi 👍🧱

[@MsGayle62]

my bricks are cracking when they have a different temperature- is there any way to save them? My mortar is gypsum, and easy to remove.

[@bobdobbs7957]

Great work.

[@johnrose-pi6id]

What music 🎶 is that in the background

[@MrCobbsalad]

Would it be OK to use bricks that had been used for an internal wall outside, does the weather have an affect on them? Some of them seem to break easier than new bricks.. Ta good video, v helpful

[@BuildingwithBudd]

It will be fine , go for it 👍👊

[@MrCobbsalad]

@@BuildingwithBudd thanks budd 👍

[@abc-oz4bo]

good job

[@sdn1528]

There definitely on day rate unless they're on £20 a brick

[@johnyashm4191]

Would be good if he done another video for left handed people.

[@throwaway149]

I am doing a church wall atm just using a hammer sds with a flat chisel does a brick in about 2 minutes

[@strummer6642]

Great series of videos, do you mind me asking which part of England you are from?

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Where from Norfolk , Boi 👍many thanks for watching 👍

[@strummer6642]

@@BuildingwithBudd Thanks, I thought Norfolk but didn't want to risk insulting you if you came from Suffolk

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Cheers for watching 👏👍

[@tinylife]

Old recycled bricks are worth a fortune in my part of the world

[@keetonchannel847]

I have about a million bricks I will be posting it on my channel we are gonna save out of a old brick yard my friend just bought.

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

Is there a reason you can't use an SDS with a chisel bit? Are the bricks too brittle?

[@edmundholmes7559]

Yes

[@lvteachme973]

Thanks! Very useful.

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@reggief50]

Hope they are not being paid by the hour!

[@metallitech]

This is obviously careful restoration, not bodgery like most builders seem to do.

[@georgenelson8327]

Where do i go to get the free brick

[@chriscollins1704]

They look like Fareham Reds

[@joyw3361]

How do you know the overall strength of the brick has not weakened?

[@Ryan-vg4wn]

Cause it's not broken

[@joyw3361]

@@Ryan-vg4wn Not nessasarily so.....

[@Ryan-vg4wn]

@@joyw3361 yes necessarily so. You asked the question, now you know the answer?

[@vickiet.8826]

Thank you

[@scamsuncensored7740]

You need a wire brush on a hammer drill, or electric chisel.

[@heywhatsthatsmell]

Those bricks were finally liberated after 200 years of servitude then almost immediately put back into bondage .Somehow it doesn't seem right.

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Life is tough sometimes 😀 many thanks for watching 👍👍

[@U4Eye]

At this pace it would take you ALLL DAY to lay do 50 bricks😄😃

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Grasshopper must have patience 🙏

[@nickguthrie9309]

How much are you willing to pay for this work to be done for a few hundred bricks to be done ?

[@adumanter]

You get what you pay for, anyone with an eye for detail will pay more to get the job looking and done right

[@David-ey9jg]

Being paid by the hour 😁

[@robertcornelius3514]

First off, those bricks are an overlayment over the very old bricks. Second, who did you sucker to do this job so slowly?

[@BardTian]

A really great sharing!

[@frostgygame]

Awesome!

[@tiffanybrown4960]

What song is that?

[@myrahouse2368]

I cleaned 80 bricks yesterday 🤪

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Awesome are they for a project you are doing ? Many thanks for watching 👍👏👏

[@myrahouse2368]

@@BuildingwithBudd I’m doing a new build unfortunately I have to undo 4 courses of bricks 😖

[@BuildingwithBudd]

How come did you get carried away, it can always we put right, 👍

[@jouman4207]

@@BuildingwithBudd i have about 100k used fire bricks, i have been thinking how to remove sement from them quickly and effective. Do you have idea for that?

[@richardwhitehead5069]

Modern bricks would not survive a mild brush with a toughened scouring sponge..they're already deteriorating and crumbling from the rush job manufacturing process. The quality worthy of restoration is gone and forgotten... consume consume consume

[@feolender2938]

In April 2023 it was reported that half the bricks have now been cleaned

[@GG-kc6ie]

Just grab a brick cleaning machine

[@poppyfield1619]

oo I had to turn the sound off..eeeeekk my teeth lol!

[@guestuser2373]

Muriatic hydrochloric

[@jhova6542]

Just use a sander disk that attaches to your drill lol

[@tired_brickmason34]

I always try to recommend the customer get new bricks instead. Either way I charge for both: cleaning the brick or picking it up new. It's a pain having to clean brick.

[@BuildingwithBudd]

Can’t argue with that 👍

[@disklamer]

Since forever cleaning up bricks is done with an axe. A needlescaler might work, and I'd be tempted to use a beltsander.