# Removing stone veneer



## jjd

You'll probably not hear this question  often....
We're looking at a home to buy in a neighborhood of homes built in 1990, all of the homes have this nice (real brick) original facing on the front around the garage doors and around bay windows, well, the PO's ( previous owners) attached this ugly multicolored stone veneer with black grout onto the front of the home to cover up the once beautiful brick.  Is there a way to remove it and save the brick underneath?  
Thanks for your suggestions.


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## glennjanie

Welcome JJD:
Yes, you can use a 2 or 3" wide chisel to pop the stone off. It is usually stuck with mortar and will pop off farily easy. You may want to chilel off the thicker spots of mortar and use muratic acid to disolve the rest. A wire brush and more muratic acid will clean up the rest.
*Caution* muratic acid penetrates your skin and goes straight to the bones, where it stays for life. Use long rubber gloves when handling acid.
Glenn


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## jjd

Will the brick underneath then be salvageable, or will the chisel and muriatic process change the surface or color of the brick?


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## glennjanie

The brick will be fine. The muratic acid only affects the mortar; bricks are several times harder than the mortar. It won't even change the color. Just use the chisel in a peeling motion not straight into the brick.
We would love to see before and after pictures of this one.
Glenn


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## jjd

It sounds like a bit of work, is this going to take 5 years to do?    I can tell you that I'm sure the neighbors already got their laughs in though watching the stone go on!!  BTW, they left the rotten wood fence up in the back yard!!


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## glennjanie

No, I'm not joshing you. The stones will pop off usually with one blow to the chisel. It will take some time to clean up the mortar but we're talking about a complete finish this spring or summer.
Sorry, I don't understand the wooden fence reference.
Glenn


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## glennjanie

The stone and mortar job can be made a lot easier with a rental chipping hammer. Make sure you get a wide chisel for the stones and a pointed chisel for the mortar joints in the brick. After chiseling the worst off a muratic bath with some brushing should clean it up very well.
Glenn


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## creque

hi ive been a mason for 30 years and if you tear that old mortar o ff the face of that brick and it macthes the rest of the house go to church sunday cause youve just performed a miracle why dont you grind out the mortar around the cultured stone and change the mortar color that will make a world of difference also there are quite a few brick that you cannot apply muratic acid to face mostly brick made in the last 12 years beacause of the baked on faces you would want to check with the manufacturer unless the bricklayers were real bums and didnt mix the mortar right you gonna end up with a mess i agree they will pop off with a chisle but youll never get all the old mortar off pluss you are gonna scracth the heck out of the brick but anyways good luck


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## DaveyDIY

This thread is 2 1/2 years old


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