This Old House

brick chimney in need of a little TLC

after

We are remodeling our old timey kitchen.

We pulled the plaster off our brick chimney and were pleasantly surprised at the condition of the brick.

A wire brush scrubbed down the brick pretty well, and then it was time to seal it.

An internet search revealed all sorts of routes. For the future weary soul trying to decide how to proceed, here is what we did:

After the wire brush routine, I went over the chimney with a little dust broom and lots of additional debris and dust flew off.

To seal the brick, I used an acrylic sealer, thick paint roller and 2-inch brush. Newspapers served as a drop cloth -- lots of runoff and more debris.

The result has a bit of a shine but not too much, thankfully. The crumbly mortar is sealed really well. I am pleased with the results.

Product:  Seal Best Concrete Sealer (http://www.homedriveway.com/images/pages/concreteproducts.htm). It had no toxic fumes and was easy water clean up. I could not find this at Lowe's but Menards had it.

Kitchen Remodel

We are remodeling our kitchen. In its day, it was a top-of-the-line St. Charles kitchen, but it's now about 50 years old and in real need of updating.

A brick chimney that vents the furnace runs through the corner of our 80 year old bungalow kitchen. When we gutted the kitchen, we pulled the plaster off the chimney and found the brick to be in surprisingly good condition.

We prefer to keep the brick exposed rather than cover it with drywall, although it'll be partially covered with cabinets. I wasn't sure how to prep and seal the brick, and turned to Google. The information out there is all over the map, so here is how we handled the prep work:

• A small chisel and hammer were used to remove the bulk of the remaining plaster from the brick.
• Dust and more dust. Protective eye wear and a mask helped a bunch.
• A wire brush scrubbed off the remaining bits of plaster. More patience than elbow grease was needed.
• A spray bottle of water helped keep the dust down.

I read a lot about muratic acid but we didn't need anything harsher than a wire brush, thank goodness.

Next up: sealing the brick.