If you're looking to remove mortar, a standard commercial cleaner that is perfect for the job will contain hydrochloric acid. Be sure to remove any vanadium stains (yellow-green discolouration on brick) before using an acid cleaner to prevent an unsightly reaction that is harder to remove.
Wire Brush and Hose/Pressure Washer
To help with cleaning and particle removal, you'll need a high-quality wire brush that can reach into the mortar joints and shake things free. Before you apply any new mortar into brickwork, you need to make sure the mortar joints are clean.
Existing mortar joints can be cut-back using either chisels, rakes or grinders. Soft can be removed using hammer and chisel or a mortar rake. This is a long slow process and power tools are often utilised to accelerate removal rates.
Comfortable wood handle attached to steel base. Mortar scraper is used to clean dried excess mortar off the face of bricks. MS200 – Mortar Scraper. SKU: MS200 Categories: Drywall, Miscellaneous.
Masonry Chisels
Mason's chisels are ideal for cutting bricks, cement blocks, and cinders. They can also be used for applications such as removing excess mortar.
Removing mortar
Attach a triangular carbide-grit rasp to your oscillating multi-tool and now you've got yourself a convenient mortar grinder. It means you can remove hardened thin-set mortar from a floor tile that you're trying to salvage.
That answer is a diamond-tipped blade, or, even better, a special mortar-raking blade.
For flat joints, you'll need a joint raker. If you have just a few areas that need work, use a hammer and cold chisel to knock out the old mortar, but for more extensive work, plan on getting a rotary hammer drill fitted with a flat chisel to make the job go a heck of a lot quicker.
Cutting out of decayed mortar is best carried out in the context of conservation with hand tools. A 2.5lb lump hammer and plugging chisel are best. Cold chisels should not be used because they may wedge in the joints and split the stone or brick.
The skew of the chisel allows the lathe operator to get into tight shapes / corners. A full round scraper is used to cut hollow areas / internal curves. Some experienced wood turners prefer to use scrapers, ground to various shapes. If sharpened regularly, they produce a good finish.
Chipping Hammer with the ExoRam®
These tools use a chipping hammer and a chisel bit and a rapid back and forth motion to chip away at the mortar. If you are using one of these tools, then goggles are a necessity as small pieces of tile shrapnel will fly away.
A screwdriver should never be used as a punch, wedge, chisel, pinch bar, pry or nail puller. Only use screwdrivers that are designed and approved for electrical work.
Try to remove the cement stains or mortar residue with one part vinegar and one part warm water. Then you brush this solution onto the surface. Leave to absorb and then rinse with clean water. Depending on the type of surface, you can remove cement stains and mortar stains with sandpaper or a scraper.
The solution for successful removal, in most cases like this, is a rotary hammer with a chipping function. A rotary hammer is not a hammer drill; they're different tools that do similar things—the rotary hammer is basically a handheld jackhammer.
The soft lime mortar used in older masonry buildings can be removed with hand chisels; in contrast, the very hard mortar used in many modern buildings may require the power of a grinder for removal. The most popular disc grinders for masonry have 4-, 4 1/2-, or 5-inch cutting wheels.