How to remove old Liquid Nails from render and brick?

alicialawrencee

We had outdoor blinds that were secured to render and brick with liquid nails. We have since removed the blinds and are left with the awful residue and clunkiness of the liquid nails (photos attached)

Would love some ideas of the best way to remove it and repair the area?

JacobZ

Hi @alicialawrencee,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

Old construction adhesive can be a pain to deal with, but you’ve got a few solid options. First step is to remove as much of the bulk as possible. A sharp, metal paint scraper like this https://www.bunnings.com.au/100mm-sharp-edge-paint-scraper_p1670156 will usually take off the majority of the Liquid Nails, especially if you work at it from a few angles. The more you can get off at this stage, the easier the rest will be.

Once you’ve knocked the bulk down, you can clean up what’s left depending on the surface. On brick, https://www.bunnings.com.au/products/tools/tool-accessories/welding-soldering-accessories/wire-brushes?srsltid=AfmBOoqS0rM1-MylWP85Oc72zweXECXMIHhUnCea1FmESUdJPRaGEajC or even a grinder with a wire wheel can help remove the remaining residue. On render, you’ll want to be a bit gentler, so a sander or light grinding can work, but take care not to gouge or flatten the texture too much.

After removal, you’ll likely be left with some uneven spots or minor damage. For render, you can patch those areas with a suitable exterior filler or repair compound such as this https://www.bunnings.com.au/polyfilla-500g-exterior-brick-and-render-masonry_p1210565 , then lightly sand to blend it in. For brick, it might just be a case of cleaning it up as best as possible, or touching up mortar lines if they were affected.

Once everything is smooth and repaired, you can repaint the area to get it looking neat again.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob