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How to Cover Exterior Cinder Block Walls?

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Cinder block walls are strong and inexpensive, but they aren’t always pleasant to look at. Fortunately, you have many options for improving a cinder block wall. Concrete is an inexpensive way to create a strong cover. Stucco is similar to concrete but more decorative. Vinyl panels and stone veneers are alternative decorations that match with many homes. Use different material to give any cinder block wall a unique aesthetic appeal.


Dampen an area approximately 3 ft × 6 ft (0.91 m × 1.83 m) in size, or as much as you can cover with cement in about 10 minutes of work. The wall needs to be well-soaked in order for the cement to bond to it. Always work on one part of the wall at a time to avoid any problems with the cement coating.


Spread a 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) layer of cement on the wall. The cement needs to be applied in sections to prevent it from drying out before you’re finished working. To prevent issues, start out by covering the small portion you dampened. Scoop some cement out of your mix with a trowel, hawk, or another tool, then slather it over the area with a trowel. Start at the top of the wall, spreading the concrete from left to right.


A hawk is a flat tool used to pick up and hold lots of concrete, mortar, or other material. Normally you would have to dip into the mix many times. Using a hawk reduces this, making the application process much easier. For a faster way to cover wall sections, take advantage of a concrete sprayer.


Load the concrete into the sprayer, then hold it close to close to the wall to avoid spraying the areas you aren’t ready to work on yet. If you need to check the cement’s thickness, try using a tape measure on an open part of the wall. Repeat dampening the wall and spreading cement until you’re finished.

How Eliminate mortar voids?

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A typical ceramic tile installation involves spreading a thin-set mortar on the surface with a notched trowel, then pressing the ceramic tile into the mortar to collapse the ridges and improve contact between the tile and mortar. Unfortunately, this practice can leave many voids in the mortar behind the tile.


While this would not be a concern with opaque ceramic tile, the randomly distributed air pockets or voids may be visible through clear or translucent glass. The mortar should still be spread with a notched trowel onto the substrate, but it should also be spread (back-buttered) in an even, thin film onto the back of the glass tile.


Now, when the two mortared surfaces are pressed together, the back of the tile is already covered, so any remaining voids from the mortar ridges are hidden and do not show through the glass tile. Keep in mind that standard thin-set mortars can shrink and pull away from the tile, causing voids and air bubbles during the curing process, so make sure that the mortar resists shrinkage too.


Tape the sheets to the tiles, then trace and scribe the cut lines. When all the paper templates are just right, tape each one to a tile and use a pencil to transfer the cut pattern. After that, remove the paper and use a tile scribe to score 0.125 in (0.32 cm) deep lines into the tiles, tracing right over top of the pencil lines.


Tile scribes can look like thick pencils or come in other shapes. Look for them at hardware stores or online. Remove the unneeded tile with tile nippers. Slowly and carefully squeeze the handles to snip away small “bites” of tile from the sections that need to be removed. Turn your small “bites” into tiny “nibbles” as you get to the score lines. If you try to snip off too much, you risk breaking the tile and having to start over.

How Cleaning Grout with Vinegar and Baking Soda?

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Mix 1  c (240 mL) of vinegar and 1  c (240 mL) of water in a spray bottle. Measure the vinegar and water into a spray bottle. Screw the lid on tightly and then shake the spray bottle vigorously for 5 seconds to combine the water and vinegar. Malt vinegar and white vinegar both work well for this method. This method works on all types of tiles and surfaces, such as flooring, backsplashes, or countertops.

Spray the solution liberally over the grout and let it sit for 5 minutes. Ensure that all the grout is coated with the water and vinegar spray. Leave it for 5 minutes to soak into the grout.

Mix 1 cup (180 g) of baking soda and ½ cup (125 mL) of water in a bowl. Measure the baking soda and water into a small bowl. Use a spoon to stir them together until they are fully combined and form a paste. If you are cleaning a very small area, halve this recipe.

Scrub the paste into the grout with a grout brush. A grout brush is a thin brush that is designed to easily remove the dirt from between tiles. Dip the brush into the baking soda paste and then scrub it over the tiles until all the dirt is gone. Use a scrubbing brush or a toothbrush if you don’t have a grout brush.

Spray the vinegar solution over the areas that you have scrubbed. The vinegar will mix with the baking soda paste and start bubbling vigorously. This chemical reaction helps to dissolve any remaining dirt and grime from the grout. Spray enough vinegar solution to completely cover the baking soda paste.

Use warm water and a dishcloth to wipe up the baking soda and vinegar. Dip a clean dishcloth in water and then squeeze it to remove any excess water. Wipe up all the baking soda and vinegar paste from the grout. Rinse your cloth after each wipe to avoid spreading the baking soda over the wood tiles. This also helps to remove the vinegar smell from the grout.

How Cleaning Grout Between Floor Tiles with Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda, and Dish Soap?

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Make a paste. Mix ¾ cup baking soda, ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1 tablespoon dish soap. This highly effective paste cleans the grout in three ways: The baking soda works as a natural abrasive to scrub the grout.

The hydrogen peroxide chemically reacts with the baking soda releasing bleaching oxygen ions. The dish soap helps loosen dirt and remove grease. NOTE: The bleaching action of the chemical reaction may affect colored grout. Test a hidden corner before cleaning the entire sptos floor.

Apply the paste with a nylon bristled brush. A toothbrush or a nylon scrub brush work well. Be sure to apply the paste to the grout between all wood tiles and around the edges for a uniform clean look. Let the mixture sit on the grout for 15 minutes. You may see a bubbling reaction as the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide interact. Give the paste time to work its way into the grout to fully remove any stains.

Rinse the grout with warm or hot water to remove all of the solution. Pour a small amount of water directly onto the tile floor to rinse the solution off the grout. Use caution as wet tiled floors can be very slippery.

Use a rag to wipe the grout to remove any leftover residue or dirt. Clean the remaining paste out of the grout by gently scrubbing the floor with a towel. This can be done by standing on a towel and shuffling the towel across the wall floor with both feet or by crawling and scrubbing as you go.

Mop the floor with clean water. Ensure that no soap or residue is left behind by thoroughly mopping the rustic floor with a cotton or sponge mop. Rinse the mop and change the water often to get achieve a clean finish.

How to Cleaning Grout with Vinegar?

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Vinegar is a natural, effective cleanser for porcelain tile. You can clean tile floors, countertops, backsplash, and bathroom surfaces using a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar. Cleaning wood tile grout is also easy. You can use vinegar alone or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to remove tough stains and grime from grout.

Pour vinegar along tile edges. Vinegar can effectively clean grout when applied at full strength or when diluted with water. Carefully pour vinegar along the edges of the marble tile, allowing it to soak into the grout.

Let the vinegar sit for 10 minutes. After you pour the vinegar along the wood marble tiled edges, allow the vinegar to soak into the grout. Letting the vinegar sit for 10 minutes will help loosen debris and stains.

Scrub the grout with a toothbrush. After you allow the vinegar to soak into the grout for 10 minutes, scrub the grout using small, circular motions. An old toothbrush works best, but you can also use a small cleaning brush.

Rinse with clean water. When you finish scrubbing the grout, you will want to rinse away the remaining vinegar from the wall tile and grout. You can pour clean water over the tile, or you can wipe with a clean, wet cloth.

Use vinegar and baking soda for a deeper clean. Add a small amount of vinegar to baking soda. Add just enough vinegar so that the two ingredients form a paste. Use a toothbrush to scrub the grout with the paste. Rinse with clean water when finished, making sure you remove any residue from the mixture.