I was always charmed by the rustic yet pleasing look of german smear(also called german schmear) and I decided to have in my living room, particularly on fireplace. At first, my german smear looked awesome – just like how I imagined before. The white mortar was perfectly blended with the red bricks – giving an awesome look. Fast forward to week, my german smear gone bad.
In fact, it was looking horrible to be very honest. Even though I did everything properly, still it kept going worse, days-after-days. The white mortar that I smeared on bricks began cracking and a few started falling off. And, that’s not enough – the bricks were started to be visible just like how it was before. In fact, worse than before.
I was highly disappointed and sad. However, I decided to fix it. After doing some close inspection, I noticed I have made a lot of mistakes. I didn’t properly mixed the sand and mortar. I also noticed some bricks had dirt and stains that I didn’t clean it before. Last but not least, I couldn’t smear the mortar evenly – while few spots had too much mortar while others less than nothing.
Fast forward, I was able to fix it. My german smear looked awesome and great again.
In this post, I am going to discuss common mistakes that I did while doing this german smear project. Very soon in this post, I will also discuss how you can fix a badly gone german smear. While for me, it was tough. For you, I will keep it simple and straightforward – step-by-step.
Why Did My German Smear Gone Bad?
The rustic look of german smear had took my attention and I was highly desperate to test in my living room. I knew, it is going to make my fireplace look like and old cottage style. So, I sooner planned to DIY and tried to get the best look possible.
At first, I was definitely amazed with the result. It was look just exactly how I desired it to be. The white look on the bricks were creating an awesome look – giving my living a room a highly cozy and vintage style.
But, that didn’t last long. Sooner after a week, I started noticing some issues, like, cracking, improper texture, discoloration, and dirty. Later after, my german smear gone bad horribly.
I knew, this has to be fixed. Otherwise, my german smear will go even worse. So, I decided myself to fix it. I started doing some research, went on google, and did some youtube for the best possible solution.
After doing some close inspection, I noticed that I had made a lot of mistake during the DIY process that lead my german smear going bad. Here are the mistakes that I made during my project. I’m sharing this so that you don’t make it:
1. Improper mortar mixture
When I was working on this DIY project, I wasn’t aware that an improper mixture of mortar could led my german smear this bad. I took the water to mortar ratio so lightly and didn’t cared much. But, that was my biggest mistake.
I realized later that the the ratio of mortar powder to water is very important. Too much water will make the mixture thin and weak, while too much water can make the mixture hard and difficult spread evenly on the surface.
In my case, the mortar mixture was too thin and that lead to weak bond between the brick surface and the mortar. Due to which, I noticed cracks on various spots. Moreover, some are started crumbing and falling off.
2. Not cleaning the bricks properly
I was so desperate to start this project that I didn’t cared much about cleaning the bricks. And, that was my another biggest mistake as it lead mortar to not properly stick to the brick surface.
But, not cleaning the bricks made a big difference – it tells how strong mortar is going to stick to the surface. If you apply mortar on the dirty or oily brick surface, the mixture won’t stick properly.
In my case, mixture started peeling off from where the bricks were dirty. Although, I did clean the bricks by just wiping it, but that wasn’t enough.
3. Uneven application
I was so desperate to see the final result that I didn’t even cared how I was applying the mortar mixture. I was so impatient to see the result.
By closely inspecting the surface, it was clearly visible that some spots of surface had too much mortar while others too little. That was creating an uneven surface. I also noticed some of the bricks were fully covered in the mixture that made my german smear look awful.
4. Not sealing the mortar
I didn’t cared much about applying sealant after the mortar is being dried. I was quite desperate to see the result that I totally forgot to apply sealant, due to which, some spots started peeling off, got some yellowish color, and started getting dirty within a week or so.
I now realized, without applying a protective sealant, the mortar will soon become dirty, discolor, and become yellowish – overall, making the german smear look bad. This is one of the most important step after the project, specially if your house is prone to moisture and humidity.
5. Being Impatient
Let me be very honest – my german smear wouldn’t have gone this bad if I would have maintained enough patience. I was so impatient and desperate to see my living room with a german smear vintage look that I did everything being hurried.
And, that has been the biggest mistake of mine. Nevertheless, it was a good lesson for me that taught me how being patient is important to achieve good results.
So, I will recommend you to do not fall in this trap of being impatient. Just be patient and give every step enough time. And, you will surely be amazed with the results.
How to fix german smear gone bad?
Fixing german smear that has gone bad or horrible isn’t that tricky. With a proper patience, guidance, and steps one can easily fix it. Luckily, I have already experienced it, so you don’t have to.
In a nutshell, if your german smear has gone bad, start by inspecting your space. Figure out if it is due to the dirty brick or poor mixture or uneven surface or due to moisture. Next, affected spots and start fixing them one-by-one, by cleaning the bricks and creating a proper mortar mixture. After, it’s been done, apply some good protective sealant to avoid future issues.
Below is the step-by-step guide to fix german smear gone bad:
Step 1: Identify the defected spots
If you are looking to fix your german smear that has gone worse, start by identifying the spots that has some serious issues. This step will help you identify the cause, and prepare you to fix it.
To identify the defected sections of german smear, notice if it is due to poor mixture, a dirty brick, or is it due to uneven application of the mortar.
For example, if you notice a spot with too much mortar on the surface, it’s probably due to uneven application of the mortar mixture.
Step 2: Get the right mortar mixture
After noticing the improper mixture, I decided to fix it. I went over to the the manual instructions and started reading their guidelines. I also did some research, and understood that a perfect mixture has 70% mortar and 30% water. Remember, it can be varied as per your use case, but 70/30 ratio is the best benchmark.
I now started spotting the bad areas of my german smear finishing. I started by carefully scraping the chipped and cracked spots of mortar, while also making sure I don’t damage the brick at all.
I created the mixture of 70/30, where 70% mortar and 30% water. To be specific, it should be as thick as peanut butter. I then tested the mixture on a small area to check if it stays properly on the surface. Once everything is fine, I started applying the mixture to the defected section of my german smear.
Step 3: Cleaning the bricks
I started inspecting the spots where bricks were not clean enough, and scraped the remaining mortar patches from the surface. I kept looking every single section of the surface, to avoid any further mistakes.
I then properly cleaned the surface with soap and water wherever it was necessary. I scrubbed the surface properly and let the surface dry completely.
Once all the surface being cleaned, I created the mixture of water and mortar just how I discussed in the above section. And, started applying the mixture on the affected sections of the surface.
Step 4: Reapplying the mixture
It was a bit tough task for me to fix uneven surface on my german smear and it did took a lot of my time and energy. Nevertheless, I managed to fix it and get the desired result.
I started by fixing my biggest mistake – being impatient. This time, I decided to give enough time to the process without being hurry. I started with inspecting the uneven section of my horrible looking german smear.
I created a note of all these section, cleaned it, and scraped the excess mortar wherever it was. Some of the spots were hard to scrape, so I totally removed them.
I then started applying the mixture, on small surfaces. That helped keep the control in my hand. I wasn’t applying the mixture on large section at once, instead I took small steps.
Also, to get extra control on the surface, I also used sponge or trowel whenever I felt necessary. And, yes, I was happy with the final result. It was really looking what I was expecting.
Step 5: Applying protective sealant
Since, I didn’t used any sealant on the mortar surface – I had to do it from scratch. After fixing all the above issues – poor mortar mixture, dirty bricks, and uneven surface, I started applying sealant over the surface to avoid future problems.
Remember, this step is be followed only after the mortar has fully dried. In my case, I chose clear, matte finished sealant to keep the natural look of my german smear alive.
How To Remove German Smear From Brick?
One of the most common issue while fixing a wrongly done german smear is to reverse it. While, removing it back to the previous state is tough and need extra efforts, but it is doable with the right approach.
The very first thing while you to try to remove german smear is to actually understand the extent of damage. Obviously, I didn’t wanted to remove the entire mortar from the bricks. All I wanted to fix the damaged part of the german smear. So, I started the process by inspecting the defected places.
I was mainly looking for two things – spots where mortar was peeling, cracking, and falling off and spots where the mortar was uneven on the surface. That’s the same approach I would recommend to you as well. Look for damaged or uneven sections on your german smear brick.
Once the extent of damage has been identified, the next approach is to gather the right tools. I started collecting below tools to reverse my german smear:
- Brush
- Chisel or knife as an alternative
- Some vinegar solution
Once I am done with collecting the right set of tools, my next step was to softening the mortar. If you’ve done the mortar a few days back, it should get removed just by applying some water. If your mortar is hard enough to not get loosened just by water, you can use 50/50 water vinegar solution.
Just keep applying the solution from wherever you want to remove the mortar from, and you will eventually be able to remove it entirely.
Once, I was done with softening the mortar, I started scraping the surface. I didn’t had chisel, so I used sharp knife. But, I wouldn’t recommend you to use knife as it’s risky and rather go for chisel. You can easily get from homedepot store near you. Just keep scraping of the bad spots of german smear.
After removing the mortar, use a bristle brush to remove the remaining mortar texture from the wall brick. If the texture is stubborn and hard, spray some water solution to again soften it. Make sure you clean the surface as much as you can.
Once, that’s done. You’ve now successfully removed the mortar texture from the bricks. And, you are now ready to re-work on it.
Conclusion
The German Smear technique can greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home, giving it that timeless, rustic look of old European cottages. However, just like with any project, your german smear can go bad.
And fixing german smear gone bad isn’t a rocket science. It is easy when you the have right amount of patience, a proper guidance, and knows the cause.
In this article, I shared my personal experience on how my newly implement german smear project gone horrible to worse. And, what steps I took to fix them all to get my desired result.
If you have faced any other issue with your german smear, you can drop your image in the comment section below and I’ll make sure to have a look. So until then, keep exploring and learning!
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Can german smear be removed?
Yes, german smear is totally reversible if followed the right approach. In order to remove a bad german smear, start by inspecing the damaged area and removing it with the help of chisel or knife. Next, keep removing it until you see clear picture of bricks. Use brush to clean it properly.
How long does german smear last?
German smear can lasts upto a decade or so, however, it would be hard to remove it entirely.
Do you need to seal german smear?
While sealing german smear isn’t highly necessary, however, I preferred sealing it with the proper sealant to avoid unwanted issues in future.
Does german smear ruin brick?
Generally, german smear don’t ruin the brick and infact it’s a great way to bring vintage style to your house. However, I would recommend you to not use german smear technique on smooth bricks as it don’t really work.
What is an alternative to german smear?
If you don’t want to do much hard work with german smear, you can opt for an alternative – limewash. A perfectly done limewash can give the exact same result as german smear. Also, limewash technique is quite affordable and easy to DIY.
