Desalting! 🧂

Conservation Technology
Oct 3
3 min read

Updated: Oct 6

🧱 Removing Salts from Walls & Floors: A Practical Guide

Introduction?

Salt damage is one of the most common problems in buildings – old and new. From crumbling plaster to unsightly white patches, salts don’t just spoil appearances; they can weaken surfaces and trap in damp. Luckily, with the right products and methods, you can remove salts effectively and protect your building for the future.

What Are Efflorescence and Salts?

Efflorescence is that powdery white deposit you see on walls, brickwork, or floors. It happens when water inside the structure dissolves salts and brings them to the surface as it evaporates. Left untreated, salts can cause staining, blistering paint, or even break down plaster and stone over time.

⚡ Quick Fixes – Cleaning Salts from Surfaces: For surface cleaning, there are a range of excellent solutions such as USP Efflorescence Remover, INTA 40, Safety Kleen, and Clean AC. These help wash away salts and restore surfaces quickly, making them ideal for light to moderate contamination.

Deep Treatment – Remmers Desalting Compress

When salts are embedded deep within walls or floors, surface cleaning alone won’t solve the problem. Over time, salts migrate into masonry either through the building materials themselves or through chemical and environmental reactions with their surroundings. On their own, salts may not always cause immediate harm, but changes in climate and moisture often bring them to the surface. This can lead to efflorescence, damp staining, or in severe cases, actual structural damage.

If salts accumulate close to the surface, desalination is a necessary first step before any restoration. In particularly delicate areas, a consolidation treatment may even be required beforehand to prevent material loss. Ideally, the salt profile should be analysed to measure how deep the contamination goes and to track the success of the treatment.

Desalination can be carried out in different ways: intensive flushing with water, the use of sacrificial plaster, or specialised compresses. Among these, Remmers Desalting Compress is one of the most effective and reliable solutions. This capillary-active poultice is applied wet to the affected area, where it actively draws salts out of the substrate. Once dry, the compress is removed, taking the harmful salts with it. By pulling contamination out from the inside, it protects masonry from further deterioration and prepares the surface for restoration.

Preventative & Protective Measures

Removing salts is only half the job – preventing them from coming back is just as important. Protective solutions include:

Impregnation Range (USP 100, OFS, SL, SNL, FC, BI, IC, AG, AS) – high-performance impregnation sealers that repel water while letting walls breathe.
Remmers Salt IH (Salt Inhibitor) – blocks the damaging effects of salts inside the substrate.
WP Sulfatex & WP DS Levell – advanced waterproofing and tanking systems to stop water ingress at its source.
MB 2K - Multi-functional building waterproofing Combines the properties of flexible and crack-bridging mineral waterproofing grouts (MWG; AbP as per PG-MDS/FPD) and bitumen thick coatings (PMBC; U report according to DIN EN 15814). Radon-tight / UV-resistant / Freeze/thaw-resistant

By combining salt removal with long-term protection, you not only fix the problem but safeguard your building for the future.

Conclusion

Salts don’t need to spell disaster for your walls and floors. With cleaning products for surface treatment, Remmers Desalting Compress for deep salt extraction, and protective systems like Funcosil and WP Sulfatex, you can restore your building and keep it looking its best for years to com

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