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June 11, 2008
exterior brownstone repair
Our brownstone has peeling lead paint on the brick in back, and a contractor has recommended lightly wet scraping and then essentially painting over it with Thorocoat paint. Any thoughts, opinions or experiences that would shed light on this process? It has been almost impossible to get any information or advice from anyone so far...
Comments
I would get other opinions. Rarely does brick need to be painted or thorosealed. Under certain conditions, if the brick is particularly absorbent and is causing moisture damage to your interior walls it might be necessary.
When it is unpainted, it absorbs some moisture and then dries out. Sometimes when it is painted/thorosealed the deteriorating paint causes moisture to be trapped in the brick and that causes the damage to interior walls.
I would have the paint stripped and the brick pointed.
Posted by: guest at June 11, 2008 8:40 PM
Thorocoat won't stick to oil based paint.
EBKT.
Posted by: guest at June 11, 2008 9:33 PM
A mason who advertises on this page, and has been highly recommended by some forum users, has advised thorosealing one wall of our brick house. We are not having any damp problems, though there is a little moss growing on the bottom in one area. I was a little wary of the thoroseal... is it definitely a bad idea? Do you recommend anyone, 8.40?
Posted by: guest at June 11, 2008 9:42 PM
To elaborate on 8:40, sealing the brick also damages the _outside_ walls. Brick needs to 'breathe', to absorb and release moisture. When it is sealed the moisture trapped inside freezes and expands, causing pieces of the brick to 'pop out' and fall on the ground. You can see examples of this on any brick wall that has been sealed for a while.
Posted by: denton at June 12, 2008 5:51 AM
Unfortunately, we can't strip and repoint because the paint is lead-based. We are looking for a way to safely contain it without causing damage to the interior or exterior of the house. I was told that Thorocoat is different from Thoroseal, which we have been advised against..
Posted by: LCSR at June 12, 2008 8:25 AM
If the brick and mortar are stable and there are no moisture problems, Thoroseal is okay. I've just found Thoroseal jobs to be as prone to failure as ordinary house paint.
As someone else said, masonry needs to breath. One of the worst things you can do to brick is to seal it. A waterproof coating sounds like a great idea until you get moisture trapped underneath it, which could come from a leak or something as simple as humidity from inside the house. Then the brick and mortar starts to decompose.
A better solution is something like WallCoat, a permeable, flexible sealer. I'm having the back of my house done with it next week.
Posted by: Steve at June 12, 2008 2:59 PM
And who's doing it? Anyone want to reccomend a good mason?
Posted by: guest at June 12, 2008 6:44 PM
thorosealing isn't a bad thing, and when it comes down to budget many opt for it in the rear of their homes. Of course brick should be allowed to breathe, but when a home owner is faced with repointing or repairing bricks the costs can be high, and in the rear they often opt for the cheaper route of using thoroseal or another waterproofing material. So ask yourself why your contractor is recommending thoroseal? If money is no object and you've let them know that, you may find they have a different opinion.
Posted by: guest at June 12, 2008 9:18 PM
8:40 here. Yes, stripping and pointing costs more than painting but it is a one shot deal and no maintenance, likely for your lifetime.
On every brick building that has been stripped of paint, the paint is lead based. Why do you think yours cannot be stripped ?
Posted by: guest at June 12, 2008 11:00 PM
A few years ago I looked into my options for the brick rear facade of our brownstone.
We wound up just having repointing done but the peeling paint on the brick is indeed lead paint. The mason recommended removing it with a high-powered hose system. I was concerned about the family with children living next door but the mason assured me that the rear would be tented. Anyone heard of this approach?
Posted by: guest at June 13, 2008 10:16 AM
9:42....
you don't have damp issues but you have moss growing up your wall...
sounds like you have a dampness issue
Posted by: guest at June 15, 2008 11:44 AM
Sorry, I meant no apparent damp issue INSIDE, which is why the obvious damp outside, and the idea we may be sealing it in the brick so it has to move inside, is my concern with the thoroseal.
Posted by: guest at June 15, 2008 1:21 PM
can someone recommend a GOOD masonary to restore and maybe point my home in brooklyn which was built in1923. My husband and I have considered so many options regarding the exterior of the house but now we are trying to restore the bricks which add a lot of characcter to the house along with its stained glass windows- Perhaps a restorer of old homes???
Posted by: guest at June 17, 2008 6:06 PM
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