Efflorescence, fast deteriorating brick, a great mason
I know there have been a few posts in the past about efflorescence and separately about crumbling brick, but I wanted to post in hopes of clearing up some conflicting advice. The interior, exposed brick of our garage (c. 1850) is suddenly crumbling like mad. Numerous bricks just seem to be turning to dust, literally….
I know there have been a few posts in the past about efflorescence and separately about crumbling brick, but I wanted to post in hopes of clearing up some conflicting advice.
The interior, exposed brick of our garage (c. 1850) is suddenly crumbling like mad. Numerous bricks just seem to be turning to dust, literally. At the same time, we’ve got crystals forming on others, and in some cases the same ones. In the interior of our house, which is a separate building, the exposed brick is not crumbling (yet!), but is VERY dusty. That is, if you touch it, your fingers get a load of tiny particles, though it’s not actually crumbling off. The dust also drops to the floor quite regularly.
Advice?
Most of all, any strong recommendations for a really experienced mason?
And any others who have successfully dealt with this problem?
Thanks in advance.
For what this is worth, we have a similar spot on the inside of our garden floor wall, adjacent to the neighbor’s chimney, where it gets damp after the rains and has efflorescence. Brick can easily wick moisture from adjacent structures (in our case the water that gets into the neighbor’s chimney) and when it does, it evaporates leaving behind the efflorescence or salts. Interior brick, especially what they may have used in a garage (1850? what was it used for then?) had a softer outer layer than brick used on the exterior.
Antique brick was not fired the same way as modern brick, so after all these years, the brick on the inside of your house will throw off dust/ crumble lightly. Which is why they should never be pressure washed and NEVER sandblasted, since that removes the outer shell and starts the deterioration process.
I would not bother about those though. You probably have about a foot thick of brick in those walls.
In the garage, just check for any source of water getting into the wall. If none, run the dehumidifier and let air circulate.
Just one piece of advice, be very careful before you seal the bricks. Bricks need to breathe and give off the moisture in them. Sealing or painting them will worsen the problem.
Bricks are not painted. In the garage (where there’s real crumbling), they are pretty much bare. In the house, where they are just giving off a lot of dust, they seem to be coated in a very thin layer of something white; I had thought it was leftover plaster from when they exposed it, but I don’t know for sure. That coating is pretty uniform in the house.
The crumbling bricks are totally random, usually a few together in a cluster, but sometimes just one alone. They occur at random spots over the whole wall. It’s maybe 5-8% of the bricks, I’d guess.
I run a dehumidifier on high in the basement 24/7, but not one in the garage. I guess maybe I should be?? We often keep the door open, so I thought the circulation would be enough, though it HAS been quite humid…
No recent landscaping or gutter changes…
Thanks so much!!
Water’s getting at those bricks, somehow. So….
Four questions:
Are the bricks painted?
Where are the location(s) of the crumbling bricks?
Do YOU run a dehumidifier in there 24/7?
Have you recently changed any landscaping (done plantings, excavated, etc.) or altered any gutters/downspouts around the perimeter of your building?
The garage is not below grade and is not usually damp, except for regular summer humidity… As far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be water damage at all. We just bought the place, so I don’t know the FULL history, but the place seems otherwise exceptionally well cared for. There is a basement under the garage; the foundation wall is in excellent shape. The previous owners ran a humidifier in there around the clock, and it seems very dry…
I’m thinking the brick crumbling/efflorescence does seem to be coinciding with the rain lately, though…
The garage is not below grade and is not usually damp, except for regular summer humidity… As far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be water damage at all. We just bought the place, so I don’t know the FULL history, but the place seems otherwise exceptionally well cared for. There is a basement under the garage; the foundation wall is in excellent shape. The previous owners ran a humidifier in there around the clock, and it seems very dry…
Question — is the garage below grade? Usually damp? What you’re describing is typically water damage and do you think that’s a possibility in this case?