Thorocoat Yes or No?
We had a peeling stucco layer on our back brick wall and some eroded pointing. The price for re-pointing are very high, so we are considering a bid to repair and recoat. The estimate says they are using a product called “Thorocoat.” I’ve read previous threads about the potential dangers of Thoroseal… and an architect…
We had a peeling stucco layer on our back brick wall and some eroded pointing. The price for re-pointing are very high, so we are considering a bid to repair and recoat. The estimate says they are using a product called “Thorocoat.” I’ve read previous threads about the potential dangers of Thoroseal… and an architect friend once explained to me (persuasively) that you should NOT seal brick walls.
Is Thorocoat ok by this measure?
Are there reasons to NOT use?
When we priced repointing it was $20,000+ and this job will be $7,700 including repainting the fire escape.
If I learn it’s a real error to recoat, maybe we’ll consider a loan for repointing.
thanks all previous replies a huge help in our process.
I used a 15 foot ladder which I moved around a lot. My extension is 2-stories, so that gave me quite a bit of access to apply the thorocoat. Most of the repointing needed was nearer ground level. I learned brick repointing (tuck pointing) via youtube and a lot of internet research/reading. Its really not that hard, just labor intensive, and since you probably care more about your house than a contractor does, you’ll likely do a better job. If you post an email I can send pix.
thanks for differentiation between thorocoat and thoroseal. I hadn’t realized that they had breathable and non-breathable varieties.
right. I’m pretty sure Thoroseal is NOT what we want, but couldn’t tell from internet search if/how it was different from Thorocoat.
FLH, how did you reach the back wall? Self-installed scaffold?
Also, did you have any experience with mortar or is it mostly a Q of labor and muscle, which we do have, or expertise, which we lack???
I did this exact job myself last summer. Spot-repointed on places where the mortar was in bad shape (type N mortar, the soft-lime kind, is the right one to use. )I brushed down the brick surface (which had a mix of thorocoat and old paint) put on a new coat of thorocoat. I did this myself over a couple of weekends to a 3-story house with extension. Out of several dozen rear facades visible from my yard, only one is repointed. I got a quote from Malek for repointing that was about $7000, but decided to go the DIY route after extensive research. It’s not really possible to “strip” bricks of things like thorocoat without damaging their fired surface. I’ve had no issues so far with the work I did, and if I have to redo it in ten years so be it. Thorocoat is not going to cause your back wall to explode.
Reading the descriptions of thoroseal and thorocoat, it looks like thorocoat is a cement product and thoroseal is an “acrylic” coating put over thorocoat or cement?
Which is the villain?
Thorocoat or thoroseal? It seems like people are mixing them up. Here is something from BASF:
Thorocoat: A water-based high-build, 100% acrylic coating for above-grade concrete, masonry, stucco, and EIFS. It
waterproofs, protects, and decorates building exteriors while allowing them to breathe. Thorocoat®
produces a tough, outer film that maintains its aesthetic and performance properties over time.
Thorocoat® is available in smooth, fine, and coarse textures; it is tintable to 48 “Elements” colors and
can be custom tinted.
Thoroseal: A portland-cement-based waterproof coating for concrete and masonry. Thoroseal® resists both positive
and negative hydrostatic pressure, enabling it to waterproof both interior and exterior surfaces. It fills
and seals pores and voids, correcting surface irregularities and eliminating the need for concrete
rubbing. Thoroseal® creates a low-cost, low-maintenance, highly durable water barrier that is resistant
to damage from impact, abrasion, and mildew. It can be overcoated with a variety of Thoro® decorative
finishes.
In the old days, when houses in Brooklyn cost under $50,000, folks did what they needed to do to fix leaks, they slapped on portland cement right from the bag, they “re-pointed” using roofing tar which would be smeared on the facade as if it were the engine of an old jalopy, they planted ivy to hide the mess, etc etc. Now that these houses are worth, in many cases, a million or more dollars, it is astonishing to me that people are still saying “well, if it was good enough in the 1960’s it is good enough today”. Could one imagine an owner of a million dollar house anywhere else in the country caring so little about their house’s exterior physical condition? I wish people would respect their investment more and speak to knowledgeable professionals before embarking on serious exterior projects. These houses are valuable now, they deserve a little extra thought.
Thorocoat does not breathe but stucco does? Maybe a lot of people have stucco?
okay, a bit more detail:
the thorocoat guys bid will re-point the brick where needed, but their task is basically repair and re-coat the surface over the brick, plus paint fire escape, all for around $8,000.
we got two prices for stripping off the stucco/coat whatever it is that is right now on our back brick wall and re-pointing all the brick. the low bid was $12,000, and another guy said $20,000+. Several people said, “can’t be done.”
One woman, on this forum, replied to an earlier post of mine on this subject to say she’d stripped her coating, re-pointed and found it cost a LOT more than estimated once they got into the job, was a huge mess, took forever and she regrets doing it. Which is granted one opinion but it did resonate.
On the other hand of course I’d rather spend more now and have it be done forever. If there is such a thing…