Dry Lok on Brownstone Stoop?
Hey, Anybody ever use Dry Lok to paint over your front Brownstone stoop? My contractor is recommending it since it’s waterproof- but don’t you want the Brownstone material and understoop area to be able to breathe or am I confused?
Hey,
Anybody ever use Dry Lok to paint over your front Brownstone stoop? My contractor is recommending it since it’s waterproof- but don’t you want the Brownstone material and understoop area to be able to breathe or am I confused?
I put a masonry sealer on my brownstone steps four years ago and I’ve seen no adverse reaction to it. In fact, they look a lot better because salt and other crap isn’t getting caught in the pores anymore. I used to have a problem with white stains until I sealed it.
I pressure washed the stone and let it dry for three days before applying one coat.
I would not paint your stoop with anything.
Painting masonry is a dicey prospect. A non-breathable coating will trap water and lead to spalling, particularly if the stoop is natural brownstone (even so-called “breathable” coatings can do this). If you have patches, water can get trapped by the paint and start to spall the patches. In addition, paint on wearable surfaces wears easily and becomes a constant maintenance job.
Yes, you can paint masonry surfaces, but results can be unpredictable. For the record, I’ve never tried Dry-Lock, so I don’t if it is better or worse than any other “waterproofing”.
yuk. get a bigger welcome mat and some plants, and then when you really need it, get it re-brownstoned.
OP here- no, he was doing some other non-stoop related exterior work and made that suggestion. The stoop hasn’t had any work done in a long time and the “brownstone” material has been scraped and scuffed off parts of the steps and top landing so it looks kinda beat up.
Would it help in that situation?
The sides and rest of the stoop look pretty decent, so it was really to make the worn parts match, though he would paint it all.
There’s really no reason to paint brownstone. If your stoop has been patched and the colors don’t match, then maybe for aesthetic reasons, but otherwise no. Certainly not with Dry Lok, which your contractor might be recommending to stall or disguise flaws not yet obvious. (Is the work newly complete and you’re already seeing fractures? That would suggest lousy workmanship, not Dry Lok.)
That doesn’t sound right to me.