Suggestions For Acrylic Non-Glossy Sealer For Exposed Interior Brick?

We bought a brownstone that had some exposed brick on a couple non-exterior facing walls. The exposed brick was unfinished, however, and we are searching for the best way to seal the walls so they stop shedding dust. We like the exposed brick look in these particular locations, and we’re going to clean the brick with a copper wire brush, and then we hope to seal it with a 100-percent acrylic sealer. But we really don’t want these walls to be glossy or shiny in any way. We’d like to seal with as muted a matte finish as possible. Someone recommended a sealer from Defy called MasonrySaver Acrylic Waterproofing Sealer. But we’re unclear on what kind of finish it leaves. The product descript says “this acrylic brick sealer will also add a beautiful satin sheen to interior brick walls.” And that scares us a bit. Has anyone ever used it? Any other acrylic sealers you’d suggest? All thoughts welcome.

bklynist

in Brownstoner Renovation 12 years and 4 months ago

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chambers | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Hi folks: My wife and I are searching for a sealer for an exposed interior brick wall. I was hoping I could bump this thread to see if anyone else had any suggestions. We’re tempted to try Enviroseal but have seen that many people recommend a surface sealer.

annep | 12 years and 4 months ago

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No, I didn’t do any repointing — they wirebrushed and that’s it.  There were a couple holes that needed filling, but that’s the extent of the repair work inside.  There’s no crumbling and hardly any dust (nothing more noticeable than regular house dust accumulation) — I love it.

annep | 12 years and 4 months ago

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If you want to seal the bricks but make it look like they do now (i.e., nothing glossy, matte, or otherwise — just straight up the way they look with nothing on them) then I’d use Enviroseal 7.  It is manufactured by Hydrozo Corporation, which I believe is a subsidiary of BASF.  I did a bunch fo research for my exposed walls a couple years ago and this is what a contractor who does high end historic house work recommended & it worked like a charm.  You paint it on — it goes on wet & then once it’s dry you won’t notice anything was applied.

slopemope | 12 years and 4 months ago

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i actually second the flat poly.  easy to buy and works.

pigthree | 12 years and 4 months ago

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boiled linseed oil, most natural or Benwood flat poly

slopemope | 12 years and 4 months ago

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Satin usually means it just has flattener in it.   To give you some background, generally all coatings are glossy.  You actually have to add varying amounds of flattener in order to get a flat, matte, satin, semi glass, etc.  If the manufacturer of the selaer you are seeking to use does not already offer pre-made matte with pre-ixed flattener (in whatever mixture/finish you are seekng) you will just have to make your own.  This shouldn’t be that big of a deal, you should read the label and call the mfg for confirmation with regards to which flattening agent is compatible, and how much to add (you may need to experiment with test patches to see what you like the best).  Sometimes if you go to a professional paint store (i.e. Janovic Pro in Long Island City, etc.) they will likely have at least one very knowledgable person.  Even so, i almost always look up the instructions online and call the mfg directly if possible.  Some coatings (low VOC, etc) are fairly high tech and the manufacturer has the optimal answer.     Remember to stir very well any coating that has flattener – – it seperates fairly rapidly.  You will find yourself with a can of “matte” but half of your project painted is totally flat and the other half completely glossy because it seperated and did not stir enough.  So read all the directions and if it says stir every 15 minutes….do it!  If you forget, you won’t be having too much fun removing gloss from brick.   Good luck with your project.