Exposed Brick — what to seal it with

It seems that despite resealing and repointing, our exposed brick walls still crumble an ever so tiny amount of dust/mortar. We have been using what was recommended: a water based sealer that is used for outdoor use. It’s the consistency of water (so I’m not sure how that is supposed to prevent the mortar from crumbling off) and I’m beginning to think we need to put on some kind of lacquer or varnish the consistencies of nail polish. Not interested in high gloss. Can anyone recommend what to use?

nicolemull

in General Discussion 6 years and 2 months ago

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brikenny | 6 years and 2 months ago

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The problem is that these old houses were built with lime-putty mortar, and water causes the lime to leach out, leaving less adhesive to hold the sand in place. Maggie O above is right; the interior walls were meant to have plaster covering the brick and mortar to prevent moisture in the air from causing the leaching. As soon as the plaster was stripped-off interior brick the air began to destroy it (the ’70s started this whole “bare-brick-provincial look, which wasn’t good for most homes.) Ideally, the wall should have been repointed as soon as the plaster came off, but it’s too late to fret about that, so thinking sealers, some are better than others. Some can trap moisture which only makes matters worse. RG’s solution sounds ideal, and I’d recommend that course of action, but at this point it might be too messy and expensive. Waterglass sounds like a good recommendation, but rach_brklyn’s suggestion of Drylok might work too, although I’ll admit I have no experience with that particular product being used on interior brick. But as a latex it would be somewhat ” breathable” so trapped water could evaporate out, while still binding the sand together. Too many people tried polyurethane sealants with horrible results, but latex could work. Remember; brick and mortar will soak-up water like crazy, which is why the Drylok was so watery. If ir weren’t the brush would drag and the sealant would be clumpy, so don’t let the wateriness fool you. Ideally a paint sprayer might work best and cover the irregular surface better. You can rent one at Home Depot. I hope some of my advice helps, but reading the other comments, you’re getting pretty good advice so far. Good luck!

RG | 6 years and 2 months ago

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Our cellar brick walls looked very much like the picture posted by Brownstoner. We had the brick scraped off of layers of junk from 150 years of abuse, repointed with Ecologic Mortar (not an ounce of Portland cement) from Limeworks, and sealed with Waterglass (sodium silicate) from the same company. This was done 2 years ago, and we have had no brick/mortar dust since. We kept the brick exposed not only for the esthetics, but also for the practical reason of immediate discovery of a problem, should one occur.
Good luck.

mattieweiser1

in General Discussion 6 years and 2 months ago

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We were recommended Drylok Concrete Protector, latex base. Use only one coat if you want a matte finish — two coats will give a gloss finish. Mixed it well, but it was still very watery. We used a brush made by Drylok intended for this use. We are happy with the results – matte but still sealed – much better than sheetrock! Good luck!

Guest User | 6 years and 2 months ago

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i highly recommend sheetrock 🙂 bricks and mortar will always crumble.

Guest User | 6 years and 2 months ago

string(1) "3"
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i highly recommend sheetrock 🙂 bricks and mortar will always crumble.