Exposed brick woes
We removed the plaster off an old brownstone brick party wall to expose the brick. In order to make the decision we tested a small area and decided that, while it looked a bit rough and was never intended to be exposed, we still liked the texture and character of exposed brick. We decided to expose all of the brick in our living room and whitewash it. Having finished removing all the plaster, we are afraid that we will be living in the middle of mortar dust for years to come. We are faced the following options: repointing (which we no longer have the money for), or wire brushing the loose mortar off and sealing/priming it. My contractor says brushing, patching any loose/void areas and 2 coats of primer should be enough. Can anyone make any inexpensive but effective recommendations? Thanks in advance!
mattieweiser1
in General Discussion 6 years and 10 months ago
11
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11 replies
murph | 6 years and 10 months ago
Brick party wall may be R8. Windows are R2(2x). Insulation makes the difference in wall but brownstones/brick-fronts have none except the material. I have 107′ of exposed facade and am an end house. Solid but a big heating problem. I insulated the roof cavity and sealed the walls, a better investment.
catbk | 6 years and 10 months ago
We exposed a party wall years ago due to a terrible parlor floor reno years before. Although we eventually plan to re-plaster or sheetrock, the wall was sealed and has stayed pretty intact since the early 90’s There is sometimes a little crumbling mortar, but not much. The smells from the neighbors though – next door has smokers – are pretty bad.
Smokychimp | 6 years and 10 months ago
Also – most interior brick in a NYC townhouse would of course be rough. This is not exterior grade masonry, where high quality bricks and skilled masons would be working. You will see uneven courses, bricks out of plane, occasionally sloppy mortar, etc. If this sort of thing bothers you, then don’t expose the wall. If you don’t mind the look and view it as more attractive and rustic, go for it.
I have also done two projects where we simply covered the brick in primer and then white semigloss paint. Semigloss to give the texture a little sparkle and make sure it’s easy to clean if you needed. Brick walls with texture will hold a little dust, over the years.
Smokychimp | 6 years and 10 months ago
Hi All. There are two good ways to treat soft brick (pre-1920’s low-fired masonry with lime mortar). Lime mortar is extremely friable – you can basically scoop it out with your fingernail so it will bring out a lot of dust unless it’s protected.
One way is to coat with a layer of clear waterbased urethane. It might require two coats if the wall is absorbant and really messy. This will seal the wall from further dust spalling but will add a slight glossy sheen to the wall.
The same as wood flooring, your choices of brick are basically covering it in plastic (urethane) or covering it in oil. The oil option is what I prefer, which is to coat the brick wall with linseed oil, let it dry and absorb for a day, then give it a second coat the next day. This is a more natural look for the brick but will slightly darken the brick.
The disadvantage of the oil method is that you are supposed to re-oil the wall every five years or so. It might be the case, but I have two project from seven years ago without a recoat and they are still going strong.
Good luck!
bshah | 6 years and 10 months ago
I recommended exposing the brick on a party wall. Sealed it without repointing and found the cooking odors & noise from the neighbor seeping in through the party wall. Never imagined this and ended up covering with insulation & sheetrock! All the best!
shacked26 | 6 years and 10 months ago
Hi Rach – my wife and I just completed a full gut reno of a townhouse and exposed the brick on a party wall as well. It was really a laborious project but well worth it. For getting the excess plaster off, buy a bunch of wire brush drill bits and use a drill to clean all the bricks. I have heard some people complain it leaves swirl marks on their bricks but I did not have that experience. It took a long time and you have to clean each brick individually but it turned out great. For the sealer, I used Behr sealer from home depot. I used the low luster finish and it looks wonderful. I haven’t had any of the noise or draft issues that the previous commenters mentioned but I assume that varies from property to property. And we do not have any issues with mortar dust. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
mattieweiser1
in General Discussion 6 years and 10 months ago
Thanks for weighing in. Arkady, that’s great. Do you recall what brand sealer you used?
Arkady | 6 years and 10 months ago
I can’t address the heat or noise issues but I did brush & seal an exterior (inside my apt. but on an outside wall) exposed brick wall & it lasted the 5 years I was in the apartment & showed no signs of wear & tear.
CarmenR | 6 years and 10 months ago
Our party wall is two bricks thick and when it was exposed during our reno we could hear our neighbor easily (and they have sheetrock on their side.) It was also VERY drafty because they have shoddy insulation on their side. We sheetrocked and put insulation in and haven’t heard anything since.
mattieweiser1
in General Discussion 6 years and 10 months ago
Thanks resident2. To clarify, the space on the parlor level with a neighbor on the other side and the brick wall is three wythes thick. I understand noise may be an issue but I don’t quite understand your comment about the heat. Assuming we both set our thermostats in the range of normal room temperature I am not sure why we will be paying for their heat?
resident2 | 6 years and 10 months ago
If you cannot afford to properly point; I would give the idea up and sheet rock it. For the following reasons.
If the exposed brick wall is to an outside wall; you will freeze, even with pointing, but without absolutely. If it is a party wall, with neighbors next door, you will hear everything they are doing & saying and just hope that they like heat because if they do not you will be paying for some of their heat.
Your contractors suggestion will hold up for a year or two depending on if it is an outside wall or party wall. But old mortar was not meant to be exposed and will eventually keep disintegrating, creating dust due to changes in the atmosphere; heat, cool, humidity etc. expansion / contraction etc.