Posted by ChrisC on November 06, 2002 at 19:50:43:
Fred -
I grew up in West Rodgers Park, (Chicago area). This neighborhood has one of the highest densities of brick bungalows per square mile in the country. Our house got sprayed in 1981 and its still holding up. Also, we were able to negotiate a deal on Tuckpointing to go with the sealing job. Probably added some longevity to it too.
Just my 2 cents.
Good Luck,
ChrisC
Waterproofing a brick townhouse - Posted by Fred
Posted by Fred on November 06, 2002 at 16:47:57:
I am currently rehabbing a brick end of group townhouse that is 50 years old. The roof has already been replaced. Everytime it rains water penetrates the outer brick wall and wets the interior plaster walls. A masonry contractor told me that over time brick becomes very porous and water will penetrate it. He wants to spray on a silicon sealer that he claims will last for 7-10 years. Has any one had a similar problem? Any insight would be appreciated.
Re: Waterproofing a brick townhouse - Posted by js-Indianapolis
Posted by js-Indianapolis on November 07, 2002 at 03:45:38:
I used own a concrete restoring and sealing business. One of the products we used was also used to seal brick. Exactly what you said, silicon sealer. They work great. 7-10 years sounds reasonable.
Now, you need to get some sort of guarantee that this is going to work, before paying for the work. When it comes to waterproofing, things are not always a simple fix. I know the contractor wants you to think that, but will he guarantee that?
We used Professional Water Sealant brand, out of Professional Products of Kansas. It stunk like all hell. The stinkier, the better, BTW. When you take the lid off, it should almost knock you over. You can buy it yourself at Curley’s masonry. It is actually sold in a thick enough formula that it can be used to graffiti proof a building.
If you cannot get this particular product, what you are looking for is really a simple product anyway. It’s basically solids (silicone), and a transport agent (water or oil). Most of these are pretty much mineral spirits and silicone. The thing to look for is the % of solids by volume. Is it 5% silicone, or 15% silicone? Just to give you an idea of what a good number is, we used something that was about 8% on concrete. Brick is more porous, so you would need something a little heavier. I think the graffiti proofing formula was the 15%. Might be overkill for your app, but it would last forever.
Hope this helps.