Sealing brick

There is another product out there that I read about several years ago in one of the trade magazines. I can't remember the name of it and have been trying to do so for a couple of months.

The way it works is that you brush it on any cement, brick, block, etc. surface and as the moisture contacts it, something inside it activates and causes a chemical reaction where the molecules infiltrate through the area to form a watertight barrier. It was mentioned as being used for wet basements, walls, chimneys, etc.

If anyone knows the name of the product, please let me know. I have a wet wall that I want to try it on!>>>

I looked at a house last year that showed moisture coming through the brick at the upstairs wall ceiling area. The chimney flashings look good, they were fairly new. The homeowner wanted us to seal the brick. We used Thompson's Water Seal. I wasn't real confident that we were doing any good but we did it any way. I just got a call from him a couple of days ago saying he was noticing the same thing. The more I think about it the more I think that it has to do with moisture originating from the furnace. The furnace is a few years old and I suspect that the chimney needs a liner to keep the moisture away from the old brick chimney. The newer high efficiency furnaces often require this. I advised him to look into that angle. Here in the north where the winters get cold I see a lot of "leaks" that are actually related to internal moisture and this sounds like a likely cause.>>>

Chimney's SUX! lol>>>

Sealing masonry is never a good idea unless used as a last resort. What happens over a short period of time is any sealant will begin to fail or the masonry will open up allowing water to penetrate. Now that the outer surface is still mostly watertight, the water can freeze in the Wintertime and spall the brick. The Brick institute supports this recommendation. To solve masonry chimney issues, the mortar joints should be tuckpointed if bad, crack bricks should be replaced and at the worst, you could install a cementitious coating. Installing a stainless steel chimney cap will eliminate maintenance on the mortar cap. >>>

Hi Chris,

So you do not believe the brick itself absorbs water from the outside? >>>

I used to ve able to post pics, but the rules seem to have changed along with the new 'improvements'. [img width=100 /]http://www.myfamily.com/exec/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/eUvbAI/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZYOX/propertyname/Original/~/100_0474.jpg[img]>>>