Brick Sealer

StoneCare4U Essential Brick Sealer enables someone with even the most limited DIY skills to keep their brickwork free from water and penetrating dampness. Importantly, the application could not be easier by paintbrush, sprayer or roller. It can be used as an exterior or interior brick sealer. It offers premium performance as a brick waterproofer to protect against damp penetration.

Our Essential Brick Sealer works by soaking into the microscopic porous voids and sealing from within. This helps create and guarantee a long term protective barrier to water, without changing the appearance of the brickwork to which it has been applied.

Exterior Or Interior Brick Sealer

Brick Sealer is formulated as a breathable, impregnating sealer with a ‘dry’ finish. In the vast majority of cases, the appearance of the brickwork to which it is applied will not be changed (always apply to a test area first).

Remember that everyday living and breathing ensures that moisture is always generated within a home. It is therefore essential that all sealers allow this moisture to escape.

Our product acts as a brick waterproofer and will penetrate inside the brickwork, sealing the open fissures and pinholes from within. The sealer is not exposed to the elements but is present within the bricks. Therefore, long-term protection is assured. In addition, the product is solvent-free, so there is no risk of potentially harmful fumes penetrating through walls.

Brick Waterproofer

Moisture penetration into brickwork can occur in properties of any age, so applying a brick waterproofer is often essential. In new buildings, this can be a reflection of poor materials, building practices or a combination of the two. On older properties, the bricks themselves have maybe become more porous over the years or the mortar between the joints has started to break down. With the UK having the oldest housing stock in Europe, it is not surprising that moisture problems in homes are increasing year on year. The effects of the moisture are usually easily identified. Sometimes a damp patch on an internal wall is visible. Also, flaking of paint or the peeling of wallpaper are tell-tale signs that moisture is present. Frequently people inhabiting the property are aware of musty or unpleasant odours, which are again signs that dampness is present.

Older properties with single skin walls are not the only ones to suffer from rain penetration. Problems can be found where cavity wall insulation or wall ties have been installed incorrectly. If either of these products has been poorly installed they create a ‘conduit’ enabling the damp to track its way between the outer and inner skin of the building.

Interior Brick Sealer Protects Against Damp

If you have a problem with damp on walls and are struggling to identify its source, it is also worth paying close attention to the roofline, i.e gutters, soffits and fascias. On numerous occasions, blocked gutters, leaking downpipes or poorly fitted brackets will lead to large amounts of rainwater spilling down the face brickwork.

If possible, it is essential to identify the source of any moisture penetration, prior to application of any sealer. Frequently rain, driven by strong winds gets between tiny gaps that have occurred as the mortar becomes brittle and shrinks. Certainly, mortar that generally appears in good condition often contains tiny shrinkage cracks between the bricks. These tiny cracks are all that is required to allow the rain to penetrate into walls, given the right weather conditions. Prior to application, any flaws or damage to the mortar must be repaired.

Brick Sealer Is Simple To Apply

The application is simple. If the walls show signs of any green or algae growth, pre-treat these first with StoneCare4U Algae Remover. This will remove the algae over a few days, without using a pressure cleaner, thereby avoiding more water being pumped into the walls. Once clean and dry, the brick sealer can be applied by sprayer or brush.

Firstly, apply a light ‘mist’ coat if a sprayer is used and then immediately afterwards apply a heavier coat to saturation. The light mist coat will allow the heavy coat to easily ‘key’ onto the surface. This will help avoid drips and runs that will waste material and lead to an inconsistent finish. It also ensures all pores and voids within the brickwork have been filled. The surface will be water repellent after 24 hours, with optimum protection reached after around 7 days. Because an impregnating sealer soaks into the substrate, a lifespan in excess of 5 years can be expected before another light coat of sealer should be applied.

Apply Brick Sealer Above 10°C

Importantly, although the product can be used throughout the year, try to avoid temperatures below 10°C. Only apply when realistically you would expect an external surface to dry. Avoid damp, cloudy days with no drying wind. Always remember that the surface needs to dry a few millimetres deep. Certainly, any moisture still present just below the surface will stop the product from penetrating correctly and reduce or neutralise its effectiveness.

Once the brick waterproofer has been applied, it is a highly effective repellent not just for rain, but any other liquid-based materials. This means that after application, the surface cannot be painted or rendered. With this in mind, it is important to point out that the sealer can only be applied to face brickwork, not a painted, rendered or pebble-dashed wall.

There are many different types and styles of brick on the market and they vary greatly in terms of porosity. This is important to take into account when trying to equate how many litres of the product might be required. Average coverage is between 4 – 6 m² per litre. On some very old properties, overall coverage might be reduced to around 3m² per litre because as brickwork gets older, it becomes more porous.

Further Benefits of Sealing

Another benefit of properly sealing walls is that dry walls transfer heat far more slowly than damp or wet walls. If other modern insulation techniques are also adopted, this can lead to a significant decrease in fuel bills. As the product contains no solvents or harmful chemicals, only basic safety wear, vapour mask, gloves and goggles need to be worn during application.  If overspray occurs or the sealer comes into contact with window frames or glass, this can be simply wiped away with clean water. This is the case whether it is used as an exterior or interior brick sealer.

Application tools such as sprayers or rollers can be simply cleaned or flushed through with clean water once the project has been completed. Again if any of the product came into contact with grass, plants etc., we would suggest rinsing with water.