Sealing Exposed Brick.....?
Hello,
I am just finishing a fabulous rehab of a century and a half-old rowhome. I am now looking into sealing the brick that I left exposed in certain areas of the home.
Has anyone ever done this?
I have looked at many home, restaurants etc with exposed brick and they all seem to NOT be sealed. But I would like to prevent any "brick or mortar dust" from releasing into the home. What do you guys think?
I do not believe there is a specific formula for sealing brick.
Thanks in advance!!!
Gino, I have never heard of anybody sealing a brick wall, I haven't ever heard of anybody having issues with brick or mortar dust either. I would recommend to leave it alone, that there is no problem unless somebody comes up with a different take on this.
I HAVE HEARD OF PEOPLE SEALING BRICK FOR WATERPROOFING OR MOITURE REASONS BUT TO SEAL IT FOR BRICK AND MOTOR DUST IS A WASTE OF MONEY YOU CAN SEAL YOIUR BRICK BUT DUST WILL NEVER BE AN ISSUE
These guys are right, but I get the sense you are talking from a decorator's point of view. That is, this is an interior location and it appears untidy and even dusty, and you can probably crumble the mortar from it.
Here's the deal:
It's an interior wall so you can do whatever you want to with it. Paint it. Seal it, etc. I remember PPG Industries had a clear (varnish like) sealer to use on wood prior to staining. It was oil-based. If I were in your shoes I'd be thinking of something like that. In fact, you can just apply a coat of polyurethane varnish to the brick. Use either gloss or satin, whichever you like. That's probably the kind of sealing you are talking about.
Hey Gino, I recently completed a rehab of a 120 yr old two-flat where we also exposed brick in some of the living areas. After doing this on several projects, here is the way to do it and have it look great when you are done:
Get a wire brush that screws onto an extension pole (home depot has them, same size as reg. scrub brush), work it over entire surface to remove all extra loose material. Sweep it down with a broom, then get oil or water based poly (same as for your floors) and put it in a large pump-sprayer. Dont waste your time trying to use brushes, the sprayers are waaayyy faster, they work good for water proofing decks too.. good luck
[addsig]
I'm unsure if this applies to interior walls, but I know exterior brick, stone, mortor or other types should not be sealed/painted. Waterproofed is ok but the brick needs to be able to "breathe" and allow for moisture to escape. Just got done talking to a masonry regarding replacing a large number of bricks and we talked awhile about the painted sandstone with the face of it coming off.