Sealing/waterproofing brick

[Brian Shutter]

During the storms last night here in MN we had some major water leaks through the brick veneer on the front of our house. This isn't the first time this has happened--it seems to do this every time there is a wind driven rain, which makes sense. The water gets behind the brick and drips (read pours) into the house from the top of the windows.

Last year I sprayed the brick with some Behr silicone brick sealant and thought that this would help a little. It didn't seem to do anything at all.

I have another gallon of the sealant and am thinking about brushing this on instead of spraying hoping to get better coverage.

Anybody have any ideas? I'm not opposed to hiring someone to seal it for me but I really don't know where to look. Thanks.

Brian

PS The windows are new. We replaced them last year and caulked them like there was no tomorrow.

[Jim Becker]

I would suspect that if you are getting "water pouring into the house" during wind-driven rain, it's not coming through the brick, but through cracks and larger openings. Sounds like a caulk job...

[Tony Laros]

A driving rain can force water through mortar joints. If the mason did a good job of layering tar paper, and proper flashing over window lintels, water should make its way out through the weepholes. Check that weepholes aren't plugged, and inspect the mortar joints for any cracks. You may have to clean out mortar joints and repoint. Don't wait for the next storm, use a hose and a sprinkler to simulate a driving rain storm and do small sections of the wall, starting low and moving up, frequently checking inside for signs of water. This may give you a better clue of the area of penetration, and the possible fix. If you get water coming in when spraying above the window (and the windows are completely caulked) you may have a poor flashing job, which is a difficult & expensive fix. The main thing is to determine as much as possible where and under what conditions you get leaks, before you can figure out the solution. Sealing bricks, as far as I know, is a temporary solution.

[Lee Schierer]

I have to agree with Jim. The idea of water being pushed through a brick or mortar joint by the wind seems a little far fetched to me. It would take and immense amount of pressure to do that and if it IS happening then your bricks and mortar are in need of immediate replacement. Water will seep through some types of brick, but it takes days for that to happen.

I would look for a crack or gap above the windows or on the lentile. Most likely the water is running down the face of the brick and entering through an opening above or along the side of the windows where you are finding the water. I wouldn't wait long to find the problem as water soaked framing and insulation will soon lead to even bigger problems and larger repair costs.

[Chris Padilla]

Brian,

http://www.aldonchem.com/index.html is an EXCELLENT source for sealing all kinds of stone products. Their products work as advertised and I have been very happy with them. I only wish I had found them before doing damage to my fireplace stone but it turned out fine in the end.

Take your time and go through the website. It has a bit of a learning curve to take it all in but trust me that it is worth the time. Order samples...that is the best way to work with this stuff to see if it will help you out.

[Mark Singer]

I have designed many block and concrete buildings. The newer tech sealers are siloxines.They have molecules smaler than water and yet the block breathe , kind of like Gortex. Hydrozo and Sonnebourne White Rock WB are both very good.