Common Problems
The porous (sponge-like) nature of most brick, stucco, or other concrete surfaces requires protection from moisture intrusion. Moisture intrusion can lead to freeze/ thaw damage, which can lead to costly structural repairs. Moisture intrusion also has the potential to do concealed damage to interior walls, promoting mildew growth as well as damage to interior finishes. Moisture intrusion also occurs through cracks, around windows, at the foundation line, and other surface joints.We see continued use of primers and sealers that repeatedly fail, yet are still widely used.
One common failure relates to the application of inexpensive block filler to seal lightweight and “split-faced” concrete block buildings. We have observed numerous failures of this coating system when moisture vapors and water intrusion softens the block filler, leading to a loss of adhesion of the entire coating system.
The high alkalinity of most masonry surfaces requires specialized primers or sealers prior to the application of any coating system. Failure of the basecoat can lead to long-terml coatings problems, many times with significant costs.
Better Solutions
We like OKON SILOXANE/ACRYLIC EMULSION SEALERS for this type of project. The Siloxane chemically reacts to bond with the concrete, creating a permanent barrier against water intrusion. These coatings are the only system we have found to truly be long-lasting protection for this type of project.
On some dense unpainted brick, smooth horizontal concrete, and most stucco, we like a pigmented Elastomeric masonry sealer as the foundation coat. These sealers are designed to withstand the high alkalinity present in most brick, concrete and stucco surfaces.
These sealers serve as our products of choice as the foundation coat for a 100%ACRYLIC finish coat or an Elastomeric Coating System.
We have primer/caulking/coating combinations to consider for a wide range of possible existing surface conditions. Please contact us for more specific information for your project.
If you simply want to seal and protect brick without painting, we have solutions based on specific project requirements. Please contact us.