Waterproofing Brick

Water is entering through porous mortar of my first floor brick wall producing leaks in our basement; it runs down between the brick and tyvek/plywood. The brick and mortar is "new construction" (approximately 3 years old).

Is there an exterior brick waterproofing product that you would recommend which will last for 20+ years and leave a natural finish (no sheen)?


Thank you for your time,
tfhdo97

 

A "waterproof" sealer is only a band-aid.

It sounds like you may have an incorrectly built wall. A brick veneer over concrete block or wood should have flashing under the primary waterproofing layer (Tyvek in your case).

The brick should have weeps at the bottom to allow the moisture stopped by the Tyvek to to exit. The brick should also have some vents near the top of the wall to provide a vent and equalize pressure.

Your builder did not do it right! The details and priciples have been around for hundreds of years and that is why brick is preferred for a quality wall.

A "magic 20 year sealer" will help but will have to be recoated frequently.

As an alternate, you may look for other points of moisture penetration above or level with the water appearance. Also check any openings like doors and windows. Correcting any other problem will minimize the moisture.

Dick

 

Thompson waterseal will help but it must be recoated from time to time, it barely changes the look of the brick. To work it must be applied liberally - the brick and mortar must be saturated with the sealer.

I agree with Dick that a well built brick wall shouldn't have leakage. I would carefully check for any missing mortar or openings that should be caulked. Applying waterseal should be the last step/resort.

 

Any and every masonry wall will leak. The devil is in the details, as ConcreteMasonry has said. The wall must be flashed to allow water that enters to leave the wall. Any sealer you put on the wall is good for 5-10 years maximum and will NOT solve problems involving cracks or poor flashing details.