The previous owners of my home sandblasted the brick exterior, and now it's spalling. In some cases I've pulled off pieces as large as the bricks themselves. I applied a water sealant on one side of the house about 2 years ago, and it seems to have stopped the spalling on that side. I'd like to treat the other side, as it's now in rough shape as well. What can I do to prevent the spalling? I'd like to apply more sealant, but I'm not sure if that's the best option, or what type I should use. If sealant is the way to go, what type should I be looking for? I've seen suggestions for a silane/siloxane type of sealant. Any suggestions are really appreciated!

Hi, I recently took out a shrub next to my exterior concrete steps (6) and the side looks bad - years ago some paint was applied that is flaking so I took a power washer and cleaned up the side. My plan was to paint the side before planting a new shrub. While cleaning up the side, I took the washer to the steps and landing as well, they certainly look better but the concrete has been patched in the past, aggregate is showing in places & it is a bit uneven. So I was thinnking of going the full monty - do the steps themselves. My neighbor painted his steps a few summers ago and while it looked good for awhile, it is flaking now and a bit slick. Now he does things on the cheap, I doubt he cleaned it beforehand but still, I'm wondering if paint is the way to go. If it is suggested, besides powerwashing the steps, should I do anything else? Are there concrete primers, etc.? Another option is earlier this summer I built a concrete walkway around the house and I used a powder stain mixed with the wet concrete to give it a different appearance. It turned out well and I have a bunch of the stain left over. Can the stain somehow be applied to old concrete (probably 60 years old) with decent results? I'd then seal it but I'm wondering if I'll get any sort of results. In several years we are going to do an addition on the house, these steps will be removed. So whatever I do doesn't have to be permanent, 3-5 years life would be fine. Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks! Bob