help Question about fixing up brick.
Is this something I can possibly fix myself? And what will stop this from occurring in the future? Is this why it looks like the brick was painted at one point? I'm guessing the salt and harsh winters aren't helping.
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u/Ctrl_Alt_History 1d ago
Recently helped a friend with that. It's 100% moisture. Out my meter on it (yes, shoved the probes into the soft brick) and had 45% with no rain in the previous 4 days. Bricks hold moisture, and being right there at the asphalt, it probably gets alot of splash. u/ARenovator is spot on, again, the advice column.
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u/Away-Revolution2816 23h ago
We had the same problem where I worked, four buildings all covered walkways. The de-icer use in winter caused ours.
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u/ARenovator 1d ago
Google the term "brick spalling".
To prevent it, you need to apply a penetrating hydrophobic sealer that will stop water absorption. If there is no water within the brick to freeze, it cannot blow the face off said brick.
Personally, I like silane-siloxane for this job. Lasts a minimum of five years between applications, but you really should get a decade of protection.
You can glue the damaged stuff back on, but it will be purely cosmetic.