Spalling Red Brick Sealant

Hi,

I have an outside wall where some of the old red bricks are beginning to flake and disintegrate.

The bricks are about 1 to 2 meters off the ground and there are no obvious signs of damp.

Can anyone recommend a breathable sealant they've tried which works?

Thanks

Spalling can happen for a number of reasons. If the area is often 'splashed' as with a roadside wall, you can protect it with masonry cream. I've used Bostik in the past. Permaguard is another. They're expensive, but they're better than Thompson's in that they 'bridge' small cracks. They also let the brickwork breathe.
Check that your soft red brick wall hasn't been repointed with a hard cement mortar. If it has, you're fighting a losing battle. Hydraulic lime is your best friend!

Ok, many thanks. I'll look in to these and see what I can get hold of.

The mortar is original I believe. Well, so far as it isn't cement mortar and is soft and has a light colour so suspect it is lime from the original build.

All wall damp treatments in this context are repellants not sealants, so are inherently breathable. The major difference is the longevity, as they are affected by UV.

They don't tend to work as a long term fix for frost damaged bricks, as the brick can absorb moisture from the cavity behind and adjacent parts of the wall.