Damage bricks

[Londoner2]

All,

Got some damaged bricks, the only product that will do the job is u-can brick repair (old product not available) or teh expensive Stonelux or https://steadfastspl.com/product/total-wall-care-brick-repair/

Are there any other products out there which is cheaper as i only need a small amount, i dont really wanna get morter, dyes, etc and start mixing as want to keep this as easy as possible.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Just get the Stonelux. I filled various drill holes in our house a couple of years ago, I've got no idea where as I can't find them any more. It's not cheap but it's good value.

Anything dyed will fade and turn pink. Stonelux is made from powdered brick in a clear glue. £20-odd including delivery but your house won't look terrible, anything else probably will.

 

[opps]

A friend of mine is the best brick pointer I have ever come across. Bricks that don't warrant being removed, he faces with sand/cement, then uses Everbuild mortar dye mixed with water and PVA to "paint" the cement. It works very well, particularly on red rubber bricks. From memory, a one litre tub of powdered dye is just over a tenner. You can find suppliers who sell smaller quantities on Amazon etc.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

We had a house with a concrete slab outside that had been dyed brick red. A few decades later, it's strawberry milkshake pink. I'm sure it looked lovely when first done, but it doesn't stand the test of time.

Dye fades over time. Plus it only dyes the cement slurry. Over time this weathers away, leaving you looking at the undyed sand particles. For exactly the same reason undyed mortar starts off grey then turns beige, as the cement wears off the surface.

Stonelux doesn't just look like brick, it's made from real bricks, ground to powder.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I once tried making my own brick filler, using an orangey tile grout mixed with brick dust and a little coal dust. It looked OK, but was definitely visible if you were looking for it. The orange will probably bleach in the sun too, as it's also just a dye.

 

[Londoner2]

Was thinking of getting soudal express repair red x 2, squeeze out into a paste then fill and smooth out with a scraper and brush off with water.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I used their grey version to fill the many screw holes in my pointing. It's OK stuff, I did see a number of bad reviews saying it had set in the tube so check the date printed on it when you pick it up.

Whether it matches depends on their version of brick red and what of many colours your bricks are. Perhaps buy one tube and try it somewhere out of the way first. But it's probably dyed so may turn pink in a few years, which Stonelux won't.

It's quite stiff, so cut the nozzle a fair way back.

This and Stonelux are water-based acrylic. So if the surface is damp that's a good thing. I blew an air pump into the holes then brushed out with water about half an hour before use. Nothing sticks to dust.

 

[Londoner2]

I used their grey version to fill the many screw holes in my pointing. It's OK stuff, I did see a number of bad reviews saying it had set in the tube so check the date printed on it when you pick it up.

Whether it matches depends on their version of brick red and what of many colours your bricks are. Perhaps buy one tube and try it somewhere out of the way first. But it's probably dyed so may turn pink in a few years, which Stonelux won't.

It's quite stiff, so cut the nozzle a fair way back.

This and Stonelux are water-based acrylic. So if the surface is damp that's a good thing. I blew an air pump into the holes then brushed out with water about half an hour before use. Nothing sticks to dust.

ok, however the trick to get the contents out of the tube is to place it in hot water for 10 mins, i used the beige colour tube for morter repair, placed in the hot sun for a few hours and it came out just fine, it does dry quick in warmer temps.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I remember now, I used a spray bottle full of water to rise out the holes before filling. Give it time to soak/dry away after, you want it damp but obviously not full of water.