exposed brickwork: sealant question

[tapir]

Hi all
We live in a farmers cottage, circa 1880 (or earlier, there's nothing on the deeds) that we're in the process of renovating. We've stripped back a lot of existing plaster that was covering a chimney breast, and the plan is ti keep this brickwork exposed, kind of as a feature. The whole thing will require repointing, as the lime mortar is falling out at the moment.

My question: will we need to apply any type of sealant on the brickwork? I know that there are silicone sealants amongst others, but I havent a clue what, if anything, should be applied.

Any thoughts or similar experiences are greatly appreciated

/t

 

[noseall]

in my experience of exposed brickwork as a feature, sand blasting has always been used as a "cleansing agent", to remove all unwanted material. some customers then wanted a re pointed finish, others were happy with the rugged look of the blasted brickwork.
the masonry would then be treated with a lacquer, either "wet look" or regular sealer.

 

[tapir]

Thanks noseall, helpful information.

I have no idea what sort of sealant I should apply, just for some reason I feel that I should leave the brickwork exposed and untreated. I meant to add in my initial post, this is all internal brickwork, so does not require protection from the elements.

 

[MerMer]

On an old building you should not be using a regular brick sealant because it blocks the pores of bricks and the walls cannot breath, which was the whole point of the wall having lime mortar in the first place.

If the sealant contains an acrylic or silicone then it is probably not suitable.

There are now some water repelleant products which might be much more suitable - because they allow evaporation. These products contain contain silanes, siloxanes, or a blend of these chemicals NOT silicone.

 

[Richard C]

Slightly different application as my large Inglenook chimney breast was in a new build. All I did was seal the exposed brickwork with 2 coats of PVA; this doesn’t affect the look of it at all but bonds the mortar & stops the dust sticking to the face of the bricks. All we used to do was vac the bricks with a brush attachment once a month or so to remove surface dust.