I power washed the outside brick of my garage to get all the dirt and mold off and now I'm wondering does it need to be sealed somehow or is it ok as is? Silly question but everywhere else I lived was vinyl or brick and the climate was'nt like it is here so I didn't have the mold/mildew problem. Also is there someting I can put on it to slow it down? Thanks.

 

Thompson makes a water seal that can be applied to bricks and masonery. I thinks its purpose is to seal out water which can cause damage in freezing weather as well as aid in preventing mildew. I don't know if anything really helps to prevent mildew except dry air and sunshine, something the north side of most houses don't get enough of.

 

I've used something from Lowes called Enterprise waterseal. It makes the water bead right up and not soak into the mortar joints.

 

I have used latex based sealer on concrete block before. There is a difference between sealer for brick and for concrete.

 

Thanks for the replies, going to head out this weekend and see what I can find though it to cold now to apply, guess I'll have a spring project to do. Thanks again.

 

Realizing that this is probably way to late to help wdsmithjr, maybe someone else will learn from my neighbor's mistake. Several years ago, when I lived in Dallas, my neighbor sealed his brick in the hopes that is would stop its slow disintegration (the brick was one of those Mexican imports, not a quality brick such as Acme).

The result of his efforts was just the opposite of what he had hoped. Apparently, the sealing worked all but too well, preventing moisture from behind the brick from venting to the outside. The result was severe spalling of the surface of the brick when the moisture trapped inside froze during the next winter.

>pfc