How to seal very damp interior brick feature wall?

[chrislaidler]

have a store room ,half ,below ground level ,brick feature, have removed midew, tried silicone sealer on morter,

painted 3 times over 10 years.how do i seal brick work, and what product should i use, THANKYOU.

[EricL]

Hello @chrislaidler 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your storeroom. 

Water coming in from the other side of the brick wall creates a phenomenon called hydrostatic pressure. Water technically passes through the brick and pushes off any substance that has been painted onto the surface of the brick. Technically the soil surrounding your storeroom must be removed and the wall sealed using Gripset Betta 1L Waterproofing Membrane Bitumen Rubber. This will prevent water from travelling through the brick and will stop condensation and dampness from happening inside the room.

Painting or using silicone from inside the storeroom will not be effective. I suggest looking at the Sika 10kg Sikalastic Waterproof Membrane as a possible alternative in stopping water from coming through the brick wall. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

Hi @chrislaidler,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. 

I trust you found Eric's advice helpful. 

Let me tag experienced members @TedBear and @Nailbag to see if they can also share their thoughts.

Jason

[Nailbag]

Hi @chrislaidler 

Just as @EricL has advised, this is an issue thats been caused externally, so that where it needs to be addressed. The best solution is to dig a trench and clean the brickwork. Then fasten blue-board to the external wall. Paint this with a bitumen membrane like the one Eric linked. This time last year I worked on a property with exactly the same scenario where the client had a semi-underground gym. I assisted a couple of plumbing mates of mine applying the same process I just mentioned. Then also ran agi-pipe system along the wall face as an extra precaution.

Nailbag