It could be so, so beautiful, and the wife would be happy...

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robertn84

robertn84

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I want to seal an old, exposed chimney to bring out the brick's beauty.

What is the best sealant product to give it that "wet" look? I want little to no gloss. I have a bucket of 100% acrylic from Menard's but read that can blister (at least in an exterior application). Also there is a white spot missing a brick. It is very, very flakey. Should I refill this in with newer masonry?

It was previously covered in plaster that we chiseled off. I have scrubbed it with dish soap.

Viewable here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8ewTVsrutKKUFl2LW83UksyYkU

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8ewTVsrutKKUFl2LW83UksyYkU
 
You can find vintage brick, but I don't have a source I can point to. It looks like that hole;e is filled with mortar, so if that's the case, you'll have to chisel it out to a proper depth and fit the brick in. It also appears that the bricks on either side of the hole aren't original - don't know if that matters to you.
If you don't have some amount of gloss, then what's going to give it the "wet look"?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-1-gal-Wet-Look-Sealer-98501/202263927
 
A little unconventional I suppose but I used clear Leak Seal. It's the Rust-Oleum equivalent of Flex Seal. I sprayed it on the brick fairly heavy in a small area at a time, then used a regular paint brush to work it in to the brick until it went away. Then did another area. When dry you couldn't tell there was anything on the brick other than it had a clean new look to it. The brick's color came out similar to putting finish on wood. Well maybe not that dramatic, but you get the idea. It's been on there a couple years now and looks like the day I did it. I have another chimney I plan to do the same thing to this year.
 
Gary said:
A little unconventional I suppose but I used clear Leak Seal. It's the Rust-Oleum equivalent of Flex Seal. I sprayed it on the brick fairly heavy in a small area at a time, then used a regular paint brush to work it in to the brick until it went away. Then did another area. When dry you couldn't tell there was anything on the brick other than it had a clean new look to it. The brick's color came out similar to putting finish on wood. Well maybe not that dramatic, but you get the idea. It's been on there a couple years now and looks like the day I did it. I have another chimney I plan to do the same thing to this year.
Click to expand...
Sounds interesting. But there are products on the market to seal brick already. Some, like the one I used on my chimney, sprayed on and became invisible.
Perhaps the OP can buy or find a few used bricks and test a few products before doing his project.
 
Great idea with finding an old brick to test it out. I have a few old bricks that could fill in the spot if I decide to chip it out.

I will concede the point that there will have to be some gloss to achieve the wet look. When I scrubbed it with the dish soap and water, it darkened the brick and took away the haze of the old plaster. That's what I mean when I want it to look "wet". I've been looking at a lot of "before and after" shots to gauge what it might look like.

I have read online and a lot of the products out there for this are 100% acrylic. It seems that the acrylic can hold up in an interior application (out of the sun). That's what I'm leaning towards right now. I might take the bucket of random, Menard's acrylic back and opt for the Behr.
 
slownsteady said:
Sounds interesting. But there are products on the market to seal brick already. Some, like the one I used on my chimney, sprayed on and became invisible.
Perhaps the OP can buy or find a few used bricks and test a few products before doing his project.
Click to expand...

According to the label on the can, Leak Seal is also recommended for concrete & masonry and a list of other surfaces.
 
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I agree raw brick work can be quite beautiful. Keep in mind though that brickwork was never intended by the bricklayer to be shown off. They never struck the joints or used the quality of brick that would be shown off. The intent was always to cover it in plaster and make it blend to the room.

Nothing wrong with showing it off though. I would just clean it and leave it. Looks nice like it is to me.
 
robertn84 said:
Gary could you post a picture?
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of the way the roofers did the flashing, but it's on the back side of the house, so I'm probably the only one it bothers. The cap was just patched together after the tornado, in this photo. I've since replaced it and installed a new liner when I replaced the furnace last fall.

Kitchen Chimney.jpg
 
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Gary said:
I'm not a fan of the way the roofers did the flashing, but it's on the back side of the house, so I'm probably the only one it bothers. The cap was just patched together after the tornado, in this photo. I've since replaced it and installed a new liner when I replaced the furnace last fall.
Click to expand...

Geez... they used cut down dripedge, and no let-in to the mortar joints. That's gonna fail sooner than later unfortunately. Not to mention it doesn't look all that nice. Hope they dont do that for everyone...
 
inspectorD said:
Geez... they used cut down dripedge, and no let-in to the mortar joints. That's gonna fail sooner than later unfortunately. Not to mention it doesn't look all that nice. Hope they don't do that for everyone...
Click to expand...

Oh it's in the mortar and in the brick. They cut a slot through it all with a masonry saw. It won't leak, but it looks terrible to me. I had nice step flashing in the mortar joints and it was nearly unnoticeable from the ground. I didn't see this until after the fact or I would have stopped them.
And yes, from what I've gathered, that's their S.O.P.
 
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I agree with inspector, straight line flashing has a greater tendency of failure than step counter flashing. More of an issue is where is the bottom apron flashing? They put shingles over where it should show. If its nailed, they've compromised the flashing. I've never seen any details from any mfg that shows putting shingles over apron flashing.
 
oldognewtrick said:
I agree with inspector, straight line flashing has a greater tendency of failure than step counter flashing. More of an issue is where is the bottom apron flashing? They put shingles over where it should show. If its nailed, they've compromised the flashing. I've never seen any details from any mfg that shows putting shingles over apron flashing.
Click to expand...

I saw it after the fact, so it is what it is at this point. Wasn't my idea, but it's my problem. I believe they put step flashing under the shingles & then used this stuff to make a cap over the step flashing, cap doesn't go under the shingles. They did a chimney a couple houses down the same way. It's ugly on that house too.
 
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