Q&A /

How To Repair Mortar With Caulk

The mortar in this brick wall can exist repaired with caulk, but realize there will be color issues and information technology'south not permanent. ©2017 Tim Carter

How To Repair Mortar With Caulk

Dearest TIM: My ten-year-old house developed some cosmetic cracks in the mortar. I got some bids to accept tuck-pointing work done and nearly gagged when I looked at the cost.

I'g wondering about using a special caulk I plant that's made to repair mortar joints. Information technology contains fine sand so it's textured and the color matches my mortar.

I did a exam in a small surface area and am really satisfied with the appearance. It seems also good to be true.

Is this caulk the Holy Grail of mortar repair? What could possibly go wrong? Aaron W., Prosper, TX

DEAR AARON: I'k deplorable to hear about this issue with your mortar.

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Cracks Since Twenty-four hours I

I wonders if these tiny cracks haven't been there since the day the business firm was congenital, peculiarly if the brick was laid during a blistering hot stretch of weather condition. Hot, windy weather condition is the worst time to do any masonry or physical work as the water leaves the mortar and concrete too fast.

Rain & Current of air = Bad JuJu

You should be concerned with the small cracks considering wind-driven rain readily enters brick walls. Information technology always has, fifty-fifty old brick buildings constructed decades ago.

Sometime builders and masons knew almost this water infiltration and used different types of brick in solid masonry walls.

Soft Inner Brick

The inner layers of brick hidden past the outer face brick and the interior wall finishes were made with a softer brick that could blot lots of water. These brick were non fired equally long in the kiln and the kiln temperature was not equally hot.

Yous can often recognize these softer brick by their color. They're nearly always have a very orange cast and crack with ease.

Back & Forth

The h2o would enter the brick every bit the storm lashed the sides of the building with rain. Each raindrop smashed into the brick and mortar and the wind force per unit area shoved the water into the wall similar football players endeavor to shove a fellow team fellow member over the goal line.

As each raindrop crashed into the wall, information technology pushed the h2o from the previous raindrop deeper into the brick wall.

This water would and so go dorsum outside equally soon equally the tempest was over. The sunshine and breeze would suck the h2o out of the brick walls faster than a tumbleweed skitters beyond Texas rangeland in a windstorm.

Long-Lasting Mortar

Before we discuss your magic caulk discovery, let's talk about the permanence of brick mortar. What would you say if I told y'all that your bricklayers could have used a mortar that'south been in employ for over iv,000 years and is still in great status?

What would you say if this mortar had the ability to heal itself and repair tiny cracks in some cases? I knew you'd exist interested.

If your bricklayers had used hydrated lime mixed with the sand instead of regular mason's mortar mix, you'd probably not need this caulk you lot discovered.

hydrated lime

This is fantabulous hydrated lime. It's a fine white pulverisation and it'south going to await neat on your home. CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER SOME Correct NOW.

Hydrated lime is a building product that'due south apace slipping from history to legend to myth, but like the golden band in J.R.R. Tolkien'southward book The Lord of the Rings. I'm doing my best to ensure the wonders of lime mortar continue to live on and on.

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Soft vs. Hard

Let'south talk nigh this caulk. I've not used information technology, merely realize that no caulk, no affair what information technology contains, could ever equal the lifespan of a lime mortar. When you mix hydrated lime with water information technology transforms dorsum into limestone.

Mor-Flex Caulk

This is the magic caulk that Aaron tested on his home. Y'all can really SEE this caulk in the photograph above of Aaron'southward brick wall. He lucked out in that the mortar color and caulk color are nearly identical. Only for how long? CLICK Hither NOW TO ORDER THIS CAULK IF YOU Desire TO Attempt IT.

Nosotros all know how long-lasting limestone tin can be as many of our Federal buildings and monuments are faced with this durable stone. Sand, which is zip more than than tiny pieces of rock, make up the remainder of the mortar.

Punishing UV Low-cal

The chemicals used to brand the caulk undoubtedly will succumb to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. Information technology may take a decade or ii, but the sun'due south UV rays are then powerful they tin can pause atomic bonds of metals.

The lord's day's UV rays breaking apart a flexible caulk would be similar you trying to tear apart a wet paper towel.

Colour Fade

I'd also be concerned most the color fastness of the caulk. It may match your mortar now, but volition the color pigments in the caulk exist able to withstand the UV rays in two, four or x years?

If the color does fade, then what do you do then?

One Color

Another outcome with the caulk is it produces a monochromatic colour. In other words the caulk, one time dry, is ane color. Fresh mortar has this same one-color advent when it's new because the cement or lime paste is blanket the tiny pieces of sand in the mortar.

Mortar Multi Mini Color Blend

But Mother Nature wears off this ultra-thin paste from the sand in a few years and and then you start to see the individual colors of the grains of sand. If the mortar you don't coat with the caulk starts to conditions more than and more than, will it soon not match the caulk? At that place are just so many unknowns.

Come Unglued?

What well-nigh long-term adhesion? The chemistry of caulk is that of glue. Caulks are in the glue and adhesive family.

The caulk may work really well at present and develop a tenacious bail with the mortar. What kind of mess might yous take on your hands v or ten years from now if the bail fails?

Some Keen Caulks

In all fairness, I've seen some very high-quality commercial-class caulks used to fill expansion joints on large outside brick walls. Some still is looking skillful after a decade. Just realize that mortar that'southward installed correctly tin terminal hundreds and hundreds of years with no care.

H2o Repellent Cure

At that place may be some other solution to your trouble. You may exist able to spray onto the brick and mortar a clear water repellent that'south got a very loftier solids content. It's possible the liquid may dry and do a corking job of repelling most of the h2o that you're worried almost.

silane - siloxane water repellent

This is a magnificent silane - siloxane water repellent that soaks into concrete. CLICK THIS Paradigm NOW TO ORDER IT.

I can tell you that I'd spend hours and hours researching clear water repellents and doing your due diligence to see what other users have experienced.

It would exist infinitely easier to spray on a liquid than to caulk the thousands of feet of mortar joints on your home. Here'due south hoping yous're able to locate that magic liquid should it exist!

CLICK Hither to go Complimentary & FAST BIDS from local handymen that tin caulk your brick or apply a water repellent.

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