How to Stop Damp Penetrating Brickwork

Waterproof your brick walls with Stormdry, a colourless, breathable, water-repellent treatment for brick, concrete and stone walls. It's a deep penetrating cream that is applied to the wall surface using a roller or brush. Once Stormdry has been applied to the wall surface in a single coat and will permeate deeply before curing to form a water-repellent barrier for a BBA approved 25 years.

Typical applications for Stormdry include:

Protecting against penetrating damp (rain penetration)
Improving the thermal resistance of masonry by keeping it dry – verified by the Energy Saving Trust
Improving the performance of cavity wall insulation by protecting it from moisture
Improving flood resistance of masonry

Breathable and Long Lasting

Stormdry is based on carefully selected silanes and siloxanes which line the pores of the masonry to form a water-repellent silicone matrix. Because it works by lining the pores rather than blocking them the masonry is allowed to breathe and does not suffer from increased frost damage (spalling). Due to its novel formulation and deep penetration, Stormdry is resistant to UV light and other forms of degradation, resulting in a life expectancy of 20 – 30 years.

Deeply Penetrating

Stormdry is able to penetrate more deeply into masonry than traditional liquid-applied masonry water repellents. As well as increasing life expectancy this also improves Stormdry’s crack-bridging ability. As the diagram to the right shows, Stormdry is able to provide water-repellency beyond the depth of small cracks.

It should be noted that larger cracks will still need to be filled as part of the Stormdry treatment. Mortar lines may need to be repointed with a sand/cement or sand/lime mix incorporating Stormdry Repointing Additive.

Effective
Stormdry has been tested to BS EN ISO 15148:2002 (E), demonstrating its effectiveness on concrete, mortar, brick, and sandstone. The graph below shows that the water uptake for Stormdry treated samples was considerably lower than for untreated samples:

As Stormdry is formulated to penetrate deeply into masonry it can take up to two months after application for a noticeable “beading effect” to appear when rainfall strikes the wall. However, Stormdry is resistant to rain after just 12 hours.

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[kubhlaikhan]

I used a similar product on a Victorian house more than 20 years ago and the problem is still solved. Amazing stuff. It also stopped the brick surface weathering. I just wish more people understood how good it is and stopped wasting so much money on avoidable scaffolding and brickwork or ineffective internal replastering.

[captainsparrow]

i have worked with with these products for 7 years now.. its actually what they class as nano technology. Once applied onto brickwork or stonework the nano particles sink into the substrate and provide a protective barrier.. aswell as not allowing water to penetrate it also provides thermal efficiency, brethability and also is self cleaning due to the moisture repelling properties in the product. Awesome product.

[darrellheald]

Have used this product i had cavity wall insulation which had broken down allowing penetrating damp instead of spending 6k to have it removed I used this product, it worked brilliantly if you throw water at the wall it beads off and does not penetrate although it is expensive £120 for 5 L but it is BBA approved and is warranted to last at least 25 years good vid as always Roger

[davidschenck]

About six years ago I had water coming in round two windows. I replaced several bricks that were spalled, did some re pointing and sealed round the windows with CT1. Still the water was getting in so I did some research and found Stormdry. It is very expensive, I think it cost me around £300 to do the whole side of my house. I did it myself in a few hours and really pleased to say it does work. I would definitely recommend it.

[johnf]

I have used silicone based liquid to waterproof brickwork on chimneys, roof tiles and below dpc. There are 2 types: water and spirit based. The water based was a pain to get on as you had to work to get the brick 'wetted'. The spirit based went in like blotting paper so I always use that. Your product looks very interesting

[isctony]

Interesting product, could be useful in some situations, especially in money saving situations. The real crux here seems to be that this grade 2 building was clearly originally lime pointed, you can see it in the b roll shot and at the front where the pointing has failed, has been pointed with cement. Get that off, repoint with lime and the failure of the bricks will be greatly reduced, moisture escaping that wall will be using the bricks causing deterioration as the cement is to impervious.

[rogerthedodger]

I've had a problem of water penetrating the roof space. The builder decided after doing everything that the bricks were porous on our 1820 chimney. Rain was soaking into the bricks and exiting in the roof where a wooden beam touched it. Stormdry24 absolutely solved the issue 100% ... It really is amazing stuff. It's meant to last 25 years with one coat. I gave it two anyway as I might as well use up the 3 litre tub. It's expensive at £80, but as the builders and scaffolding costing me £1300 its dead cheap.
Ps yes I too noticed the cement pointing rather than lime mortar on the video. Who the heck does that!

[MOPARdave]

have the patience of a Saint! I cannot believe some of the attitude on display here!

[danbrett]

I have a 150 year old cottage built from Norfolk reds, I have many problems with penetrating damp. This is absolutely fantastic, thanks Rodge, always watching this Chanel for the best tips and tricks. Keep up the good work!

[pinarellolimoncello]

Keep up the good work Roger, there is no end to how much people can add to their skill and knowledge base, and lets face it, its in short supply at times. Builders need to be encouraged to engage their brains more as well, is the greatest gift we've all been given as well as working on fair levels of disclosure.

[davidhoy]

Good old boy, it’s good to see a practical professional.x

[ruddyuddy]

Hi roger.. great tip!
Can you paint on top of this stuff?

[JamesBond-wysb]

Fantastic videos you post here, I watch every one. I only wish I could find builders as good as you lot. My last builders were so crap I had to undo what they did and ended up doing it myself, with help from YouTube videos like this. One guy invoiced me £5000 for some steels which I found out cost him £500!!! Beware of builder's trying to rip you off! Or like me never trust anyone again and do it yourself.

[richardkirton]

I’d be inclined to rake out that cement mortar repoint job and put lime back.

[davidbarnett]

Good vid and advice
What would you recommend to seal internal brickwork to stop dust

[michaelbanfield]

should have been repointed in lime soft red bricks and had waterproof cement doesn't work. Soft red bricks absorb water if pointed with lime as some of the originals on the wall seem to be higher up the water absorbed by the soft red bricks evaporates through the lime mortar (the original mortar) the lime mortar may well need repainting at some stage the problems occur when it is repointed with 'waterproof' hard cement. In the winter when the bricks get wet the cement mortar largely stops the moisture escaping and in freezing temperatures the water freezes blowing the faces (spalling) off some of the bricks. The cement mortar can also develop small cracks which draw water into the wall by capillary action. That wall has been repointed with the wrong material. You can see it sometimes on old walls on bridges in the countryside over small rivers where they have been repointed with cement instead of lime over years the faces of the bricks spell and crack much worse than they would otherwise and recede to the point where only the cement mortar remains outstanding, clearly making the point as this does not happen to anywhere near the same
extent with lime mortar. Lime mortar allows the evaporation of moisture from the wall and so results in massively fewer spelled or damaged bricks. The mortar itself is soft ish and allows for movement too but may need to be redone over time but saves the majority of the faces of the bricks. It's easy enough to research. Stops any damp problems on the inside then too.

[alanhodgson]

One other issue is that the inside of the wall has been painted with modern emulsion. Limewash would allow the wall to breathe from the inside out. The emulsion has most likely sealed the inside allowing the damp to work in from the outside. I am assuming that modern plaster has not been applied to the wall beforehand. Lime plaster allows the wall to breathe.

[Whos_boots_are_those_shoes]

The biggest problem you've got there is cement pointing over lime mortar. It's a big no no as lime mortar needs to breathe and the cement won't let it. It's generally the main cause of damp in older houses well that and blocked drainpipes

[tamaravogl]

Such a great channel! Always so informative and helpful. I was wondering, what is the best way to clean the bricks prior to application?

[mrsc]

Can't speak highly enough about storm dry. It still allowed my lovely old stone home to breath but kept the water out.