Spalling bricks on house

modelreject

We have spalling bricks at the front of our house. We live in east Belfast in a semi detached 1930's house. Does anyone know of a company who makes these old style bricks to order or know of where I could get some second/third hand?

Many thanks,
C

PS Solid wall house

Artytarty

Have you thought about removing the spalling layers and repointing then rendering the house?
That would stop further deterioration. Even if you were to get reclaimed bricks wouldnt it be an awful job to replace the existing ones?
You can get some very effective external insulation with special panels that way too, since you cant have cavity wall infill. I've seen it done and it looks very smart but maybe you want to keep the brickwork exposed.

modelreject

I want to keep the brickwork and external insulation is way too expensive. There is the issue of letting the bricks breath too as it is an old property.

Artytarty

True, true.
I am quite surprised it 1930's and solid wall construction. Was that still common practice?
Mine is 1929 and cavity wall .
Sorry cant be of more help but I think we have a couple of surveyor types on this board. maybe 12xyp or ADLI (something likethat!) will be along, they always seem quite knowledgeable about property matters.

Golden_Anemone

I had this problem on my last house - a 1950s terrace. The walls were cavity walls but the bricks were solid clay bricks and the spalling was caused because they soaked up water and then in frosty weather the water expanded and so the surface of the bricks flaked off.

The solution was first, to coat the surface of the brickwork with 2 coats of waterproofing solution to prevent further damage, second, to replace any very badly damaged bricks and third, fairly extensive re-pointing. Thankfully I only had a couple that needed to be replaced and was able to scavenge them from the coalhouse in the garden which was build from the same bricks.

BatCat

They are currently knocking down a brick 1930s house on Irwin Avenue in East Belfast. They have to bring it down brick by brick due to the corner location. Stop by and maybe they'll sell you a few.
Failing that try reclamation yards; jennymount street etc.

Mistral001

A few suggestions are as follows:

1. If only a few bricks affected. cut back to sound clay and then patch with couloured mortar to match existing.

2. Canibalise bricks to match existing from other parts of the property. these places could be from old outbuildings etc. or maybe even parts which are rarely seen where the bricks could be removed and replaced with new bricks of any colour and then rendered.

3. Turn the spalled bricks around if spalling is not very deep and it is a nine inch solid wall. You would cut out spalled bricks, trim back to sound clay and replace back-to-front. The back of the brick and the back of the hole in the brickwork would need to be buttered with mortar to fill up the gap left by removed spalling clay. Also you would need to use a dryish mortar to pack into the joints around the brick leaving a 20mm groove for pointing with ordinary bricklaying/pointing mortar to match existing.

PS. Most new bricks supplied locally have a textured face meant to face outwards and look good, but the back of them often look very like old-style smooth faced bricks. Some buildings in conservation areas in Norn Iron I believe have been built of reversed bricks like this. It is less expensive than sourcing special conservation bricks from across the water and look almost identical to many tradiional red brick buildings of beginning of 20th centuary vintage.

Just a few thoughts. Not professional advice.

warmhands.coldheart

Thanks Mistral, I'm in a similar situation with a house I have just bought.

modelreject

Thanks everyone.

@Golden Anemone What waterproof solution did you use as a matter of interest?

Golden_Anemone

Sorry modelreject - this would have been in 95 or 96 - and I can't be sure though Thompson's rings a bell? You get it in a 5 litre metal can from the builders merchants.

Honkycat

Thompson's Waterseal I think.
Also, if you get re-pointing done, the firm may be able to supply and replace bricks and also fill in some with coloured mortar. We got pointing done recently and they replaced a few.
Jennymount Street has moved somewhere else now by the way.