New brickwork

chipmunk

We're currently in the proces of having our house extended and I've got a question that I've always wondered about.

What is the white substance that seems to appear on new brickwork? Why does it happen and will it disappear?

To be honest, there's not an awful lot of it on our house but I've seen some examples of it where the brickwork is covered in it and it is very unsightly.

Avoriaz

It is called efflorescence and is quite normal. It is caused by dissolved salts in the material used to make the bricks leaching to the surface.

It should reduce and disappear over time.

Read a few of the sites below. If the efflorescence persists, that could indicate a problem with flashing, damp proofing etc.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?as_q=&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=efflorescence+&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images