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rehabbing a brick terrace
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Posted by vscully z6 NY (My Page) on Wed, Jul 7, 04 at 14:46
| We have a brick terrace in the back of our townhouse in Brooklyn, NY. When we had it built a few years ago, we asked to have "used" brick instead of new to avoid that shiny "new" look. Well, maybe that was a mistake. Now, the bricks have developed a chalky, greyish surface that looks terrible when dry, though they're fine if you hose them off. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to restore the original color to the brick and keep the dust down, like an acid wash or sealer. I guess what I'd like is something akin to polyurethane, but for exterior bricks.... Any help greatly appreciated. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: rehabbing a brick terrace
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| This is not what you want to hear but they are probably sucking up what is underneath, what is that? How did you lay them? |
RE: rehabbing a brick terrace
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It sounds like you have efflouresence(sp?) occurring on the pavers. Are they a clay brick or cement? If the are cement composition then it is efflouresence. It can be cleaned with special washes, ask a concrete supplier. It may come back over time but will eventually diminish.
If they are clay then it may be coming from the mortar. |
RE: rehabbing a brick terrace
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| Any feed back appreciated. |
RE: rehabbing a brick terrace
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| Thanks all. These are clay bricks, but USED. They were laid by a contractor on top of a cement slab (could be concrete, I'm not really sure.) I assume he put a bed of sand on top of the cement. Since they were used already, they already had mortar on them to a certain degree. We thought they would give that would give them a worn, aged look, but they seem to be more grey than the deep rich red color we had hoped for. What I was thinking of doing is some sort of wash that would strip off the top, chalky layer and reveal the real red clay brick. Either that or a finish that would seal them. When they are wet, they look terrific, but when they dry out they are just grey and chalky..... |
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