Silane / Siloxane Water Repellents
High Performance Silane / Siloxane Water Repellents
One month ago, I walked into a national chain discount store. Coming out of the exit door was a woman with a 5 gallon can of a highly advertised masonry sealer in her shopping cart. My gut instinct told me that she was probably buying it to spray on her brick walls or concrete driveway. I just didn't get the feeling that she worked at a testing laboratory. Anyway, what a shame. The product she purchased was stearate-based. That means the main component of the product is very likely animal fat. These products and silicone based sealers are actually film forming sealants. They are just about the worst thing you could ever put on your brick or masonry surfaces - especially if you live in a climate that experiences freezing temperatures.
Film forming sealants do just that - they form a film on the surface of your masonry. It is a clear film that can sometimes turn cloudy. The film can also block water vapor from escaping to the atmosphere. If water vapor works its way to the surface of masonry, collects and then freezes, you can suffer spalling, flaking and other surface deterioration.
The better way to treat masonry is to apply penetrating water repellents. These products contain special chemicals called silanes and siloxanes and/or a blend of the two chemicals. These nifty chemicals partially block the capillaries in brick, concrete and mortar. The partially blocked spaces then actually repel water instead of allowing it to enter the masonry. Since the passageways are not entirely blocked, they allow water vapor to readily escape to the atmosphere.
I have listed a few companies that make high performance silane and/or siloxane water repellents. There are undoubtedly twice as many as I have listed ... maybe more. Many if not all of these products are sold exclusively at brickyards or specialty building supply stores that sell to bricklayers or concrete contractors. You can find these stores by looking in your Yellow Pages. Look under "Building Supplies" or "Brick." One of the companies below not only sells to these specialty stores but also sells directly to homeowners. They ship the product directly to your front door via UPS. Call Saver Systems listed below and see real customer service in action! Ask for Masonry Saver.
Act Quickly
Many of the brick and masonry sealers have to be applied in favorable weather conditions. Most are temperature sensitive. That means the air and surface temperature must not be below a certain minimum temperature. Read the instructions carefully!
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Further Reading
- Measuring Water Penetration
by Kim Basham & John Meredith
Masonry Construction November 1995
(This article is available in PDF format for free downloading from the Masonry Construction web site!) - Reducing Water Permeance in Masonry Walls and Chimneys
John Meredith
Sweeping April / May 1994
if i have a siloxane water repellent on my chimney, brick, can it be repointed, will the masonry stay?
Lots to discuss. You need to understand how to do the job right. That's why I developed this product:
Tim's 15-Minute Consult
In looking for a way to reduce/prevent mold on our brick home surfaces, I've been directed to Siloxane PD water repelent. Any product information does not mention this product for this purpose- IS this the type of product to use for mold protection, and if not,what should I be looking for to spray on to the brick?
Any info would be most appreciated.
Sam, you need to schedule a 15-Minute call with me.
We sprayed our new stone chimney with Siloxane and later that day it rained (not in forcast) . It ran down on our shingles and we now have a white stain around our chimney. Is there a product to remove the sealer stain?
Not that I'm aware of. You'll have to allow it to wear off.
I have stone wall that has been sealed with hydrozo double 7 and left it a different shade than the rest of the home. is there any way to remove the sealer from this surface?
When you contacted Hydrozo, what did they tell you?
I have a farm house built in 1829 with bricks made from clay dug onsite. My family bought house 40 years ago and walls were covered with stucco. Some stucco has been removed to reveal original brick; some brick is deteriorating. What can I do to restore and maintain it? Will a silane/siloxane water repellant do the trick? Can I fix the damage already done?
You need to SEAL the soft brick with a breathable clear sealant. It's that simple.
Hi, my contractor recommends prosoco Siloxane WB for an indoor travertine floor.
My purpose is to add shine and get the scratches to disappear. Wiping down with water does this so I know that can happen, but obviously water is not the solution.
Do you think the Siloxane is a good solution? Something else?
Cindy
What does the supplier of the travertine say to use???? You always ask these questions to the company that makes the thing you're dealing with.
A contractor applied a concrete sealer rather than a waterproofer on a brick chimney. I think this is the wrong product and wonder if I can have this sealer removed from the surface of the brick. The product's technical hotline says that the product allows for block and concrete to breathe, seems hard to believe a sealant allows breathing. Please send advice...
It's not hard at all to believe. Most modern sealers allow water vapor to pass, but not liquid water. Read ALL of my Brick Sealant columns.
After grinding and cleaning my concrete floor I have sealed it with 2 coats of silane. I was wondering if I can add an epoxy or polyurethane coating over this?
What do the coatings manufacturers say???? Read the product labels.
Silicone based sealers are typically silicates which are penetrating, not film forming...
Jason, that's not always true!!!! You better go back and do some research buddy.
Can the silane/siloxane mix you refer to be used as an alternative to parging? I live in Canada where we experience freeze/thaw cycles.
Can masonary walls on a high rise be treated with waterproofing silane/siloxane and then be painted over with the usual primer/ undercoat/final overcoat?
I'm really confused. Please explain further how this product "partially blocks water" but lets it escape. I don't want any water in at all. I'm a logical person and am not understanding how something is supposed to block water from coming in, but then lets it out if the water does come in? (Or vapors) To me, it's like a baggie. I don't want anything coming into the baggie. You are saying there is a baggie that will keep the water partially out, but if it does come in, it will let it evaporate out. I'd rather just get a baggie that keeps the water out altogether. (I do understand about the dangers of water getting in, and not getting out.) I'm sure there is a simple explanation for this, and am waiting patiently for an answer. I'm trying to find a sealant for my chimney bricks that are leaking a little. I'm looking at Loxon® 40% Silane Water Repellant, OR Lifetime (Registered Trademark)
WATERPROOFING SEALANT (from Coatings International - the 6% sealant) I don't know which one to get. Thanks for your website!! It's very informative! Teri
As a chemist I have worked a lot with silanes, siloxanes and silicones to coat mineral and glass materials. The first 2 are usually used as water repelling coatings to provide an extremely thin layer only 1 or 2 molecules thick. So in the pores of things like brick and concrete they react with the material to coat the passageways but leave a central passageway in each pore unblocked. Water vapor, being a quite small molecule, can easily pass out through the pores but liquid water like rain is repelled quite effectively. So water in the inside of concrete can vaporize and pass to the outside but rain from the outside has trouble getting in since the pores are now hydrophobic ( hate water). Silicones and oil types of sealers do not act this way and may block vapor transmission until they wear off.
Hi. I want a white brick veneer backsplash in my new kitchen. I found one I love, but I am worried that its going to end up looking like crap after a while if it gets splattered with grease and whatever when Im cooking. I have a sealed and unsealed brick (Im not sure exactly what its sealed with - the company I got the sample from sealed it) and I have put some oil on it, coffee on it, juice on it and the sealed one is holding up well, but is a little stain on it from the oil. Can you tell me the best product you know of that repells oil as well as water?
thanks!
I have brick walls that have weeping grout (looks like icing oosing between the brick) on a 1973 house. Some grout and bricks are cracked with tiny holes in the grout in places. W/out stuccoing it, what product to use to close up the tiny holes? It gets cold in that room.
Dona,
Please use the search engine here on my website and read the columns about:
efflorescence
brick mortar repair
I have a brick wall that leaks when it rains heavy. We have removed the drywall to look for leaks around the window and everything appears to be fine(it was all dry). The water seems to be coming in around the floor area. What would you suggest we use/ or check? I have been reading using a water sealer but I am not sure of what product to use.
I suggest you read ALL of my "brick veneer leak" columns as well as the ones about "door and window flashings".
If you need more help, I offer this service:
https://shop.askthebuilder.com/products/15-Minute-Phone-Conversation-with-Tim.html