DIYers: Do I need to treat an internal brick feature wall?

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DIYers: Do I need to treat an internal brick feature wall?

26 posts & 12 voices | Started 2 years ago by GrahamS | Latest reply from GrahamS

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GrahamS - Member

I'm getting the loft floored and made into a "computer room". We're a terraced house so there is a brick built gable wall at both ends of the room.

I quite fancy leaving this as a feature, rather than just plastering over it, as I think it will look quite smart. Especially as one end has the big inverted-Y where the chimney breasts meet up.

So....

• What's the best way to clean up the bricks? (This house is around 100 years old so the bricks are a little bit manky)

• Once I get rid of the grime, should I treat them with something to preserve them and prevent them producing further dust? If so what?

• Or is all that a nightmare and I'd be better off just getting some masonry paint on them?

Posted 2 years ago #
aP - Member

I assume that you're getting building regs approval?

Posted 2 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

Given plaster/wallpaper/emulsion is porous it would seem off to me that any treatment would be needed.

May not be in line with regs though for insulation etc.

Posted 2 years ago #
aP - Member

Are you intending to fix anything to these walls or otherwise change them? Are you, for example strengthening the joists?
If so, I'd take a quick look at Party Walls before doing anything.

Posted 2 years ago #
tragically1969 - Member

I assume that you're getting building regs approval?

You dont need it for boarding a loft out ?

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

You can get an acid based brick cleaner product. You need to seal the brickwork in some way and you probably will need to repoint it. It won't save you much time and labour over plastering

It won't make any significant difference to insulation values as plaster is not an insulator.

Posted 2 years ago #
ahwiles - Member

Brush off as much loose dust as you can with a stiff bristled brush, and then 'paint' the wall with a dilute mix of PVA glue and water.

1 part PVA to 5 parts water.

brings the colours out lovely does that.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

I assume that you're getting building regs approval?

Nope. Don't need it apparently. It's just a ladder-access boarded loft for storage and "occasional use".

Given plaster/wallpaper/emulsion is porous it would seem off to me that any treatment would be needed.

I'm more thinking to prevent the bricks shedding any further dust etc - sort of like "varnishing" them.

You can get an acid based brick cleaner product. You need to seal the brickwork in some way and you probably will need to repoint it. It won't save you much time and labour over plastering

Yeah it'll be worse, cos the plastering would be done by the builder but I'll be the one scrubbing bricks if I want to keep them. But I think they'll look nice and "speak to the character of the building" as Kevin McCloud would say

Don't intend to re-point them as I'm looking for a bit of rustic character rather than a perfect wall. I just don't want it so rustic that bits of it fall off down the back of my PC.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

That sounds like the job ahwiles. Is the result sticky/tacky or does the PVA dry hard?

Posted 2 years ago #
ahwiles - Member

dries a bit like sort-of-shiny varnish, holding all the dust in place.

if you ever want to paint / plaster / whatever the walls, you'll have to do this anyway.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

Cool - that sounds like the job. Thanks.

Posted 2 years ago #
ivnickkate - Member

Hi, we brushed down our wall, then hoovered it and painted with a gloss treatment. Some people prefer a matt look, however here's a pic.

Posted 2 years ago #
JonEdwards - Member

The (non-working) fireplace in my lounge is bare brick. Cleaned up with a wire brush in an anglegrinder (very messy). Hoovered (lots and lots and lots) then sprayed it with a few coats of dilute polyurethane varnish (as advised on a couple of DIY forums) - used one of those pump up garden sprayer things. Seems to have worked a treat.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

Hi, we brushed down our wall, then hoovered it and painted with a gloss treatment.

Nice. What was the treatment?

The (non-working) fireplace in my lounge is bare brick.

Yeah ours too, that's where I got the idea. But ours is a working fireplace so it is untreated.

Posted 2 years ago #
aP - Member

Why would anyone want to paint masonry inside of their house all shiny varnish? or do you all work for Ronseal?

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

Why would anyone want to paint masonry inside of their house all shiny varnish? or do you all work for Ronseal?

Old bare bricks: look nice, but crumbly and dusty.

Me: Asthmatic and not a big fan of dusty.

I don't want shiny, just "bonded".

Posted 2 years ago #
ivnickkate - Member

Hi, I think that it was a gloss polyurethane varnish sealant, but can't remember which make it was.

Posted 2 years ago #
Heather Bash - Member

>Why would anyone want to paint masonry inside of their house all shiny varnish? or do you all work for Ronseal?<

LOL - agreed. You can purchase proprietary products that will seal it without leaving a gloss finish. Thomsons iirc

Posted 2 years ago #
geoffj - Member

Me: Asthmatic and not a big fan of dusty.

Then don't spend much time up there. I had an office in an uninsulated floored loft for 2 years and each winter I had a cough which I couldn't shift. It'll be roasting in the summer too.

Posted 2 years ago #
ivnickkate - Member

Our wall is gloss, because it's quite a dark room, and is used as a child's playroom, so the gloss is easy to clean.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

You can purchase proprietary products that will seal it without leaving a gloss finish. Thomsons iirc

Sounds good, but Thompsons WaterSeal is only recommended for exterior use.

Then don't spend much time up there. I had an office in an uninsulated floored loft for 2 years and each winter I had a cough which I couldn't shift.

There will be insulation added below the flooring, between the roof rafters and behind the drop walls so hopefully it won't be too cold.

It'll be roasting in the summer too.

I'm getting two Velux windows fitted to deal with that.

Posted 2 years ago #
geoffj - Member

I'm getting two Velux windows fitted to deal with that.

You'll need a building warrant or an approved fitter for those.

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

You'll need a building warrant or an approved fitter for those.

Approved fitter. Local loft company are doing the main conversion (carpentry, electrics, plastering and windows). I'm doing the decor (and Cat6 networking).

Posted 2 years ago #
pitduck - Member

double boil linseed oil, from most building suppliers

Posted 2 years ago #
bassspine - Member

the big plus with linseed oil = it smells gorgeous

Posted 2 years ago #
GrahamS - Member

Linseed for brick? Really? Interesting.

I was going to use linseed (or Osmo TopOil) on the exposed rafters.

We used TopOil on the kitchen worktops and we were very pleased with it.

Posted 2 years ago #

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