The term spalling or spalled is used to describe the condition of blown brick or stone front that has suffered due to frost and water penetration causing the front face to have either fully or partially blown off or worn away.

Most bricks have clay as their main ingredient and are heat fired in a kiln to give the outer face a harder finish to repel the impact of wind, rain and air pollutants. Unfortunately sometimes the moisture in a brick can become frozen in winter and the expansion this causes quite literally blows the front protective layer off the brick over a number of years. This then exposes the softer inner core of the brick which is highly porous and absorbs a lot of water – in excess of a pint of water – in heavy wind driven rain. This can lead to penetrating damp and of course even greater degrees of spalling will occur.

A common error in trying to protect spalling brickwork or stonework is to either paint over the damaged area  or infill with a cement mix. Unfortunately this can  lead to greater moisture retention across the whole wall and increase the chances of further spalling in other brick faces !!

Multiguard are very experienced in remedying and preventing spalling brickwork in ways that are beneficial to the building’s breathability and appearance and our work carries a 10 year AXA INSURANCE GUARANTEE

For more information on how to treat damaged bricks or stone CALL US NOW on 01908 516366  or use the CONTACT US button to send us an email.