Thompsons Multisurface Water Sealer

[Jim]

I plan to seal the brick face of our new home with Thompsons Multisurface Water Sealer. It is the local Home Depot brand of choice.

Anyone have any bad experiences (or good) with Thompsons? Is it decent product, or all marketing?

Any warnings or recommendations regarding application? I expect it may darken the brick some, but as long as it is uniform I can deal with it.

Thanks much, Jim

[ROBMURR]

Worst stuff I have ever seen. Do some Google group searching or check consumer reports.

[Roger]

Never tried it, but Consumers Union says it is crap, compared to almost any other brand. Why are you wishing to seal the brick? I always assumed brick was meant to be left untreated, on exterior walls.

[J]

Thanks for the advice. I'll look deeper before spending my time applying the stuff.

The brick absorbs water which will freeze in winter. This leads to cracks and spalling. (or so I am told).

Regards, Jim

Roger wrote:

[m Ransley]

1st thompsons is no longer being tested at Consumer Reports because it is Crap. Second, look at 1000 yr old structures in Europe, they are fine without Any sealer, look at an old building , it may still be OK and has never been sealed.

[willshak]

Don't know how Thompson's would work, but I used ACE SealTech water based waterproofing sealer on a brand new brick patio and path last summer. It did not change the color of the bricks where it was applied. There was a couple of bricks where we missed in application and those bricks look the same as the sealed ones, except they get darker than the sealed ones when it rains. It went through winter, with snow laying on it for weeks at a time, and one of the wettest springs and summers in years here in NY, and it is still working. I would suppose that it would last even longer on a vertical brick surface.