sealant for brick chimney breast?

[Harold Davis]

Hi,

I'd be grateful for some help with this. I've just put up some brick 'slips' (20mm thick, cut from standard bricks) on our chimney breast which will be over an open fire.

I used vinegar, scrubbing and lots of soaking with water using a sponge to clean the bricks which were covered with mortar owing to my less than expert grouting. I thought I'd use this before getting some hydrochloric acid (e.g. in branded 'brickwork and patio' cleaner), just to find out whether it worked, and it did. Some of the bricks have a glaze; others, at the corners, have no glaze at all and are very dusty.

I'd like to seal all the bricks and the mortar. What's the best sealant to use? I don't want shiny; I just want bonded, and if it brings out the colours more then that would be an added bonus.

PVA, diluted with say 5 parts water? Would it stand up to the heat? Or would it give a shiny finish?

Thanks!

Harry

[harryagain]

There's no real point in sealing bricks except to keep out water/waterborn stains. Are you likely to get any of this? The surface will still be rough and pick up dust/soot especially over the fireplace opening. It can't be easily got off. This is the reason for tiled fireplaces and cast iron ones also, easy to clean it off..

Brick fireplaces always look like shit after a few years unless they are the huge ones where the brick is well away from the fire. Or a closed stove is fitted where you don't get the sooting.

[Tim Watts]

Not PVA... That won't even sink in well apart from not liking the heat.

Use a proper brick/tile sealer. I can't recommend a specific product for brick but for tiles (and this may be suitable) Lithofin do some good products - both that leave a "wet" look and ones that don't, so much.

The sealer is always going to alter the appearance to some degree though.