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HOME REMODELING 101 ▪ Your online classroom for home remodeling tips and ideas! |
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Leaving Brick Outside, Uncovered
▪Is it bad for brick to be left outside, uncovered for long periods of time? According to my brick sales rep, it is probably a bad idea.
In order to reserve some hard to find brick for a new home construction job, I was thinking of buying it 6 weeks ahead of time and storing it at my site. My brick sales rep recommended that I cover it if I am going to have it exposed to rain for that long. The reason is that for some brick, there will be a process of efflorescence that will negatively affect the brick. Efflorescence occurs when water penetrates brick and brings salt and other mineral deposits to the surface as the water evaporates.
In other words, leaving your brick out in the rain repeatedly may discolor the surface of your brick as the salt is transferred from the inside of the brick to the outside by the evaporating water.
Efflorescence may not happen to all brick, but it may be difficult to determine whether the brick that you are using for your home remodeling or new home construction will be affected or not.
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Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University | |
