Remediation and Protection of Masonry Structures with Crystallising Moisture Blocking Treatment

Abstract

The use of crystallisation materials, so-called moisture blockers, presents an alternative approach to remediating water ingress in masonry structures against conventional time consuming and costly injection of resins. The central claim is that they use the available water in the masonry to block the passage of water to the surface of the masonry, filling pores, cracks and spaces at the interface between mortar and bricks. The aim of this project was to test the effectiveness of new and innovative moisture blocking products at controlling water ingress through masonry. This was done by constructing masonry wells with lime and cement based mortar that were to hold water, and then applying the moisture blocking products at dry and wet condition to the negative hydrostatic pressure side. The moisture levels of both the surfaces and the substrate were then observed for 14 days. The result demonstrated that moisture blocking is an effective method at reducing the levels of surface moisture for bricks, mortar-brick interface and mortar.