Masonry coating materials, surface

Masonry coatings are applied to concrete, brick, stone and tile, and can include similar materials, such as traffic marking paints. The primary reasons for coating masonry are to prevent the deterioration of the surface, to block the passage of moisture through the masonry, and to improve its appearance. Typical masonry coatings must be resistant to alkalies and alkaline environments, since many masonry substrates contain lime and water-soluble alkaline salts. 

Traditional cold store construction was to build an insulated lining within a masonry shell. The outer skin would be erected in brick and concrete, and rendered as smooth as possible inside with cement plaster, to take the insulation. When the surface was dry, it would have several coats of bitumen applied as a vapour barrier and slabs of insulation material stuck to this with hot bitumen. This was normally carried out in two or more layers so that joints did not pass right through the insulant, but were staggered. The inner skin would be finished with cement plaster, reinforced with wire mesh. The usual insulant was slab cork. 

Motor oils, brake-oils, and transmission fluids can cause the discoloration of garage floors. Therefore, it has been common practice to coat masonry surfaces with materials capable of rendering them resistant to water, oils, and other contaminants (23). 

A substance that, because of its physicochemical nature, will not mix or blend with another substance.. All hydrophobic materials have water-repellent properties due largely to differences in surface tension or electric charges, e.g., oils, fats, waxes, and certain types of plastics. Silicone resin coatings can keep water from penetrating masonry by lining the pores, not by filling them they will not exclude water under pressure. 

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