Testing the effectiveness of protective coatings on traditional bricks

In the present paper, hand-made brick samples were treated with different coatings by the technique of total immersion. The solutions tested were both traditional such as linseed oil but also silanes and alkosiloxanes both neat and nano-modified. In order to compare the physical properties of the treated bricks, parameters like capillarity, porosity, absorption and durability have been tested. It was concluded that silica nano-particles and micro-clay enrichment of alkosiloxane was the most sufficient way to protect those special building materials.