What is wrong with these bricks?

Our new homes bricks are changing colour.
A silver, blue, metallic colour is taking over our home.

The bricks we selected are Lonsdale by Selkirk.
The description Selkirk give is: "Lonsdale is a classic, timeless and handcrafted clay brick with a heavily textured appearance and a deep charcoal tone".
Link to Lonsdale brick on the Selkirk site: https://www.selkirk.com.au/product/lonsdale/

The bricks when laid were perfect in appearance.
We have only been in the home for just over a year and this colour is destroying the look we selected for our forever home.

I have provided photos that show this colour and have tried to take photos that also show other walls that currently do not have this fault.

Before selecting these bricks we traveled to as many reference sites as we could and would never have selected these bricks if they looked like they do on our home.

We hope that someone can assist in identifying what the problem is with these bricks.

Regards Burke

I believe it’s efflorescence, which occurs when salts etc are coming out of the brick.

My understanding is that it’s very common, esp for darker bricks and that you need to maintain them with methods such as acid wash or sealing.

Prob best to speak to the brick manufacture for maintenance advice!

Hi Bananrama,
Thank you for the reply.

I had looked into efflorescence and I do not believe this is the issue in our case.
From what I have looked into regarding efflorescence, it is a white powder/crystals from salt leaching from bricks.
From what I have found it seems that you can brush off some of the crystals (short term fix) with efflorescence.

This color we are getting seems to have no texture change to the bricks, only this metallic appearance.

I have zoomed in on a couple of photos to try to show this more.
I will try to take a single close up photo and post it that shows this as best as possible.







Regards Burke

Speak to other brick manufacturers, Selkirk might not tell you the truth, for fear of cost to fix, also ask good experienced Bricky, I would also ask building expert, he might know.

Google guide to common masonry stains.
Use pdf to open and it has a couple of reasons that look like yours, one reason is from improper precedures in the cleaning of the bricks, easy remedy to fix.

Hi all,
Yes I do feel that Selkirk may be thinking that they have an issue and do not want to admit to it for fear of the cost to correct the matter.

I looked up the Guide To Common Masonry Stains on Google.
It didn't show anything that looked like our issue, however, I contacted the company that created this document and I am currently in email conversation with them. They are being helpful however there is nothing resolved as yet.

I have just sent them the close up photo I took. See below.

If anyone can still help us here I would greatly appreciate your knowledge and advice.

Regards Burke

Any luck with your brick problems Burke. Hardman.

Same as mine there been painted and the pigment hasnt been baked in and it fades over time when they do the acid wash your bricks will change colour I'm in the process of having all mine removed

If anyone still has this problem this is what I have just found out. I have had this same problem with my new build. I selected a category 6 dark brick. We have had this problem for 7 months. The brick manufacturer advised our builder that the problem was efflorescence. However, when the brick cleaner arrived he advised that it was not efflorescence as the appearance of the metallic, silver, blue which turns the bricks white is actually manganese seeping out of the brick.

Manganese, he advised, is used during the brick making process however becomes activated when excessive water seeps into the brick. The manganese salts (or something equivalent to this) seep out of the brick which causes it to turn this colour. He advised that it can be treated, however it may require multiple applications to address the problem. He advised that if you treat the problem, you may need to treat it again in 12 months as more manganese seeps through the brick.

Furthermore, he advised that the chemicals that brick cleaners use when just conducting a general clean of the bricks tends to activate this manganese problem and can make it more difficult to address. It seems that the darker your bricks are, the more of a problem this will be as well.

I have found this manual which describes the process for removing manganese stains. http://littlehamptonbrick.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TBR4978Cleaning-Masonry2.pdf

I am following up this problem with my builder who has committed to treating the bricks for as long as it takes to solve the problem. If it keeps happening I will just keep contacting the builder to address.

Best of luck to everyone in addressing this annoying problem.

Cheers

Hello Burke, hope your brick issue has since resolved.
I have an unrelated question if i may, really like the colour of your upstairs cladding with the brick colour. What colour was used to paint upstairs?

Thank you
Kavh

As Kateyxoxo says the problem is Manganese leaching from the brickwork.

Manganese is the material added to clay to get brown bricks and once the bricks are fired it is usually locked into the brick, unless incorrect brick cleaning has occurred.

I imagine the wall with the manganese leeching is the West or N/W wall as it'll be due to the brickcleaner leaving Hydrochloric Acid [Hcl] solution [usually 10parts H2O to 1part Hcl] on the wall too long and it has reacted with the manganese in the clay. This happens when the Hcl is applied to a dry clay wall or the sun had evaporated the water component of the Hcl solution allowing the remaining concentrated Hcl to soak into the brick and dissolve the manganese within the clay brick body.
With water later soaking in, the capillary action of the water evaporating from the brick surface also draws the manganese to the surface. That is why the stain gets worse over time.

It should be treated the same way as Iron Oxide/Acid Burn staining.

See section 4.3.4 & 4.3.5 [page 34] of the Think Brick Industry Reference Guide
Here is the link
http://thinkbrick.blob.core.windows.net ... 2018v2.pdf

Good luck