Sealing brick exterior

[wk1]

We have a very old house, built in 1820-1840 or so with brick they made onsite. The walls are about a foot thick.

Is it necessary to seal brick externally from time to time?

The plaster on the inside shows obvious water damage. I am not sure how water makes its way through a foot thick wall, which is why I am asking about sealing.

We have an obvious gutter problem which is probably sending water onto the wall. I will fix this before any repairs of course.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[HayZee518]

While I'm no expert on brick, I do know non commercial brick is made of clay and binders and allowed to dry in the sun. Commercial brick is hardened in an oven for up to 1700 degrees. The sun dried bricks are porous allowing them to absorb moisture and they will eventually break down and disintegrate. So, now I'm thinking perhaps a surface sealant like Thompson's water seal may work on the first third of the brick as the solution soaks in. Another sealant like Penetrol may work as it is oil based.

[pushkins]

I see the brick absorption issues a lot, especially in older homes, bricks in old homes like yours were not fired like they are today. The firing process causes the bricks to become much harder and inhibit moisture absorption. Yes all bricks will absorb moisture but your type are like sponges.

Yes there are brick/masonry sealers available that will stop the issue your experiencing (A-Tech is one product that works well and is generally applied with a spray bottle).
Your right though first you must address the gutter issue as that is probably 80% of your problem.
Moisture travels very easily in masonry, it acts like one big wick.