What causes moisture to penetrate brickwork?
Occasionally, after a hard driving rain, moisture may surface on the inside of a building. There are many possible places for moisture to work its way to the interior, such as through the roof, walls or windows. In rare cases, even brickwork will allow moisture to get into the building. If it is apparent that the moisture is getting through the brickwork, the normal question arises: What is wrong with the brick? It is extremely unusual that water gets through brick unless there are cracks. In fact, it is also very difficult to get moisture through a piece of mortar by itself. In most instances of moisture penetration, the water works its way through either holes or cracks in the mortar joints, or the interface between the brick and the mortar. The real problem is not the brick or mortar, it is the mason who does not understand what he needs to do to create watertight mortar joints. There are many variables that influence the moisture resistance of the mortar joint. The first factor is
