Exposing interior brick wall

[branimal]

I’m exposing an interior 10 x 21’ brick wall. The brick wall butts up against another building’s brick wall.

I cut open a section of sheetrock to check the condition of the brick.

The brick seems to be in ok condition. Definitely needs to be cleaned and sealed.

There was a draft coming in and I believe thats causing the 3-4 degree difference in sheetrock surface temperature. (Sheetrock on Brick wall vs sheetrock on non brick wall).

Looking down in the hole I cut, there a decent size gap bw the wall and floor.

What can I seal that with? And am I being too hopeful that sealing that gap will increase the temperature of the area around the brick wall?

FYI - Im in NYC and the temperature is 25 degrees.







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[Joe From NY]

I dont have an answer, but FYI - They called that "balloon construction" and they dont use it anymore. It is very prevalent in NYC. It is very dangerous because there are no firestops, and a fire in the basement, or any lower floor, can travel throughout the whole house behind the walls undetected for awhile.

Fighting the balloon-frame construction fire

It's the building type all firefighters should dread as fire will spread fast and unhampered through the walls and floors

 

[Varty Yo]

There wont be anything you can spray on it to stop cold from getting in. Is it a single width wall like 4 1/2" width judging from the header course it might be 2 wide with a air gap in between.

Oh ok i figured out your pic now. Spray foam that gap fully that will stop air from creeping up.

 

[The Cobbler]

yeah, I would look into firestop foam for those spots

 

[brownbagg]

lowes has a masonry sealer that comes in a clear. i have it on my wall and i like it. Its has a satin shine to it

 

[Tracs]

I’m exposing an interior 10 x 21’ brick wall. The brick wall butts up against another building’s brick wall.

I cut open a section of sheetrock to check the condition of the brick.

The brick seems to be in ok condition. Definitely needs to be cleaned and sealed.

There was a draft coming in and I believe thats causing the 3-4 degree difference in sheetrock surface temperature. (Sheetrock on Brick wall vs sheetrock on non brick wall).

Looking down in the hole I cut, there a decent size gap bw the wall and floor.

What can I seal that with? And am I being too hopeful that sealing that gap will increase the temperature of the area around the brick wall?

FYI - Im in NYC and the temperature is 25 degrees.







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There is a 3-4 degree temperature difference between the brick/sheetrock wall and sheetrock/non brick wall because it's a brick/sheetrock wall. No insulation. I have seen old buildings that have two layers of brick. An outside wall and then a air space then the interior brick/block wall. The theory is having a air space between the two brick/block walls is it acts as an insulation space.

 

[Matt Matt]

The best you can do is remove the drywall and add small sheets rock-wool board or Roxul insulation and then give a thermal vapour break with super six just below the drywall.

 

[GMCGarage]

I’m exposing an interior 10 x 21’ brick wall. The brick wall butts up against another building’s brick wall.

I cut open a section of sheetrock to check the condition of the brick.

The brick seems to be in ok condition. Definitely needs to be cleaned and sealed.

There was a draft coming in and I believe thats causing the 3-4 degree difference in sheetrock surface temperature. (Sheetrock on Brick wall vs sheetrock on non brick wall).

Looking down in the hole I cut, there a decent size gap bw the wall and floor.

What can I seal that with? And am I being too hopeful that sealing that gap will increase the temperature of the area around the brick wall?

FYI - Im in NYC and the temperature is 25 degrees.







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Fire stop, spray foam, silicone, etc. Something that is flexible though.

 

[kgordon]

Fire stop spray down in, leaving it below the floor then use a caulk that remains flexible to seal at the floor level.

 

[strutaeng]

Is that gap at the bottom over a basement? The joint may be an expansion joint, so I would fill it with a flexible sealant like polyurethane or similar.

Is your space heated? Is the adjacent space behind the brick wall heated? Is your stud wall cavity insulated? It looks un-insulated from the photos. If not, then taking it down won't make a huge difference in temperature, except for air sealing.

 

[branimal]

Strutaeng,

Gap is over the 3rd floor. I’m on the 4th.

Yes my space is heated. I’m assuming the adjacent space is heated. No way to really tell. It’s the building next door. But that’s a great question. I might go over there with some donuts and ask if I can take a look.

No insulation in the cavity in the area I cut open.


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[branimal]

My neighbor on the other side of the building has her brick walls exposed. Temps were same on both Brick and sheet-rocked walls.

She installed trim all around. Looks nice. I’m guessing the contractor sealed up the gaps first with some type of flexible caulking.








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[strutaeng]

Look at the outside: if you see the joint on the perpendicular exterior wall, then it definitely is an E.J. (expansion joint), and will run all the way to the first level. If it is not, you can fill the gap at the base of the wall with any hard material like mortar or "mud."

I personally don't like to see wood trim against brick. To me it makes it look cheap, but that's the easiest thing to do and hides sloppy work, so I see it all the time. It's much cleaner to finish to a crisp, clean masonry line.

Still, that's a great looking wall!

 

[branimal]

Started ripping down sheet today. Looks like some type of stuccoish material on the brick.


Started ripping off the material with my bosch rotary hammer in hammer only mode and a chisel bit. Gonna be a messy job.







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