Question:

"The facade of my house is built of clinker: JANTAR MELANŻ JASNY and CIEMNY. The part of building from its west side becomes wet and water penetrates through the layers of bricks to the baffle (structural ceiling) in case of (heavy) rainfalls and wind. Water flows out on the structural ceiling and is problematic at the wall (inside the building) as well as at the balcony door. In my opinion, suitable impregnation is my only chance to eliminate the water from the wall. What kind of efficient and suitable impregnating compound can be applied to resolve my problem?”

"There are many commercially available compounds for clinker impregnation e.g. manufactured by Sopro, Sarsil etc. They improve hydrophobic properties of clinker bricks, but I am not really sure if the problem is associated with the untightness of clinker wall. Because there are so many ways of water penetration into the building, the checking of other suspected areas is necessary (for instance - balcony door, method of pointing, foundation wall insulation).”

"Please inform whether the application of clinker bricks as the façade laid directly onto external wall built of aerated concrete (e.g. YTONG) or silicate bricks without thermal insulation layer made of wool/ foamed polystyrene will  be sufficient to ensure an acceptable overall heat transfer coefficient U and proper hydropermeability.”

Answer by Tomasz Michalak, the architect:

"In a double – leaf wall built of aerated concrete / YTONG blocks and clinker bricks the roles of layers are explicitly separated. The wall built of aerated concrete should perform the structural and thermal insulation functions. Therefore its thickness should be sufficient, in the opinion of manufacturer, to ensure an acceptable overall heat transfer coefficient. The clinker bricks will protect the wall built of aerated concrete against atmospheric precipitations or physical damages. Another important thing is to maintain the ventilation void between the layers and to fasten the external wall built of clinker bricks to BELIT or YTONG blocks by means of anchors suitable for this type of brickworks.”

Answer by Tomasz Michalak, the architect:

”For the construction of small landscaping elements you can use the mortars in M12 or  M15 class (according to PN-90/B-14501). The help in the form of a clever book – “Construction Foreman Handbook” -   can be invaluable in such case. You can find the proportions of this mortar there. Approximated amounts of components per 1 cubic meter of mortar of plastic consistency specified in said book are equal to:

- for M12: cement 411kg, sand 1,03m³, water 236dm³

- for M15: cement 538kg, sand 0,90m³, water 277dm³”