How to Make Mud Bricks Waterproof?

A mud brick, commonly known as adobe, is a typical construction medium. Various techniques for making mud bricks less vulnerable to the weather have evolved over thousands of years. Coating the exterior and interior of the brick construction with waterproof material is one choice. Another strategy for weatherproofing the bricks is to incorporate a stabilizer, such as lime, gravel, or cement, into the mud. Emulsified asphalt is the simplest and least costly of these stabilizers.

An adobe brick is a construction material composed of soil, water, and natural organic material like straw or dung. 15-percent clay, 10/30-percent silt, and 55/75-percent fine sand are the best soil textures for making adobe mud.

Location in dry areas is one of the most important factors to consider when constructing with organic earth. Mud bricks are used for people who work in semi-arid parts of the planet.

How to make adobe bricks waterproof: popular methods

Adobe brick kiln

Waterproof adobe bricks can be manufactured by firing mud bricks for 12–24 hours in a handmade kiln. Your current adobe bricks will be used to build the kiln.

If the mud contains no clay, the final product can be softer than the source.

The bricks retain moisture when left alone, without being wrapped, capped, or shot, and help to lower humidity to a more acceptable amount.

The ones on top help to hold the heat in and can be replaced until they’re cold so you can get to the ones that have been shot and install more for the next shooting.

The advantages of this method are:

• You may use these strong bricks on the lower rows of the walls where the moisture level is typically higher;
• Fully waterproof and reliable;

The disadvantages of this method are:

• Requires some muscle work;

Concrete

To render adobe brick waterproof, mix mortar with it and leave it semi-stabilized/stabilized. Add asphalt, to be exact. Portland cement is the type of cement you should use. A semi-stabilized block is produced by adding 3–6% Portland cement by weight, and a stabilized block is made by adding 7–12% Portland cement by weight. To render any of the bricks waterproof, you should combine them with 5% Portland cement in a mixer.

The advantages of a semi-stabilized method:

• Affordable;
• Water-resistant;
• Durable;
• Stronger bricks than before the method;
• The finish looks nice;

The disadvantages of a semi-stabilized method:

• Pricey;
• Requires some muscle work;
• Not fully “green”;

The advantages of a stabilized adobe brick method:

• Fully waterproof;
• Sturdy;
• No shrinks and few cracks;
• Weatherproof;
• May save time and money;

The disadvantages of a stabilized adobe brick method:

• Pricey;
• Requires some muscle work;
• Not fully “green”
• Results in a concrete style, so it should be painted;

Paint/epoxy

On the inside or outside, a pair of coats of paint may be added to cover the adobe bricks. Water-based and oil-based paints are the two primary styles of color to pick from. Water-based acrylic and latex paints are available, whereas oil-based alkyd paints are available for both interior and exterior usage.

Apply two coats of transparent epoxy to the exterior walls and internal walls around any water outlets, such as the pool and toilet areas, at this stage. This encouraged everybody to see how the wall was designed, and we believe it is much more special and majestic as a result.

Mud

This is the most cost-effective and transparent choice, but unless the mud is stabilized with Portland cement, it will not be any more waterproof than bricks. As a result, this process necessitates the inclusion of Portland cement.

Completely stabilized walls are more waterproof and can be decorated or left natural in color. Get imaginative and incorporate ingredients to alter the color like ground-up charcoal for a dark shade.

2 or 3 coats of mud are needed, and the mixture can be applied in a variety of ways:

• Use bare hands. It is the most cost-effective choice. When using Portland cement, though, certain people will want to wear gloves because it can dry out the hands and behave like sandpaper, wearing down the skin;
• The “hawk-and-trowel” method. This is a quick way to create a cleaner finish if that’s the look you’re seeking. These can be found in the drywall and paint sections at a nearby hardware store;
• Concrete trowel used with a bucket. The trowel is similar to the above-mentioned method, but it is much heavier and has squared corners, making it much smoother for those who aren’t in the drywall or concrete fields;

Use your bare hands and one of the above-mentioned methods for the first layer, followed by one of the options for a smooth finish.

The advantages of this method:

• Very cheap;
• Very easy to maintain without cracks;
• May hide attractive block walls;

The disadvantages of this method:

• Not fully waterproof unless you add Portland cement;
• Not fully “green”
• A few layers of clay are required to avoid cracking and shrinking;

Stucco

It can be a shame to cover your lovely, character-filled walls and not show off your job. To get a ballpark per square foot price for straying the house, call a nearby contractor.

The mud bricks are coated with wire in the Southwest of the United States, and then Stucco (various colors) is used to render the structure permeable to water erosion, which will melt the underlying mud bricks.

The advantages of this method:

• Acts quickly;
• Adds extra texture;

The disadvantages of this method:

• You will hide the walls;
• Hard to repair when the cracks will appear;

The most affordable way to make mud bricks waterproof

1. Get asphalt emulsion and straw from a hardware store/feed store, respectively.
2. To make mud bricks, conduct a soil examination. Using the soil you’ll be utilizing to create the weather-resistant mud bricks to conduct the examination. If the test indicates that the soil requires more clay or sand, procure the component and add it into the soil in the required quantity. Bear in mind that adobe structures in the United States must produce 25 to 45% clay.
3. Make a decision on the size of the bricks you would like to make. Find the correct size of wood by writing down certain proportions on a sheet of paper. Get some screws and a hammer as well. Create a frame or the frames with the measurements you like. The brick molds are these frames.
4. If you like completely stabilized or semi-stabilized mud bricks, you must first determine. Completely stable mud bricks have 5 to 12 percent asphalt, whereas semi-stabilized bricks have 2.5 percent to 6 percent emulsified asphalt. In wetter conditions, completely stabilized asphalt performs stronger than semi-stabilized asphalt, although, in drier regions, semi-stabilized asphalt can be applied instead of fully stabilized asphalt.
5. Add water into the soil steadily on a wet, sunny day to form a rigid yet not crumbly mud that retains its shape when formed. Use one part straw per each five parts soil before mixing in the straw. Pour in the asphalt that has been emulsified. Apply the mud to the brick frames, polish the sides, and replace the frame.
6. Leave up to 4 days to let the bricks dry. Then, on the small end, stand the bricks vertically and allow them to dry for around 6 weeks, depending on the temperature. When a brick is dry, it does not shatter when falling from a height of 2 feet and is not readily scratched by a sharp point.

The fastest ways to seal adobe bricks

• For the interior, apply 2 coats of natural tapioca powder diluted in water;
• Additionally, apply 2 coats of water and glue to seal the interior;
• To add waterproof properties to the exteriors, use 2 coats of the mix – 3 parts of paint thinner and 1 part of linseed oil.