waterproofing brick / cement

[stockrex]

I have 50s brick ranch, near the front door the salt application is eating away Tue concrete and brick around the base.
Should apply some waterproofing to the brick and concrete? Will that protect it?

 

[expat]

We used to apply Thompson's Water Seal in such cases.

 

[Boomer]

For one thing, use urea instead of salt and you will find that it does not eat away at concrete. It is all I use on my sidewalks and I buy it late fall in a 50 pound bag. Since it is also a fertilizer, it helps the plants around the edges, even grass, get greener faster in the spring.

 

[Donald]

Or how about the ice melter that is safe for dog's feet?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Boomer
For one thing, use urea instead of salt and you will find that it does not eat away at concrete. It is all I use on my sidewalks and I buy it late fall in a 50 pound bag. Since it is also a fertilizer, it helps the plants around the edges, even grass, get greener faster in the spring.


Interesting. Where do you buy it, and does it stink?

I suppose you could use DEF these days...

 

[Boomer]

Any golf course supply store will have it or many places like Tractor Supply or other hardware stores carry it. Usually comes in 50 pound bags. It is a white spherical (very small) oderless solid. It is easy to spread just like salt but it will NOT attack concrete. My neighbors all use salt and the tops of their sidewalks and driveways are all spalled while mine are as smooth as the day they were installed.

 

[stockrex]

Urea is a great idea, I have a few farm stores around, I
avoid home depot or lowes for fertilizers as they have the branded items which costs 3x the regular bags of 6-6-6.

I still want to apply some form of water proofing to the cement and bricks,
I am not sure if it is a good idea? will the brick/concrete need to breathe?