| | |  Puerto Vallarta Real Estate | November 2008 
Adobe Adds Charm, but Use Wisely
 Rosie Romero - Arizona Republic
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| | The Gold Club of Scottsdale is made from adobe brick. (Clay Mine Adobe) | | |
Few neighborhoods around the country are as comfortable dressing their homes in adobe brick as those in Arizona. The sand- and clay-based brick gives an authentic Old Mexico look that has endured for centuries.
That doesn't mean modern building practices can't make adobe brick look nicer and hold up better over time.
Marvel Building and Masonry Supply in the Valley gave some tips:
• Much of the adobe brick from Mexico is put together without cement stabilizers, so it's not as durable as the stuff made in the U.S. In fact, building codes in Phoenix and Tucson say the Mexican-made adobe bricks are not stable enough to use as a "structural" product, so you can't build your house with them. Still, if you love the authentic look, use the product for decorative purposes.
• Adobe can suck the moisture from your mortar, which makes it less likely to adhere. If you're laying adobe bricks with mortar, dip each brick in water for a few minutes or hose the bricks down. A damp brick works more easily with mortar.
• Mix bonders into your mortar to keep it hydrated for longer. The more hydrated your mortar, the longer it will take to cure and the stronger it will be.
• Apply a penetrating sealer to the adobe-brick structure to add stability and ward off erosion. Before applying a sealer, let the bricks dry completely. Applied to wet bricks, the sealer could cause efflorescence - that familiar white stain you see on so many masonry homes. Adobe bricks without cement stabilizers need the sealer more than those with them, but sealing is good practice either way. You'll need to reapply every few years.
• Avoid using adobe bricks around water and chemicals. |
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