# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Why are my bricks crumbling?

## bigGayAl

Hello, 
I have a few bricks with the surface crumbling away. The surface of the brick (5 to 10 mm) is soft and crumbly but the rest appears solid. Only a few bricks are affected. They are not the lowest bricks which are more exposed to rising moisture or the bricks most exposed to the weather. 
In one case, I have a brick with the entire surface crumbled away and all adjacent bricks totally unaffected. 
I can just scrape away the crumbs and seal the bricks but I would like to find the cause and prevent it happening elsewhere.  
Thanks, 
Al

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## Master Splinter

Generally, moisture will cause the bricks to spall like that.  What's the drainage like there?  It won't necessarily be the bricks down the bottom - it can be whereever the bricks run out of mosture transfer options, which could be denser bricks, or the dampproof course or similar thing forcing the water to come out at a particular brick (could even be a few lightly cooked bricks that are getting it, too).

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## jiggy

There seems to be a lot of mould / moisture in that corner  retaining wall and the slab under it which is adjacent to the area most effected. Is there any fall on that slab or does the water pool ?

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## bigGayAl

The slab is covered so not much water gets on it but, in general, the house is not well drained. I didn't realise that damage from moisture could be so unevenly distributed. Thanks for the advice, I will focus on improving the drainage around the house. 
Al

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