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Yes, brick can breathe through limewash. Limewash is a breathable coating made from natural lime and water, allowing moisture to pass through while providing a protective layer. Unlike synthetic paints or sealants, which can trap moisture within the brick and lead to issues like mold, limewash allows the brick to maintain its natural breathability. This characteristic makes limewash an ideal choice for historic structures where preserving the integrity of the brick is essential.

If your old bricks are in decent condition and you have the space to store them where they’ll be protected from the elements, keeping old bricks is often worthwhile. You’d spend anywhere from $70 to a few hundred dollars to have them removed from your property, in which case you won’t be able to use them for future projects. Holding on to old bricks in good condition means you can use them later for other DIY projects, potentially saving yourself some money on disposal and new materials down the road.

Depending on the amount of soot present, you can vacuum some of it using a brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. Then, remove the leftovers with a mild cleaner, such as dish soap or vinegar mixed with water. Before applying a cleaning solution, saturate the bricks with clean water to prevent the cleaner from penetrating beyond the surface and causing structural damage to the bricks.

Mortar and thinset both serve the same purpose—tile adhesion—but have different compositions and use-cases. Thinset is heatproof and presents a wide range of possibilities due to the added polymers. Mortar is typically used for bonding stones and brick. Thinset is rarely used outside, while mortar is rarely used inside.