Damp and moisture meters

What does spalling brickwork mean, and why is it not the same comment as rising damp?

Spalling is the face of a brick or stone flaking off, often after water in the surface has frozen. It is a weathering defect of the outer face. Rising damp is a theory about water from the ground in the base of the wall. A survey can record both, and neither phrase is a specification for cutting out every brick.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Soft bricks, cracked pointing and a wall that stays wet from driving rain are the usual setting. The damage is on the outside. Inside you may see nothing, or a separate penetrating-damp stain. A surveyor can see the flakes from the ground and say whether they are local or widespread. They cannot tell you how many bricks a bricklayer will condemn without that person looking.

Repointing and replacing bricks are masonry work. They do not follow from a moisture meter used indoors. The Property Care Association’s structural pages group damp with the need to find a cause, not with a single product. Ask the surveyor whether the spalling is letting rain through, and whether lintels or the damp-proof course are involved. Get a mason’s view of extent before you treat it as a price reduction.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Is the spalling at low level, on a weather-facing wall, or under a leaking gutter?
Is there a matching stain inside, or only damaged faces outside?
Are you asking for local repairs or for a wider investigation?

What are the typical next steps?

Photograph the elevation. Count nothing from the pavement and call it a schedule.
Do not power-wash spalled faces. You will remove more brick.
If the rating is 3, ask a bricklayer what must be cut out, and keep gutters in the same conversation.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Is spalling the same as blown render?

No. Render is a coating. Spalling is the masonry itself losing its face. They can share a wet wall and still need different repairs.

Will new pointing stop frost damage?

Sound pointing helps a wall shed water. It does not restore a brick that has already lost its face, and it is not a damp-proof course.