Clay bricks contain soluble salts that migrate, in solution in water, to
the surface of brickwork as water evaporates to outside air. These salts will collect on the face of brickwork as an efflorescence (flowering) of white crystals that appear in irregular, unsightly patches. This efflorescence of white salts is most pronounced in parapet walls, chimneys and below dpcs where brickwork is most liable to saturation. The concentration of salts depends on the soluble salt content of the {brick}s and the degree and persistence of saturation of brickwork.
The efflorescence of white salts on the surface is generally merely unsightly and causes no damage. In time these salts may be washed from surfaces by rain. Heavy concentration of salts can cause spalling and powdering of the surface of bricks, particularly those with smooth faces, such as Flettons. This effect is sometimes described as crypto efflorescence. The salts trapped behind the smooth face of bricks expand when wetted by rain and cause the face of the bricks to crumble and disintegrate.
Efflorescence may also be caused by absorption of soluble salts from a cement rich mortar or from the ground, that appear on the face of brickwork that might not otherwise be subject to efflorescence. Some impermeable coating between concrete and brick can prevent this. There is no way of preventing the absorption of soluble salts from the ground by brickwork below the horizontal dpc level, although the effect can be reduced considerably by the use of dense bricks below the dpc.