My basement is brick. Some has been painted with obvious calcification causing bulging. Some bare brick with some brick getting soft and powdery.

I am going to scrape away loose brick and calcification, then wanted to seal with a clear coat. However, I may need to use colored sealer as local Lowes doesn’t have anything clear.

Am I OK just scraping, cleaning, and painting, or is the difficulty with the outside of the house and painting as I describe futile?

Thanks for taking my question. Is there a donation I can make for this site?