We often don’t notice when masonry restoration is needed because it takes a while for damage to be visible from the outside. By that time, it’s already serious and requires immediate attention. Whether your walls, chimneys or house generally needs it or not, the three signs mentioned below will help you determine if a structure needs any masonry work done to restore its past glory.
Masonry Restoration Tips for Bulging Brick
A brick wall with bulging bricks is an old house problem. Water behind the brick can cause your brick to buckle, warp, and possibly even loose mortar. Masonry restoration will deal with the problem by removing the problem bricks and fixing the underlying issues. The mason will remove the ones damaged by the moisture and then reconstruct the wall with new bricks. Bulging bricks can be a problem for any home. They have the potential to not only damage the mortar between them, but the wall itself. Now that you better understand what the issue actually is, you can seek out solutions for your problem.
Masonry Restoration Tips for Vertical Cracks
Vertical cracks in brick and stone walls aren’t something to worry about, but if left untreated, can lead to collapsed walls. Water and moisture will seep into the crevice, causing bulging or caving bricks. To avoid long-term structural damage, these cracks need to be fixed right away with either an epoxy or urethane injection or by installing an expansion joint. Vertical cracks are common in masonry structures. They are harmless, but need to be addressed before serious structural problems occur. Vertical cracks can be filled with epoxy or urethane injections. For corner cracks, an expansion joint should be installed to carry the weight of the wall. Restoring your home’s masonry with mortar cracks is cheap and quick, so there is no reason to allow such a problem to escalate.
Masonry Restoration Tips for Compacted Bricks
There are a few things you can try to fix a compacted brick. The easiest of which is the move-hammer-bricks technique. This involves moving the bricks one-by-one, picking up the weight that’s carried by the compacted bricks, and removing them carefully from the structure. Compacted bricks, are not only great for making good sturdy walls, but also for slowing down water and the damage it causes. But if left uncorrected, one compacted brick will eventually lead to five damaged ones and before you know it, you’ll have dozens of damaged bricks on your hands. In order to deal with the issue and prevent further damage, you should call in a mason. The mason will then replace the damaged bricks with new ones then suggest that you make sure that your foundation is underpinned by push piers for additional support.
