Brick Questions

Can my bricks be repaired?
-This can be done, but is generally advised against as this just covers a more serious problem. Damaged bricks should be replaced by complete units. While easy, brick repair work is a band-aid solution and will have to be addressed properly at a certain point. Many brick 'repair' solutions actually increase the rate at which the damage is being caused to the units.

My house has been repointed fairly recently, but now my bricks are deteriorating. Why?
-A common problem when it comes to repointing is that a mortar which is stronger than the brick in the wall is used to repoint a wall. The assumption is that stronger mortar will produce a stronger wall. This is not the case. Mortar used must be softer than the units that make up the wall so that the mortar takes the stresses of the wall, and not the brick.

Can you match the brick that is used on my house?
-When repairing damaged areas, we try our best to find a perfect match to the bricks that already exist on your home. There are certain bricks that are very common, and are still in use today. Unfortunately, many bricks go out of style, and manufacturers stop making them. In these cases, we try our best to find the best match, keeping shape, size, colour, and texture in mind.

I have some leftover bricks in my garage. Can you use those?
-Yes we can. It is very helpful when homeowners have leftover bricks. Sometimes they are left behind after the house was built, or other times they were removed when an addition was added to the house. As long as the bricks are in good structural and aesthetic condition, we can use them, and you are more likely to have a seamless match in brickwork.

If you do have extra bricks lying around, make sure that they are well protected from the elements. Keeping bricks in the garage or basement is your best option.

Why has my brickwork been stained white?
-White stains that form on brickwork is called efflorescence. It is caused by salts in the water, or lime in the mortar being deposited on the faces of the brick as the water evaporates. Efflorescence most often occurs in cold, moist weather. Efflorescence does not clean off easily, but it does not pose a structural threat to the wall, either. Most efflorescence will fade over time, but this can sometimes take several years.

Do you install or repair interlock bricks?
-While the majority of jobs that we do are brick-related, interlock is not something that we regularly deal with. Sometimes it makes sense to have us do a minor repair here or there if we are already fixing or building another aspect of your home, but we typically suggest that you seek out an interlock specialist.