The Art of Proper Brick and Mortar Replacement
A common maintenance task for brick masonry is the repair of mortar joints. The longevity of mortar joints will vary with the exposure conditions and the
mortar materials used, but a lifespan of more than 45 years is typical.
The longevity of brick, however, may well exceed 100
years. Consequently, occasional repair of the mortar joints is expected
over the life of the brick masonry. Here at
Master Masonry it is our observation that
the most common reason for repointing brick masonry is to improve water
penetration resistance. Repointing deteriorated mortar joints is one of
the most effective and permanent ways of decreasing water entry into
brickwork. This is because the most common means of water entry into a
brick masonry wall is through debonded, cracked or deteriorated mortar
joints.
A critical step in the repointing operation is to
identify wall areas which require repointing. Original mortar joints in good condition are
preferred over repointed mortar joints. Conditions which may require
repointing include: (1) mortar erosion more than 3/8", (2) crumbling
mortar, (3) hairline cracks in the mortar, and (4) cracks between the
brick and mortar. At Master
Masonry, we visually inspect your entire home free of charge to determine
repair needs.
Color Matching.
Designers have used mortar color for
years to compliment
brickwork. We specialize in
determining the closest shade
possible to your colored mortar to give the best match possible of your
original work. The first step
toward achieving a consistent mortar color is
using the same ingredients as the home or building
was built with.
Mortar Shade.
Masonry and Portland cement
are produced with different manufacturing processes offering a variety of
shades from dark gray to white color tones. The cement color shade
will have a direct and pronounced effect on the mortar color. Adding color
to light gray cements will produce brighter and cleaner color shades.
Conversely, utilizing dark gray cement will limit the ability to produce
light color shades such as buff or pink. If a light pastel color is
specified, more than likely white cement will be used to obtain the
desired mortar color.
Exterior masonry mortars colored with carbon black have a history of
losing color from the surface of the mortar joint within six months after
installation. While carbon black itself is sun-fast, carbon black does not
bond well to cement. It eventually disappears through weather exposure,
resulting in a gradual loss of color on the surface area of the mortar
joint.
Brick Replacement.
Brick replacement involves carefully cutting out and actually replacing deteriorated bricks with
full size matching or
very closely-matching bricks.
We specialize in pointing and filling brick and mortar
cracks that
occur due to settlement of foundations. We also restore to its original
condition brick walls, columns, chimneys, fireplaces, fences, arches, etc.
that have been damaged. When completed, the damage is as close to
undetectable as possible.
Few people in Dallas
understand brick problems better than we do. Throughout the
years, we have been called on by builders, realtors and residential
inspectors for our expertise in this field.
Be sure to also see our testimonials from our satisfied customers.
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