Construction & Contractors Blog
There are many ways that masonry can be used throughout your property. In addition to being used in your home's construction, masonry can also be used for retaining walls and fences. If your property has masonry structures on it, there are some types of work that you will eventually need to have done to the masonry.
Deep Cleaning The Surface Of The Masonry
Over the course of time, the surface of the masonry can start to become discolored. As deep stains form on the surface of the masonry, they can create major aesthetic issues. Luckily, there are options for cleaning the masonry that can remove these discolorations so that the brick and mortar will be returned to their natural colors. While a pressure washer will be an essential tool for this work, there are also masonry-safe cleaning solutions that may be used.
Replacing Cracked Or Otherwise Damaged Bricks
Damage to the bricks that are used in the masonry can be an issue that will impact the look of the surface as well as potentially contribute to stability problems. This problem can be especially common for older brick structures due to years of exposure weakening the bricks. However, it can also occur to relatively new masonry structures as a result of impacts. Regardless of the cause of the cracks forming in the masonry, the impacted bricks will have to be replaced. This can be a relatively inexpensive repair if it is started soon after the damage occurs. However, if the crack grows to the neighboring bricks, it could substantially increase the repairs.
Mortar Replacement
The mortar that holds the masonry together is likely to degrade before the bricks do. This can lead to substantial stability problems for the brick structure. While it might not seem like degraded mortar is a problem that can be repaired, this is precisely the issue that is intended to be addressed with tuckpointing. During the tuckpointing procedure, the mortar is carefully removed and replaced without disturbing the bricks. While effective, this is a project that may take multiple days for even fairly small masonry structures. However, the results of this work will be able to last for many years or even decades before the mortar will degrade enough to warrant undergoing the tuckpointing process again. Without this repair option, the crumbling mortar may cause the bricks to loosen or even start to fall out, and this may greatly increase the risk of the structure collapsing as a result.
Contact a masonry contractor for more information.
Share6 April 2022
The world around you consists of a lot of built structures. Obviously, these include a lot of buildings, such as schools, homes, and places of business. It also includes roads and sidewalks. But it also includes things you may not think about as often, such as playgrounds, telephone poles, and sewer systems. All of these built structures common and uncommon, are made by construction workers or contractors of some type. They're pretty incredible, their work is pretty incredible, and we are excited to write about both them and their work here on this blog. We hope you enjoy reading it, probably while inside some type of built structure.
