Turning Houses Into Homes: A Home and Garden Blog

What Masonry Repair Can Do For Your Brick Home

Bricks are a long-valued building material. Indeed, the National Association of Home Builders conducted a study that showed 34 percent of respondents ranked brick as their top choice for home exteriors. Of course, the value comes from a brick exterior that's well-maintained.

Masonry repair involves the upkeep, maintenance, and repair of the bricks and attendant materials related to the structure. If you have brick on your home's exterior, you might benefit from masonry repair. 

Increase Your House's Curb Appeal

As noted, your house's brickwork needs to be well-maintained to provide you curb appeal benefits. If your brickwork is cracked, discolored, or otherwise crumbling, it doesn't present a pleasing façade.

Repair contractors have a lot of techniques at their disposal to repair and resurface the face of your brick structure. The result is a façade that looks like fresh-laid bricks. So, your house will see an increase in curb appeal — and most likely resale value.    

Determine Issues of Cracking

If you look at the brickwork in your home's façade, you may have noticed some cracking along the mortar joints. When you see cracked walls, you may automatically think about foundation issues. While problems with the foundation are a possible cause, the façade may have other underlying issues.

One possibility is a flaw in the design or initial construction. Another possibility is the deterioration of the mortar. Masonry repair contractors can look at the cracks in your brickwork and advise you on the underlying issue. In many cases, they can solve those issues.

Shore Up Your Chimney

Bricks are commonly used to construct chimneys. Brick chimneys are independent structures from the rest of your house. They rely on their brickwork for support. Therefore, if the chimney has any issues in the masonry, the entire structure could be in danger of collapse.

Experienced repair contractors can examine your chimney for signs of imminent collapse. If necessary, they can shore up or replace any parts of the structure that are damaged or failing.

Prevent Water from Getting Behind Your Brick

Water is the great enemy of your house. An excess of water or humidity can damage most materials, including wood, paint, and brick. Brick and mortar do a good job of keeping water from reaching the wall behind them. Unfortunately, over time, weather and decay can create voids in the mortar.

Masonry repair contractors can repoint your brick façade. They'll remove the old mortar carefully so the surrounding bricks are unharmed. After they clean the new voids, they'll fill in the gaps with new mortar. As a result, your façade will be watertight again.

If your brickwork is looking worn, contract for professional like those at A-1 Rooftop Chimney Sweep for masonry repair. 


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