Oakland County Mi Masonry Chimney Repair Expert How to Replace Damaged Brick

Feb. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Mark began by explaining the various reasons for masonry damage.  He said, “Inevitably, if you have masonry work in climates such as Michigan, where you have a range of seasons, you will have damaged brick.  There are a variety of reasons brick can become damaged.  Obviously, if by some kind of act of God or impact such as car accident or lightning, your brick will take structural damage.”

Mark explained that more commonly, brick becomes damaged due to exposure to moisture.  Mark went on, “The majority of bricks in Michigan are made of clay and while they often have some resistance to moisture, that does not mean that brick are waterproof.  Some brick, in fact, will absorb moisture like a sponge because they are so porous.  Climate changes and moisture freezing and thawing the brick can cause them to deteriorate or spall.”

One man from Oakland County responded that he found Marks Information to be very interesting. He surprised to find out that brick were not waterproof. Mark continued to explain that when  the face pops off of a brick, it is referred to as a spalled brick.  “This is a very common occurrence in Michigan where I perform most of my masonry repairs and construction.  When your brick becomes spalled it is necessary to remove the damaged brick and replace it.  For the homeowner this can be a fairly labor intensive job.”

The first step in this process for a homeowner is to cut away the damaged bricks.  This is done by attaching a diamond blade to a circular saw and cutting into the mortar joints around the damaged brick.  The brick is then removed with a chisel and hammer.  It is best to start at the top when removing damaged brick, and work your way down.

Once you have removed the damaged brick, make sure to chisel out any excess mortar so when you place the new brick in you can lay it plum and level. Mark expressed his views on homeowner doing there own repair it was clear we felt that only the “very handy homeowner should attempt masonry repair work”

Mark Said “for the contractor, I recommend using a hammer drill or rotary hammer that has a chisel only setting.  This is a far more effective and less labor intensive way to remove damaged masonry units, but many homeowners may not want to invest the extra money into this tool.”

Before laying  new brick Mark suggested that the lay  brick be laid dry first.  Laying the brick dry is when you set the brick into the open area to ensure that it will fit cleanly and lay properly before you set it in with mortar.  The benefit of laying dry brick is that once you actually set the brick in mortar, you do not run the risk of having to relay it again in order to achieve a good looking finished product.

After laying the dry brick, it was explained that this was the proper time to mix  mortar.  Good mortar should have the consistency of whipped mashed potatoes. Once the mortar is mixed it should be spread evenly below where you plan on laying the brick.  Once you have a nice, even layer of mortar, place your brick into the exposed area.

There are two ways to fill in the vertical and horizontal mortar joints on the side and top of the brick.  The first method is to fill your trowel with mortar.  Then take a tuckpointer and press the mortar into the exposed joint.

The second method to fill in your exposed mortar joints is to fill a grout bag with your mortar and squirt the mortar into the crevices between the brick.  Using a grout bag is similar to decorating a cake, and looks very similar to a cake decorating bag.

Once all your mortar joints are filled you will want to let your mortar set up, or harden slightly.  After your mortar has begun to harden it is time to tool the mortar joints.  Mortar joints are tooled in several different ways.  There is the concave joint, the rough joint, the weeping joint, or the rake joint.  For more information on types of joints, visit http://michiganchimneyrepair.com/OaklandCountyChimneyRepair.aspx

Mark Maupin of brick repair llc is available for consultation on masonry repair
Mark can be reached at 248-895-7752, or visit http://www.emailwire.com/release/32194-Michigan-Chimney-Repair-Expert-Shares-Tips-on-Hiring-Masonry-Contractor.html  Brick Repair LLC services the following communities: Auburn Hills,  Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield township, Brighton, Canton, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Ferndale, Drayton Plains,
Eastpointe, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Highland, Highland Park,

Mr Maupin also performs chimney repair and masonry construction in Howell, Huntington Woods, Keego Harbor, Lake Orion, Lathrup Village,  Lincoln Park, Livonia, Madison Heights, Milford, New Hudson, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Orchard Lake, Orion, Orchard Lake, Ortonville, Pontiac, Redford, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Romulus, Roseville, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Sylvan Lake, Troy, Utica, Walled Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake Oakland County, Wayne County

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