The primary purpose of the masonry façade of a building is to maintain its integrity so as to keep the building water-tight. Over many years, even the best laid brick wall will weather and eventually allow the ingress of water. When the building leaks or bricks begin to disintegrate due to repeated freeze-thaw cycles it is important to contact a contractor that undertakes brick repair in Oak Park and discuss the possible remedies.
* Identifying flaking and eroding brick:
Aged brickwork is not always a sign of potential problems, as a matter of fact on period homes it adds to the charm of the building. However, there is a major difference between “charm” and trouble. Where there is significant evidence of erosion then the bricks must be repaired or replaced. There are specific signs to look for which include brick crumbling and evidence of damp penetrating through the wall.
* Implications:
The primary concern is when the hard outer surface of the brick has worn away or destroyed by variable weather, the soft inner core of the brick is exposed. The most common cause of this is water that is trapped in the masonry freezing; the expansion causes surface erosion and deterioration. Chemical salts can also leech from the masonry, also causing damage.
* Remedies:
Often bricks that have crumbled can be cut out by experts in brick repair in Oak Park. Using chisels or drilling small pilot holes directly into the mortar will allow the brick to be extracted and replaced. A lot has to do with the extent of the damage, it is not always necessary to remove and replace the whole brick, there are situations where just the face of the brick is removed and filled with the matching face from another brick, fixing it with mortar.
Often the problem is not the brick, it is the mortar used between the courses. This can be rectified by re-pointing which is basically removing about one inch of the old mortar and replacing it. It is not easy but those that are skilled in brick repair in Oak Park can do the job perfectly.
If you are missing bricks in the walls of your home or bricks have been damaged by constant freezing and thawing then you are invited to call Fortune Restoration, they are experts at brick repair in Oak Park. We are also on facebook.
Louis Shea
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