Masonry repair

About Masonry Repair. whether its repairing Bricks, Stone, Blocks, or Concrete you should not do just a low cost patch job unless you intend to. The problem will just come back or in some cases the repair will be dangerous and crack again and possibly brick or stone could come loose and hurt someone. The reason for this page is to inform people of the danger and mistakes people make day to day. If your Problem is not done correctly there is a very good chance it will come back again in the future.

It is important that you hire the professionals on new construction and repair jobs. Such jobs are the Fireplaces, Chimneys, Columns, Arches, Gables, Steps, Retaining and Partition Walls, Veneer’s, Grills, and All Masonry work in general. The reason you see Masons doing repair or performing new construction differently than other contractors is so their bid or proposal will be cheaper than the professionals bids or they just have no clue on what will fix the problem but they try. There is a reason why for much lower bids. One contractor will bid low and doesn’t do what he or she is supposed to do and the other contractor will be higher because he or she will do everything that is supposed to be done correctly and to code and by the plans if there is a set.
Other times a proposal or bid will be different in price because the materials used will be different or generic etc. Say one contractor is building a Hand crafted fireplace vs a prefabricated fireplace or the same as a outdoor kitchen prefab vs a hand crafted outdoor kitchen. Another example is simulated stone vs real stone etc. there is so much that the individual must know before they are stuck with a nightmare. Make sure all the contractors are bidding the exact same design and project details. This website is here to give you knowledge for construction.

Fireplaces:  Whether your building the new or repairing the old it is a must to build the fireplace to code, Gases and hot air can and will build up pressure and crack the interior and or the exterior fireplace and chimney walls and possibly have a small explosion. This is the same for a grill its not a good thing to trap hot air because it will build pressure. Wall ties must be used on the mantle also due to the free standing of the masonry wall. For example children will climb on these mantles and the masonry wall will come crashing down if not properly supported. Also there are dimensions and codes you need to follow for the roll out log prevention and hearth size for the sparks etc.. Another reason to hire a pro is the fireplace will be a focal point in any room and one of the costly parts of the home. You do not want a shoddy job. I seen many hearths and mantles that look awful and is a fire hazard. Most people don’t use their fireplace or know how to get it started. Be sure to prime your flue. Always Be careful. call us if you having any problems with your fireplace.

Chimneys:  The problems we see day to day by driving down the road is the presentation of the chimney. The snow, heat, rain, cold, wind, moisture is consistently beating down the structure eroding and deteriorating the cement causing masonry units to come loose. Its always best to use a hydraulic cement. When your repairing your chimney be sure you don’t change the height or the size of flues, but in some cases extending the height might be the reason to get your fireplace to work properly. Masons should cover the roof top before masonry is performed, cement will discolor your shingles. Over time the rain will clean off the left over cement. Make sure if nails are driven into the roof top  that they’re pulled out and filled back in with a sealer that is intended for roof tops. Flashing is a must when the chimney is rebuilt from the roof top and up. If the chimney is rebuilt this would be a good time to install new roof flashing and then the mason will install his new flashing. This will keep water out of your house. Flashing should look very uniform and straight and can be painted. If you see water coming in from your chimney on a normal rainy day check for cracks or openings at the cap and around your chimney. If this water problem is happening its time to restore your chimney. If you see water coming in on very severe windy strong thunderstorms then its the rain blowing in sideways through the cage and down your chimney flue. If there is no cage at the cap like some are without one then this is normal don’t be frighten about the water. keep the damper open during a rain so the flue will stay dry, but it is always a good idea to look and make sure everything is sealed and not leaking on the outside of the flue and in the inside of the chimney.  If cracks and openings are left unattended water will penetrate the opening and cause it to start deteriorating. Kinda like a pot hole in the road due to bad weather. The flue in the inside of a chimney will need to be rebuilt at some point in time depending on weather and usage. The top of your chimney should be 10-12 feet away from the roof line for fire hazard reasons and for proper air flow depending on your codes. This will help determine the height of the chimney also.

Columns:  I know that almost everyone has seen a column leaning or falling apart even after about a year it was built. The reason you see this is due to constructing the columns in a incorrect manner or the ground is kept wet or from earth shifting. What the pros know is that the footing the column is sitting on is not deep nor wide enough. A good square solid footing is key. The hole should be dug only to the proper depth and do not fill the hole back in with loose dirt. The heavier the structure the deeper and more wide the footing should be. Masonry columns 6 to 8 feet in height and 2 feet wide can be 1,000 to 1,500 pounds depending on the material used. Stone is more dense than brick. When constructing Columns that are built for a fence or more importantly for gates your adding more stress to the columns so more measures need to be taken to support the fence or gates for the life of the fence or gate. Extra reinforcements such as steel and iron needs to be installed for gates and a deeper and more wide footing will be needed also. A 6ft gate will need less support than a gate that is extended 10ft. Columns should have a cap to prevent weather eroding the tops but having a cap is not necessary but wise. Masons could also free hand a cap with cement, be sure to use a strong hydraulic cement. We will always use Type S or stronger if necessary, this will cause the project cost to be just a few dollars higher but very well worth it.

NOTE: On grand projects such as a shopping center or a 3-5,000 square foot house or bigger switching from a type N to a type S or a color cement will be a difference in price. So when asking for bids see what cement the’re also using. In most cases the General notes should be on the plans for what type of cement should be used written by the architect.

Arches:  Masonry arches over doors, walkways, porches, also over windows and garage doors can be a great look for your home or building but if incorrectly done the arches will be another future expense for your home or building. Owners will have to up keep the maintenance on their property but when the owner has to fork out more cash for the structure of their home when it should have been done the right way the first time it becomes a headache and a stress on their wallet even though they paid good money for their property. (Some builders should start hiring the professionals and quit hiring the cheapest worker. This falls under competition). When an arch is installed there must be a good radius to hold up the pressure and also the arch needs to lap over into the supported wall or column. Another thing to look for is the iron to support the weight over the garage door openings and window openings etc. Gables, columns, window opening garage door openings starts to crack, move, fall apart when not properly supported and then cause a dangerous hazard and this will cost more to repair than if it was just done the right way the first time when constructing the project. Fire codes require a iron or a bond beam reinforcement over openings. Lots of neighborhoods will have a number of homes having problems with there gables and arches. The more weight and pressure there is the more support you will need. Another reason for arches to crack or move is that the foundation under it is moving. Your property must have a good strong foundation. The masonry work above is only as good as the Foundation it sits on. Masonry warranty is also affected by the foundation.

Gables:  Gables are a lot like the arches explained above. The Masonry Gable must be supported with wall ties and perhaps if there is an opening under the gable it must be supported by a good size angle iron otherwise the gable will be supported by the masonry below. When repairing Gables Is it unwise to rely on the support to hold up the top half while working on the bottom half that is cracked or moving. The weight is in the several thousand pounds. Now if the job was patched and not completely redone the gable will move again and crack causing water and air to penetrate the interior. Also the structure has moved even more making the gable or some cases arches to become even more dangerous even though you only see a small crack in the wall again, but add the first movement and then the second movement and it may had moved 1 to 2 inches possibly more and the gable may come crashing down after the supports give out. Lets hope you also have wall ties. Do not park vehicles under a gable if a gable over a driveway is loose or moved.

Steps/Risers: When building your steps the height is crucial. Ive seen risers have a 8 inch step and then a 6 inch step and then another height, this will surely promote tripping. The width, length and slope of a step can be custom to your wants and needs. Always think about safety. I’ve seen sidewalks or walkways not have a step where one is needed instead you have a sharp slope and when walking on this incorrect sidewalk you may slip when wet or iced over. They key to construction is to think ahead about future projects and in all weather conditions. Other problems that might occur is after the flat work is done sinkholes develop due to poor grouting or a mistake of having to much of a thick grout or to dry to mortar in the bottom of the flat work. When repairing flat work it is possible to get a good match but hardly looks uniform in color. We always use a more higher priced and stronger cement than others therefore the color will be different than the cheaper cement but will use whats best and matches. When constructing walkways you might have wing walls or partition walls, utilize this feature by installing lighting for visibility at night. When walking on sidewalks, walkways, and steps it is important to have a nice flat surface. If the flat work is incorrectly done and there are rises on the flat work it is another tripping hazard and a place for future water puddles. If the flat work you have doesn’t have correct sloping and water run off and is perhaps perfectly level with low spots then water will start molding, discoloration process and deteriorating process, making the steps or walkways doomed for repair and a future cost for the home owner.

Retaining and Partition Walls: When you come across a situation on your property where your needing to retain the ground from either a washout or your yard needs to be split leveled for proper use of the land. There are many designs, colors and materials you can use for a retaining wall. There can be danger if not properly built. If the wall is to high and the dirt is loose behind the wall the dirt will settle pushing the wall out and thus creates a dangerous situation also this can happen on shorter walls. When the wall is low to the ground it can sometimes be hazardous by accidental walking off the edge or tripping but this wall design is not wrong but has a flaw for falling and hurting yourself. If this is a problem then other precautions may need to be taken such as a plant barrier or fence or having the retaining wall rise past ground level. There are other ways to keep your wall doing its job and that’s installing a drainage system behind the wall or having a drainage pipe for water to exit on the front side of the walls. You will also need a fabric, this helps the wall stand and helps the dirt from pushing out your wall by using a counter pressure system. When using versa-lok it is important to have a good level footing installed for a nice uniformed wall. Boulders are nice but this can be the most expensive due to the cost of the rock per pound and the use of a machine per hour. When building any wall out of stone and boulders its always a good to have support such as a dead man or a turned boulder every other one and pack dirt or small stone/boulders in between the larger ones. Partition walls need a strong backup wall so it doesn’t lean or fall over. Everything that is built must be supported level and plum with a footing of correct dimensions.

Veneers:  When installing brick or stone, it is crucial to use those wall ties and have straight, level coursing, and plum corners. There is a certain way to use and install wall ties. If you see slivers of bricks around windows or garage doors its probably due to not measuring out your coursing and not locating your bench mark. In some cases the home wasn’t framed correctly or not framed for the certain size of bricks used. What i mean is where the windows are hung such as one is hung to low or to high causing the brick coursing to be cut into the window instead of a whole brick able to be installed right above the window. It’s also important to have the stone or brick pocket very straight and square this will keep the soldier brick at the top very plum and square. Window sills and steps under thresholds must have a slop so water will be diverted away from the house and not accumulate ice during the winter and for water penetration prevention. When stone is used for veneers a mason must use a guide or a ruler to keep the same measurement from the wall otherwise you might have a curved or bowled wall and this looks very bad. Dry Stacked stone must have cement behind and brought out on top of the laid stone before installing another stone. The bonds of brick are varied from English bond and American Bond stacked Bond Garden Wall Bond, Rat Trap Bond and Flemish Bond etc. Stone will have many types of designs, shapes, colors, and techniques.

Under construction Sorry…… Wish i had more to say at the time.