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”
