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The Art of Proper Brick and Mortar Repair

A common maintenance task for brick masonry is the repair of mortar joints. The longevity of mortar joints will vary with the exposure conditions and the mortar materials used, but a lifespan of more than 45 years is typical. The longevity of brick, however, may well exceed 100 years. Consequently, occasional repair of the mortar joints is expected over the life of the brick masonry. Here at Master Masonry it is our observation that the most common reason for repointing brick masonry is to improve water penetration resistance. Repointing deteriorated mortar joints is one of the most effective and permanent ways of decreasing water entry into brickwork. This is because the most common means of water entry into a brick masonry wall is through debonded, cracked or deteriorated mortar joints.

A critical step in the repointing operation is to identify wall areas which require repointing. Original mortar joints in good condition are preferred over repointed mortar joints. Conditions which may require repointing include: (1) mortar erosion more than 3/8", (2) crumbling mortar, (3) hairline cracks in the mortar, and (4) cracks between the brick and mortar. At Master Masonry, we visually inspect your entire home free of charge to determine repair needs.

Color Matching.
Designers have used mortar color for years to compliment brickwork. We specialize in determining the closest shade possible to your colored mortar to give the best match possible of your original work. The first step toward achieving a consistent mortar color is using the same ingredients as the home or building was built with. bag

Mortar Shade. Masonry and Portland cement are produced with different manufacturing processes offering a variety of shades from dark gray to white color tones. The cement color shade will have a direct and pronounced effect on the mortar color. Adding color to light gray cements will produce brighter and cleaner color shades. Conversely, utilizing dark gray cement will limit the ability to produce light color shades such as buff or pink. If a light pastel color is specified, more than likely white cement will be used to obtain the desired mortar color.
Exterior masonry mortars colored with carbon black have a history of losing color from the surface of the mortar joint within six months after installation. While carbon black itself is sun-fast, carbon black does not bond well to cement. It eventually disappears through weather exposure, resulting in a gradual loss of color on the surface area of the mortar joint.

Brick Replacement

Brick replacement involves carefully cutting out and actually replacing deteriorated bricks with full size matching or very closely-matching bricks.

We specialize in pointing and filling brick and mortar cracks that occur due to settlement of foundations. We also restore to its original condition brick walls, columns, chimneys, fireplaces, fences, arches, etc. that have been damaged. When completed, the damage is as close to undetectable as possible.

Few people in Dallas understand brick problems better than we do. Throughout the years, we have been called on by builders, realtors and residential inspectors for our expertise in this field.