Knowing More About Masonry Repair
The construction material that has been long valued for durability and strength is the brick. This is true as buildings made of bricks are still here in the present day. But you need to take note that masonry also has its weakness. So every time a homeowner will discover an extensive moisture damage or crumbling bricks, he or she needs to seek help from a professional. But if the cement mixtures between the bricks are decaying, you need to do something about it. This article will help you learn how you can replace a bad mortar joint so that you the structural integrity of your brick work will be prolonged and preserved.
First of all, you will need some toosl. You will need an angle grinder with a 4 to 4.5 inch diamond blade, as well as a rotary hammer drill that has a flat chisel head bit. You should also use a flat blade in order to press the new mortar to the joint, as well as a tuck and a trowel pointer. A joint raker or any other similar tool will also be needed in order to shape and smooth the wet paste. This will also require a bag of mortar that will be mixed inside a bucket.
It is important to know how bad the problem is so that a successful masonry will be done. A house key can be used to scratch the joints in the middle of the brick. If it will come out in chunks, you really need to replace it because solid mortar will not crumble. After gathering this information, it is important to use an angle grinder to create a horizontal cut below and above every joint. After the bad sections will be cut loose, the hammer drill will be working through the grooves and will chisel them out of the wall. In cleaning out the new grooves, a stiff paintbrush is highly suggested.
A new batch of mortar is needed once the bad mortar will be removed. The mortar will be mixed with water depending on the instructions on the bag and the final consistency of the mortar must be similar to a thick peanut butter. A glob of paste will be placed on top of the trowel and the trowel will be placed inside the empty groove. The mortar will be tightly packed between the bricks using a tuck pointer. It is also important to make sure that the paste is not set and hard during the process of filling the grooves with fresh mortar. Normally, a new masoned joint is ready to strike after about thirty minutes of new mortar application. So every time you will need a masonry repair, you need to make sure that you know the professionals to call.