There’s no sense in not repairing bricks instead of replacing them, when their faces are spalled but the bricks are mostly intact. The original mortar on this chimney was extremely hard, so windblown rain took the evaporative path of least resistance, through the bricks’ faces instead of through the joints. Freeze/thaw cycles did this damage.
The chimney was fully repointed after the bricks were repaired with tinted mortar. Type O mortar, twice as rich in mason’s lime than Portland cement, was used for both procedures.
These porch slab walls suffered a similar fate, due to their original joints that were raked back a half-inch (probably the worst kind of joint there is for shedding water), opened sill joints and poor drainage.
Replacing all these damaged bricks would have cost $4,000 or so. My repairs cost $1,850, and I was confident enough to guarantee them for the remainder of my days.
The customer has placed a mound of infill dirt beneath the new drain spout, to direct water well away from the wall.
The customer has placed a mound of infill dirt beneath the new drain spout, to direct water well away from the wall.
