Most brick or block wall repair requires only basic skills.
The trick is to catch and fix the damage before it spreadshere’s how.
The key to avoiding brick or block wall repair is to routinely check the wall’s mortar joints.
Soft, crumbling mortar joints let water in to cause serious damage to the wall.
Faulty mortar jointscall for tuck-pointingremoving the mortar and replacing it.
If the brick has lost its glaze, it’s vulnerable to water migrating into its body.
Seal the brick with a clear sealer.
Chipped brick is also a tip-off that water has intruded and frozen.
Treat a chipped brick as you would a damaged brickreplace it.
Check the wall in the spring before leaves appear.
You’ll need about two hours to replace a brick or a block.
Before you begin, learn how to chisel, mix mortar, and point mortar.
To avoid collapsing a section of wall, replace only a few bricks at a time.
Brush Away Loose Mortar
Brush the loose mortar from the joint with an oldpaintbrush.
you could also blow out the dust on a small area with an air hose.
In all cases, wear eye protection.
After cleaning, mist the joint with a sprayer.
Press the mortar into the joint until it’s solidly filled.
Then tool the joints with a striker that matches the profile of the original joints.
Tool the horizontal joints first, then the vertical joints.
Chip Out Old Brick
To remove a damaged brick, drill several 1/4-inch holes in its center.
Next, chip out the old mortar with a plugging chisel and a small sledge.
Using a brick set, break the brick into pieces and remove them.
Brush away debris, blow out the dust, and dampen all cavity surfaces.
Using a pointing trowel, apply a 1-inch-thick layer of mortar to the bottom side of the recess.
Pry the brick as necessary to make the joints evenly thick.
Set a straightedge on the brick and push it level with the wall.
Then tool the joints with a striker that matches the profile of the original joints.
When the mortar dries to a crumbly surface, brush it again.
Loosen the Block
Use a masonry drill to drill holes into the cores of the block.
Set a cold chisel in the holes and break out the front face of the cores.
This provides a bonding surface for the replacement face.
Chip out the mortar on the sides of the recess also.
Then cut away the face from the center web with a cold chisel.
Set the new face in place, slipping it in with a pointed trowel.
Center and Strike
Center the block face in the opening by driving wood wedges in the mortar.
Let the mortar set up and remove the wedges.
Then mortar the holes left by the wedges, and strike the joints.
The culprit: salts in the brick or mortar that rise to the surface.
This key in of efflorescence usually goes away on its own within a year.
Before treating the efflorescence, deal with its cause.
verify the wall dries completely between rains.
Muriatic acid is a diluted form of hydrochloric acid.
Handle it with care.
Wear old clothes, safety glasses, and rubber gloves.
Always pour acid into the water to dilute it, don’t pour water into the acid.
When water is poured into the acid, it causes a reaction that produces heat.
Rinse acid-washed surfaces thoroughly to dilute the acid and flush it away.
Store the acid in its original, marked container.
Rinse with a power washer.
On concrete blocks, use only water; acid can damage them.
