UNSECURED STONE AND BRICK WALLS

Fixing Damaged Brick Or Stone Walls

A good brick wall stems from a good foundation. What if, owing to certain natural causes, you observe cracks, spalling, bulging, leaks and even damage in the brick wall? How would you recognize the damage and repair your brick wall? Here we will take you through steps that can help you diagnose the brick wall damage, and call the right masons to repair the wall.

Why Brick Walls Shift

Brick walls normally get damaged due to cracked mortar. Normally, a structural movement within the brick can cause bond courses to break, which eventually causes damage in the brick wall. Mortar is generally used to construct the brick wall, and if this bond is broken or damaged, you might want to get someone to look into it.

The Problems Inside Brick Walls

If the portion of ground beneath your strong foundation contracts, you cannot dismiss the problem. This is a classic example of subsidence. This removes the support from the wall and causes the unsupported portion to fall, thus creating a crack in the wall. In case of brick wall settlement, the ground beneath the wall tends to get compressed. If the brick wall is supported with a tree, removing the tree through pruning can cause cracks in the brick walls. A bulging in the solid wall can be a cause of damage in the brick wall. This can happen owing to the overload in the brick wall. If you have used timbers in constructing the brick wall, you might see that if these timbers tend to rot or expand, it can cause a bulge in the wall, thus causing cracks eventually.

Repairing Brick Walls

Before going ahead with your repair plans, you might want to check why the brick walls have been damaged. Once that is been identified, here are the steps that you should be taking.

• You can clear the simple cracks by fixing them with a suitable mortar.
• You can even use flexible mastic
• In case you are dealing with vertical cracks, you will need to cut out the bricks or the stone, and replace them with new ones
• You can always drill in holes within the area that has been cracked.
• Once you are done with the drilling, you should inject thixotropic resin grout.
• Once this dries out, you can add the mortar that matches the color of the wall
• You can use small diameter rods made of stainless helifix and embed it into epoxy mortar to clean the cracks
• You can even cut out original lintels and use it to fix the brick walls
• Cavity wall tie replacement is used when you have horizontal cracks in the walls
• For major repairs, you may need to consult the structural engineer who will carry out methodical inspection and repairs.
• The cost will depend on the type of repairs needed to be done for the brick wall.