Latest Blog Posts
What Homeowners Should Know About Parging – Our Guide
It is often said that the home is where your heart is, as it's…
May 26, 2020/by AaronHow to Spot Common Chimney Problems – Our Guide
Chimney problems are serious issues. You must resolve them quickly,…
May 19, 2020/by Aaron3 Signs That Masonry Work Needs to Be Performed on Your Property
In Canada, residential homes and commercial buildings made of…
May 12, 2020/by Aaron5 Steps to Take When Looking for Masonry Contractors – Our Guide
Masonry is generally regarded as a highly durable form of construction.…
May 5, 2020/by Aaron
What Homeowners Should Know About Parging – Our Guide
It is often said that the home is where your heart is, as it’s the place you stay and sleep, build a family, and create a life you envision. This is why building the home of your dreams isn’t a walk in the park because you will want to ensure it is well-constructed, visually appealing, safe, and durable. Every step of the construction process should be taken seriously, from the planning stage to the actual building down to its completion.
In this article, we’ll specifically tackle what parging entails as part of your overall construction. Keep on reading as well to find out what the two types are, how it works, and how to apply the mixture, before you hire masonry services.
What parging is
It is the process of using a mixture of cement, sand, and water used by contractors to cover small areas and coat the surface of blocks. For the most part, it makes use of a trowel with the mixture or coating pressed into the existing surface. The ultimate purpose is to ensure the refinement of your concrete or masonry’s surface and serve as protection against water permeation. Know that this plays a crucial part in the overall construction of your house.
Two types of parging mixtures or coating
There are two types of mixture or coating that are commonly used for parging. Take note of the following before you look for parging services in Toronto:
How parging works
If you’re wondering about how parging works and when it is applied, consider the following pieces of information:
Conclusion
There’s no denying that parging is a vital part of the overall construction. Not only does it provide a protective coating, but it also improves the overall aesthetics of your walls. Ultimately, it can impact the value of your house and give you and your family a comfortable place to live in.
We take pride in being one of the leading masonry companies in Toronto. If you’re specifically looking for parging services, get in touch with our experts at Red Robin Masonry – we’re happy to help!
How to Spot Common Chimney Problems – Our Guide
Chimney problems are serious issues. You must resolve them quickly, or they can lead to hazardous situations. Since chimneys exhaust the smoke from the fireplace, having a faulty chimney is essentially a fire hazard. As such, you want to understand how to spot these issues immediately.
In certain conditions, some problems are only detectable with a professional around. You may not be knowledgeable about chimney systems, so it can be easy to miss the signs that yours needs repairing. Even so, there are some signs you can observe to help you determine whether you need to contact the pros right away.
Here are some ways you can spot common problems with your chimney:
1. Check if the damper is difficult to use
If your chimney’s damper becomes tricky to use or if sealing it is starting to get challenging, it’s likely due to rust build-up. Because moisture can accumulate in the chimney, the damper may start to rust. Normally, you would check for rust to see if a piece of metal is rusting. With dampers, the indication may come earlier than the actual visual cues.
Too much rust can cause the flue lining to crack and break. If it does, a fire can break out, which is why it’s important to replace the damper early on. Additionally, identifying cracks in the flue lining requires a more in-depth inspection of the chimney using a special camera.
2. Check for white stains
If there’s too much moisture in the masonry, your chimney will get covered in white stains, which is known as efflorescence. While these stains are fairly easy to clean, addressing the problem will require more than that. As such, you will need to get the moisture in the masonry controlled, or the stains can cause the chimney to deteriorate. When that happens, the chimney can start becoming ineffective, potentially leading to hazardous situations.
3. Check for tiny pieces of the chimney in the fireplace
When the chimney’s flue lining gets damaged, the cracks will worsen over time, causing tiny pieces of the chimney to fall off. Also known as shaling, these tiny pieces will eventually accumulate in the fireplace, making it dangerous to use.
As mentioned before, a proper inspection will be needed to determine if the flue lining is damaged. For that reason, you want to have the pros check your chimney regularly. However, if you start to see cracks and crumbling in the fireplace, it’s important to call your local chimney repair company to prevent serious damage.
4. Check if the chimney crown is cracked
When you start seeing water or ice seeping through the chimney, it could mean that the chimney crown is cracked. This mechanism protects the chimney and prevents rain or snow from entering. If the crown’s crack worsens, more water can get through the chimney, moisture can accumulate, and as a result, shaling can escalate. When you spot cracks on the chimney crown, you want to get them weatherproofed immediately.
Conclusion
Chimney problems, while they are common, can be difficult to detect. Even with the indications, special tools and equipment may be required to assess the issue properly. That means calling the chimney repair professionals is critical to ensure that your chimney is in top condition.
At Red Robin Masonry, we provide excellent masonry services in Toronto. If you need waterproofing and chimney repair for your home get in touch with us!
3 Signs That Masonry Work Needs to Be Performed on Your Property
In Canada, residential homes and commercial buildings made of brick or stone walls may be subjected to wear and tear over time. These damages may be brought upon by the walls’ exposure to harsh elements, such as water infiltration and extreme heat. Because of these, masonry problems can eventually lead to a negative impact on your home or business establishment. That is why well-inspected and well-maintained masonry is vital for the foundation and structural integrity of your home or building.
It’s best to be on the lookout for signs showing that masonry works need to be done. That said, here are three obvious signs of early damage you should be wary of. Keep reading to see if you need to hire masonry services in Toronto.
1. Bowed brick (bulging brick)
Have you seen bricks in your outer walls either jutting out or caving in around a particular area? Those are bowed bricks, which may be caused by moisture that has penetrated behind the bricks. As a result, the moisture either forces the bricks out or softens the wood behind the bricks, making them sink in.
When you see this, it should tell you that something is happening behind your walls. For this reason, the bowed bricks need to be sorted out and fixed. Masonry works need to be performed where the impacted bricks are, as the bricks need to be removed and the damage behind the walls needs to be repaired. Hiring masonry services in Toronto can make all the difference.
2. Compacted bricks
When it comes to compacted bricks, catching them on your property is easily done, as these bricks have lost their original shapes. Chances are, they appear either bowed or cracked, which is obviously out of the norm. Neglecting compacted bricks can lead to serious problems. First, they create a hole in the wall where water can get through. Second, one compacted brick will affect other bricks adjacent to it, which will eventually impact the entire wall.
As soon as you see a compacted brick, it’s best to have it replaced immediately before it can affect the rest of the bricks. Along with this masonry work, you’ll have to have your foundation underpinned by push piers. This construction process will require spikes to be connected to your foundation and drilled into the ground for additional support.
3. Vertical corner cracks
Vertical cracks may be the least troublesome; however, they should not be neglected at all. Sure, cracks in your foundation may be pretty normal as a function of natural expansion. Understand, however, that they will allow water to get in the walls during a heavy downpour of rain, and that is where the problem lies. If left neglected, they can cause bulging bricks and damage to the inner wall.
What’s good about vertical cracks is that they are a relatively easy fix for masonry work. They can easily be worked on with urethane or epoxy injection to fill the crack. All you have to do is to leave these vertical cracks to masonry experts.
Conclusion
At this point, you now know what to be on the lookout for if you have brick or stone walls. As outlined above, inspect for glaring signs of damage such as bowed bricks, compacted bricks, and vertical corner cracks. If one or several of these signs are present, the next course of action is to contact a masonry company in Toronto and let contractors work wonders on your house or building.
If you’re looking for masonry services in Toronto, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!