Why Fixing Bulging Bricks Should Be Your #1 Priority

Bulging bricks are a serious but often ignored masonry issue. The bulging often starts from moisture retention in the brick mortar joint, which gradually swells in volume. This is similar to how potholes form on the road.

The problem often exacerbates after the winter months. If you notice your bricks bulging, contacting a skilled masonry service as soon as possible should be a priority for the reasons stated below.

What Causes Bricks to Bulge?

This bent brick problem should be resolved as soon as possible. The image of your wall collapsing into one dusty heap should be enough to give you the shivers. Any humidity buildup at the rear of the wall will cause it to deteriorate quicker, increasing the danger of collapse.

Here are the possible causes behind the bulging bricks in your structure:

• Excessive moisture in the wall cavities, causing ice to develop in the winter;
• deteriorated mortar joints enabling excessive water to flow in;
• Excessive rust on anchors, causing the wall to sag;
• Cracks in the wall, and so on.

Why You Need to Fix Bulging Bricks ASAP

Bulging bricks are only the start. If the problem is not resolved, it has the potential to spread throughout the structure. As a result, to gain a better perspective on the issue, consider the significance of repairing bulging bricks below:

1. It’s a Ticking Hazard

If the bricks are not repaired promptly, the possibilities can range from an unsightly building to a total collapse. The swelling bricks will eventually give way to the pressure. As a result, they may collapse, compromising the integrity or stability of your building’s structure.

2. It’ll Cost More Down the Road

As you are aware, minor fractures in the wall can develop into significant splits. However, you may save money by repairing the bulging bricks quickly. It will be less expensive, and your structure’s stability will be restored. Furthermore, talking with a professional sooner makes it easier to resolve the issue, regardless of where it occurs.

Professionals may finish this job without having to disrupt your daily routine, depending on the damage severity. The professional mason can even implement preventive measures on the newly-repaired wall to avoid safety and cost issues in the future.

3. Save You Time and Energy

You don’t have to waste your entire work week getting dirty while trying to repair your wall. Professional masonry will take care of everything, even removing the dirt off the wall. As a result, you can go home to a secure, protected and clean-looking property as if nothing had occurred.

How to Locate and Identify Bulging Sections in Your Brick Structure

The bulging bricks should be pretty easy to spot. Your windows might no longer appear level with the brick. Portions of your brick structure should protrude further than the other sections. Lastly, there may be new fractures in your mortar you’ve never seen before.

Final Thoughts

If you see any of the signs, call a professional right away. The longer you wait, the worse the situation will get, especially if it endures through winter.

Red Robin Masonry offers top-quality masonry services in Toronto. We specialize in all different kinds of brickwork, and that includes brick bulge repair. Contact us today to learn more!

Cracked bricks are an eyesore. The cracks are mainly due to water ingress, in which water enters the brickwork easily due to weak mortar joints or through the tops of cement chimney caps. Apart from this, there are other causes of brick cracking, and that’s what we’re going to discuss in this post.

The Causes of Brick Cracking

In addition to water ingress, there are other external factors that contribute to brick cracking.

It can be due to natural causes or can be an indicator of a problem with your house’s foundation.

House Settling

Most of the time, though, brick cracking only means your house is settling, which is a natural process. This happens especially when the lot your house was built on was excavated before construction.

With time, the house settles into the ground a bit more. Due to the continued weight of the house, the soil underneath becomes more compact, which will cause a bit of cracking on your walls.

Water Retention

If your house settling isn’t the cause behind the brick cracking, then it’s likely due to water retention as bricks are naturally porous. When exposed to too much rain, the material absorbs it and can cause it to expand. When bricks expand, they become too big for the original pattern; hence, the cracking.

Deteriorating Mortar Joints

Another cause of bricks cracking is when the mortar in between them is deteriorating. This occurs over time because of the outdoor elements and the exposure to water and other minerals. The good news is, if you catch any of these issues early, a minor repair is possible.

How To Address Cracked Bricks

The only time you will need major work is when the cause of the brick cracking is a foundational issue. Other than that, it can be repaired simply by patching. However, if there’s extensive damage, you would need to hire a foundation repair company and a brick mason to fix it.

A professional will assess your bricks and figure out the cause. Then, they create a plan to address the issue. Here are some of the solutions for brick cracks:

• Replacement
• Repair of mortar joints
• Resurfacing
• Chimney repair

It’s important to hire a qualified mason to get the job done; otherwise, you could end up with more problems down the road. Make sure the professional also has liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage to protect you and your home.

How To Prevent Brick Walls From Cracking

You can take measures to prevent your brick walls from cracking. For one, you can use expansion joints that will protect the bricks when exposed to moisture and temperature changes. You should also consider removing temporary shims, which are commonly made of stainless steel. Finally, don’t use incompressible materials in the joints.

Conclusion

Having cracked bricks can be stressful but don’t panic. Pinpointing the causes behind it is important so that you know your options for fixing them. Usually, this will require a qualified mason to ensure the brick is restored properly, and all other issues will be addressed.

Let us take care of it for you! Red Robin Masonry offers brick repair in Mississauga. Our team specializes in all types of brickwork. Contact us today!

Parging is a tried-and-true masonry technique used to conceal visible parts of your building’s foundation, mostly seen among residential properties. While you may think that it is essentially foolproof—especially since it should last for up to 30 to 50 years—most completed projects often don’t last as long, leading to major repairs. Fortunately for you, there have been identifiable mistakes that most amateur contractors make. 

• Low-quality mix

As customary for many masonry applications, you need to have a high-quality mix to allow your bricks and other components to adhere effectively. Unfortunately, you may add too much water, which is often one of the most common causes of issues. It leads to low strengthening qualities, making the structure more susceptible to weathering. Aside from this, you may put in too much sand, which often yields the same results. 

Besides water and sand amounts, a lack of chemical additives to ensure easier mixing can lead to a poorly made mixture. Thus, you should always measure your ratios for mixing and add more to balance out the yield. 

Also, you have to be mindful of your mixing and air entrainment to keep the consistency favourable and ready for use. Due to all these factors, only experienced masonry tradespeople should make the mix to ensure proper yield without wasting resources. 

• Parging material used is too old 

Throughout the masonry process, you may be using old parging materials. In other words, you may have tampered with them too much instead of giving them ample time to work, which is 30 minutes to an hour. This timeframe is important because you need to let it set before working on the structure again. Otherwise, it can lead to a premature parging job, affecting the overall quality. 

As such, it is recommended that the persons in charge of parging should be time-oriented to avoid overmixing. The tools used must also be quality-checked and given the seal of approval from an experienced masonry professional. Most importantly, you should be assured of a warranty or policy for repairs when something goes wrong. 

• Temperature issues 

As you may already know, most masonry contractors only perform major projects during fairly warm temperatures. It ensures that the structure cures in time. Thus, if you get into a situation wherein someone is willing to do parging during the winter, be skeptical about it because it is highly likely that it is a scam. A dramatic drop in temperature lets water seep into the parging material, which will freeze over then expand. As a result, you end up with cracked parging. 

Another temperature issue you have to watch out for is during the summer months. It is because most mixes have chemical additives that react negatively with parging. In the end, you will have to call for a replacement coating by the end of the year as the heat prevents proper cement bonding. Thus, always plan a date ahead of time and coordinate with your masonry contractor to guarantee a successful parging. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, there are plenty of ways that parging can go wrong. Because of this, it would be best to prepare for this huge undertaking in advance and follow the appropriate procedures as carefully as possible. Meanwhile, if you know you don’t have the masonry skills, resources, and expertise to pull this off, simply contact our professionals to ensure you avoid all the formerly mentioned problems and other related issues. 

Red Robin Masonry can provide you with the best parging services Toronto has to offer. We are your dedicated team of masonry professionals, allowing you to do major repairs and new construction projects for your needs and preferences. Request a quote today to have a better idea of our cost-effective solutions. 

When looking at the process of building a home, you may have come across the term “parging.” If you do not know what it means, parging is the process of applying a cement coating over a wall surface. It is a standard treatment for a structure’s foundation and exterior walls, especially if these walls are made of masonry.

If you are interested to learn more about parging, this article will go over what it entails and why it is important. Let the information below serve as a guide if you have a construction project in mind.

The use of parging

Parging is typically a mason’s responsibility. It involves applying a layer of smooth cement to walls built with blocks. This provides a smooth surface on which different coatings can be applied, such as waterproofing and paints. Parging also helps protect the concrete blocks.

Parging can also be for aesthetic reasons, particularly in external applications, such as in an exterior wall. The surface does not have to be smooth. Instead, it can be textured to achieve different styles. Texturing is possible in multiple ways, such as by mixing in gravel, pebbles, and other materials into the mix before applying it onto a surface.

Parging is also applicable to walls with signs of brick deterioration. In that case, the process is usually paired with a steel mesh to add strength and support. This is then followed by another parging phase using a lighter cement mix over the previous one.

The importance of parging

Parging is vital to any wall to protect its surface from external forces such as rain, wind, ice, and snow. This protection removes the potential risk of moisture seeping into a masonry wall, as this can expand when frozen and crack the installation. At the same time, it also acts as an extra layer of insulation, ensuring the home is as energy efficient as possible.

Identifying the need for parging

Not all surfaces will require parging, and not all surfaces will be deemed ready for parging. If you are interested in parging, it is always vital that you work with a skilled mason. They can quickly identify which walls need to be parged, and they have the skills to carry out the task effectively.

Plus, if they find a wall that needs to be parged, but it is not in a suitable condition, they can quickly fix the problem first. For example, if they find a severely damaged chimney, they will have the chimney fully repaired before parging it.

Conclusion

As you can see, parging plays a vital role in your construction project. It helps protect masonry work from unnecessary risk, and it provides a smooth finish that looks aesthetically pleasing.

That said, while you can do parging by yourself, it is a skill that takes a long time to perfect. We recommend that you work with a skilled mason to do the job. They can identify which surfaces need to be parged, and they can make sure the job is done with the best results.

Red Robin Masonry is a masonry company that offers various services from brick repair, parging, and more to satisfy your construction needs. If you are looking for parging services in Toronto, reach out to us right away!