What You Need To Know About Repairing A Shifted Brick Wall

Your walls are one of the essential parts of a firm home. They support your floors, ceilings, and roofs. They also protect you against outdoor elements and provide privacy. Wood, concrete, and brick are common materials homeowners use when building a home. 

A brick wall continues to boast its structural integrity and solid foundation. However, with prolonged exposure to the elements and time, its durability can crumble over time. Cracks, spalling, bulging, leaks, damage, and a shifted brick wall indicate that it’s not durable anymore. Neglecting this issue can increase the risk of a crumbling foundation, so it’s crucial to contact brick wall repair services immediately.

This article will walk you through brick walls’ issues, why they shift, and how to repair them.

The Issue With Brick Walls

Brick walls are best known for their structural integrity and firm foundations. However, you must not overlook the problem if a part of the ground under your solid foundation shrinks. This situation is a classic example of subsidence. 

A contracting foundation removes the wall’s support and causes the unsupported portion to crumble, creating cracks in the wall. With a brick wall settlement, the ground underneath the wall compresses. And if a tree supports your brick wall, removing the tree by pruning can cause cracks in the walls. 

Bulging can also damage the brick wall due to the overload placed in the brick wall. And if you use timbers in building the brick wall, they can rot or expand, causing a bulge in the wall, eventually causing cracks.

Why Do Brick Walls Shift

Cracked mortars are the usual culprits to a damaged brick wall. A structural movement within the brick can usually cause bond courses to break, eventually damaging the brick wall. Contractors typically use mortar to build the brick wall. And if this bond breaks or acquires damage, you might want to call brick wall repair services ASAP or attempt to fix it yourself.

How To Repair Brick Walls Before Calling Masonry Restoration

When conducting home improvement projects, repairing brick walls can be daunting, especially if you’re inexperienced. Identifying the cause behind the brick wall’s damage is crucial before proceeding with your repair plans. After detecting the reason, here are the six steps you must take to repair your brick walls. 

First, you can use a suitable mortar or flexible mastic to clear the minor cracks. However, if you’re dealing with vertical cracks, you must cut out the damaged bricks or the stone and replace them with new ones. On the other hand, a cavity wall tie replacement works best when your walls have horizontal cracks. 

At the same time, you can always drill holes in the cracked areas. After creating the holes, you must inject thixotropic resin grout. Once the resin grout dries, you can add mortar that matches your wall’s colour. 

You can also use small diameter rods made from the stainless helix and embed them into the epoxy mortar to clean the cracks. At the same time, you can cut out original lintels and use them to fix your brick walls. 

Finding The Right People For The Job

However, significant repairs warrant a consultation with the structural engineer, who’ll conduct methodical inspection and repairs. The cost will depend on the necessary maintenance for the brick wall. At the same time, you’ll need to contact a company offering reliable brick wall repair services. 

First, they must have adequate experience in repairing brick walls. You can ask loved ones for references and check their website for reviews. Comparing prices between two companies can help you stick to your budget. 

You’d also want to check if they offer warranties if something goes wrong and ensure you’ll have clear and quick communication with them. 

Maintaining A Stronger Foundation

While brick walls continue to boost structural integrity and solid foundations, they’ll eventually deteriorate with time and exposure to the elements. Neglecting a shifted brick wall can endanger your home. 

At Red Robin Masonry, we offer trusted brick wall repair services in Toronto. We serve homes across Ontario. Call us today to request a quote.