Have you been noticing chips and cracks in your brick lately? Over time, bricks can become damaged and weathered. While these small chips and cracks might not weaken the structure significantly, they can be an eyesore. Brick patch repair is an easy way to fix small brick damage quickly.
This form of brick repair is just patching the hole of the brick with colored mortar or silicone caulk. First, the area must be thoroughly cleaned. We do this either with a pressure hose or with compressed air. Once the area has been cleansed, we scrub it with write bristles to loosen all the grime. Then, we make sure none of that grime is leftover by spraying the area with compressed air.
The next step is to acquire brick dust of the same color as the brick we plan on repairing. Sometimes we will have to do this by pulverizing a brick of the same color. Once we have acquired enough dust, we will slowly mix it into the mortar until we have a paste that will match the brick.
We will then apply the paste to the chip until it wells a bit over the surface of the brick. If we stopped here, it might look odd. We have to recreate the texture of the brick on the surface of the mortar mixture. We do this with an extra brick. All we have to do is press the extra brick onto the paste. This firmly secures the mixture within the crack or chip while also giving the paste a brick-like texture. After this process is completed and we have cleaned up the excess brick, you should barely be able to tell any damage was ever present.
Alternative Brick Patch Repair Methods
Another method we might use if the cracks or chips are extremely small involves silicone caulking. For this method, we will use silicone caulking to fill the chip or crack. While the caulking is often colored, it will not match the color of your brick exactly. This is where the brick dust comes in. We will apply brick dust to the brick by putting it onto a trowel then pressing the trowel into the caulking. While this will not look as seamless as the above method, it often does not matter because the affected area is so small.
There are some cases where brick patch repair is not enough. If you have a crack in your brick that looks rather severe, call a masonry contractor to assess the damage. On the other hand, smaller cracks might not even need to be repaired. To test whether or not repair is necessary, see if you can put a dime into the crack. If the dime fits, you might need a brick patch. This is because a crack of this size allows too much moisture to enter the structure.
If you are interested in brick patch repair for your home, contact us today. A representative from our staff will help you set up an appointment. We look forward to your call.
