Commercial & Residential Concrete Repairs Contractors Collin County TX

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.

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.

One of concrete’s strongest selling points is its durability. Concrete is very resistant to the elements, including fire, so the risk of damage sustained by a concrete structure during a fire is often minimal. However, this does not mean that some concrete repair isn’t necessary after the flames have been extinguished and the smoke has cleared.

What Damage Could Make Concrete Repair Necessary After a Fire?

Cracking and spalling of the concrete surface are the two most common telltale signs that the concrete surface has sustained significant enough damage to warrant the attention of a concrete contractor. Expansion may occur within the layers of the concrete, causing any moisture that’s trapped within it to turn into heated steam. This expansion causes damage like cracking and swelling that need to be repaired to restore the structure’s appearance and functionality.

The presence of these two visible problems within the concrete could be indicative of a greater need for concrete repair. There are other indicators as well, though they may not be as apparent, like color changes beneath the surface of the concrete.

How a Concrete Contractor Assesses Fire Damage

After a fire has occurred within your concrete structure, it is advisable to bring a contractor onto the scene to evaluate the extent of the damage. Each concrete professional has their own way of doing this, but the basics of this assessment include:

• A visual inspection for cracks, spalling, discoloration and other abnormalities.
• Non-destructive testing to get a deeper look into the damage, beyond what is seen directly on the surface. A framing hammer can be used to “sound” the concrete, enabling the contractor to identify internal damage.
• Lab testing of concrete samples to evaluate the concrete’s integrity and confirm how far down into the concrete the fire affected the structure. The contractor may compare a sample of the damaged concrete to a sample of undamaged concrete for the sake of comparison.
• Discussion of repair options

What concrete repair options that are made available to you depend on the nature and extent of the damage sustained. Temperature profiles and the remaining strength of the concrete will play a large part in determining what method of repair is necessary in each individual case.

Repairing Fire-Damaged Concrete

A quick and minor repair might be all that is needed if the damage is minimal or localized. However, some particularly nasty fires have resulted in entire slabs of concrete needing to be entirely replaced. Soot removal and resealing of the concrete will likely be a part of any concrete repair process, no matter how big or small the damage actually is.

Many homeowners will try their hand at repairing the concrete themselves, but this is rarely a wise idea. Testing needs to be done to determine the remaining strength and integrity of the concrete before any repairs can be safely made. Concrete repair should be left to the professionals, who can diagnose and treat the problem at its source. Treating only the visible surface could leave your structure vulnerable to further, unseen damage that will cause you problems in the future.