Brick buildings are a huge part of historic Chicago architecture and in fact the architecture of all main cities. For the most part, they can be admired and endure years without needing any maintenance. Unfortunately, due to the weather, and accidental damages that may occur, they do require maintenance as they begin to age. Without maintenance, brick structures can become damaged, often due to water penetration and begin to crumble.
Bricks can add a stylish modern contemporary look to a building, or a classic historic look. They are strong and very long-lasting, but over time they require maintenance to combat damage due to general wear and tear and to maintain their structural integrity. Factors like rain, wind, snow and hail, all take their toll on brick structures and over many years it becomes necessary to contact masonry contractors for maintenance of your brick structures.
Maintenance of your bricks should start with cleaning them so that you can see if there are any visible problems or damage.
1.Rinse the exterior of the building using a garden hose, you can use a high-pressure nozzle to remove any lodged dirt from in between the bricks.
2.Where the walls become shaded or are out of the sun for most of the time, check for the presence of moss and mildew.
3.If present, to remove use I cup bleach to a gallon of water and scrub the moss of mildew off with a bristle brush.
Water damage in bricks is usually caused by splashback and rising dampness. Splashback happens when the rain continuously falls on the bricks and finds its way into cracks and grooves and settles in the crevices. Rising damp is when the groundwater level rises and falls, salt that is present in the groundwater remains within the brick and leads to deterioration of the structure. It is recommended to annually check your bricks for water damage and perform masonry repair or masonry restoration if needed.
Tuckpointing is the process where damaged, cracked, or weak joints one repaired by removing the old mortar and replacing it with new mortar. The fresh mortar is applied in excess and by a layered process.