Brick Restoration
Brick restoration is an important service for your commercial building. The walls of a building are comprised of masonry units that form wall systems and veneers. The wall systems can become damaged by the weather and other problems, which can make them weaker and affect their integrity.
Why do you Need Brick Restoration?
Weather damage from rain, wind, and freezing temperatures can affect the ability of wall systems to work properly. While you can repair building walls after damage has set in, maintaining them properly in the first place through commercial brick restoration can help you save money and avoid more damage to the walls.
What Does Brick Restoration Involve?
There are several types of masonry service available for your walls, and you’ll want to make sure to get the right kind of service based on the outcome that you are envisioning. Service may include replacing the masonry units, grouting the block cores, and repairing the mortar joint. A commercial masonry company will look at the walls your property needs to have repaired and fix them depending on the service needed.
Advantages of Repairing Damaged Bricks
Commercial brick restoration has numerous advantages for a building. One of the biggest benefits of restoring bricks on a commercial building is that it helps to repair damaged mortar, which is the cement mixture connecting bricks together. Eventually, the mortar wears down and compromises the structural integrity of the building. That can lead to problems with the building’s safety and appearance, and it can open the door for other problems to develop. Brick repointing is one of the ways that a commercial masonry company can repair the façade and structural integrity of a building. Proper pointing maintains the quality of a structure, which otherwise can wear down due to lack of maintenance, moisture, severe weather, and accidents.
How is Brick Restored?
Restoring a brick building is fairly simple. The process includes removing all the mortar that is damaged and then replacing the mortar by putting water on the bricks. While this might sound like a project that any commercial building owner can do, it’s best to hire a professional for mortar repair and restoration, as improperly applied mortar can affect the building’s structural integrity. Sometimes the building will be damaged, but that damage is not visible to the untrained eye.
Restoring Brick Color
Along with providing structural integrity, restoring the color of a brick building is a main goal of a brick revitalization project. The mortar and brick in a building tends to collect environmental pollution along with dirt, moisture, and contaminants. Those items become trapped in the mortar and coat the bricks, which negatively affects the appearance of the building. Constant exposure to the elements and weather will also eventually cause the bricks’ color to fade. Sometimes building owners will notice that the color of their buildings appears to be dull even before structural problems are apparent. A professional brick masonry restoration company can restore the original color and make the building look its best by pressure washing the building, followed by vacuuming and scrubbing the bricks to get rid of the contaminants on the building’s surface. Lastly, they will apply a masonry stain to make sure that all the bricks are the right color.
Waterproofing
Ice, snow, water, and other moisture is one of the biggest issues that a brick building faces. The bricks have a porous surface and tend to absorb moisture, which eventually causes the bricks to weaken. Waterproofing the exterior will help protect the building against damage to the bricks. Additionally, a restoration professional can apply a protective treatment consisting of sealant and a water-repellent layer to keep the bricks from excessive moisture exposure by blocking porous materials. Ideally, a waterproofing treatment should be reapplied to the building’s exterior every 5-7 years.
Replacing Loose Bricks
Sometimes the bricks on the outside of a building need to be replaced when they get too loose. If the bricks can’t be fixed, they will have to be replaced. A damaged brick can easily be replaced without compromising the quality and integrity of the surrounding bricks. A brick restoration professional can replace the bricks with predictable results.
About Epic Masonry
Epic Masonry offers a variety of commercial masonry services to keep your building up and running in the Minneapolis/St. Paul/Twin Cities area. Epic Masonry provides commercial restoration services rather than residential services, so if you have a commercial facility that needs upgrading and repairs, Epic Masonry is the contractor to contact. Along with brick restoration, Epic Masonry offers tuckpointing, caulking, waterproofing, warehouse floor restoration, pressure washing, chemical sealing, and other related services such as historic preservation.
When you need restoration services, it’s easy to contact Epic Masonry for questions or to schedule service. You can reach Epic Masonry online or call (612) 662 7420.