Forresidential and commercial buildings, bricks are highly durablematerial, but that does not mean you won’t have to invest in therepair or renovation of bricks. Brick walls, chimneys, and porcheswill start cracking over time and show other signs of damage.Evaluating your bricks and searching for flaws is the best strategyto counteract brick damage. That said, structural or foundationalharm may still be unnoticed. In any event, let’s look at five signsthat you need home wall repair so that you can take careof the issue before it gets out of control.
If brickstend to “bulge” inward or outward on the exterior of your house,this may be a sign that they need to be fixed. Bulging bricks, alsoknown as “bowed bricks,” is often caused by moisture seeping intothe brickwork. Water does not usually directly impact the bricks, butthe concrete or wood that supports the bricks.
You shouldusually be able to see the difference of the mortar between eachbrick. This may be a warning that your brickwork is not structurallysound if the bricks look misshapen or pressed too tightly together.It can also lead to outdoor openings, allowing water to enter andcausing more damage.
Fortunately,vertical cracks, which can significantly hinder your wall, chimney,or porch integrity, are not as problematic as horizontal or diagonalcracks. Vertical cracks, however, distract from your home’s charmand offer a convenient entry point for moisture. Consequently, toprevent waterdamage,vertical cracks should be tackled and fixed as soon as possible.
The commonproblem of bricks getting chipped is spalling. While this is usuallyan aesthetic problem, depending on where and why the spallinghappens, it may lead to more questions. For instance, spalling cansignificantly increase the surrounding bricks’ pressure if spallingoccurs due to the shelf angle’s corrosion.
Mortarserves as the glue that holds your bricks together. If your batterybegins to deteriorate or is otherwise damaged, you’ll need toaddress it as soon as possible. You can typically identify mortardamage because the mortar between bricks will look thin or start tocrack and fall apart. If left unrepaired, this will cause bricks torub against one another and become severely warped over time.
Wall doneed some degree of maintenance, considering their longevity andwidespread use in homes worldwide. You could end up paying even morefor care in the future if you disregard the warnings mentioned above.If and when you’re ready to sell, these issues may also end upreducing the value of your home.
