Brick Spalling question
#1
05-20-19, 09:28 AM
Join Date: May 2019
Location: USA
Posts: 2
Brick Spalling question
Does this brick spalling look concerning? Any suggestions on the mitigation?
Last edited by PJmax; 05-20-19 at 10:59 AM. Reason: reoriented/resized pictures
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#2
05-20-19, 09:52 AM
Group Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 20,368
Upvotes Received: 140
It's a sign of bricks that were not fired hot enough. Iv'e not seen it happen with modern bricks but it is common with really old bricks. They eventually will need to be replaced. But as you've probably noticed it's a very slow process. Many buildings it takes decades or centuries for it to become a issue. In your case it looks like it's only one brick here or there. Those can be chiseled out and new bricks put in their place pretty reasonably. The difficult part will be making it not look like a repair.
#3
05-20-19, 10:15 AM
Join Date: May 2019
Location: USA
Posts: 2
This wall is only 33 years old. On the last picture, you can see several bricks (at least 3) with this failure. I am thinking of buying this house but don't want to end up in a situation where I have to replace the entire wall in a few years.
#4
05-20-19, 12:23 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 20,368
Upvotes Received: 140
You can look at the wall and see if it's something affecting all the bricks or just those isolated few. Brick spalling is somewhat common or at least it's a problem that's been around for a thousand years. It is common to replace spalled bricks when needed.
#5
05-20-19, 12:51 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Northern NJ - USA
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My house was built in 1959 and hasn't any defective bricks.
The brickwork on your house looks pretty good. It would be highly doubtful that you'd have to replace all the bricks. Spot brick replacement isn't too hard. As Dane mentioned the hardest part is doing the repair so it doesn't look like a repair. The replacement bricks are usually ok it's the mortar that stands out.
I've had to install vent lines in customers houses thru brick.
I've used a gray/darker colored mortar that blended pretty well with the old.
The brickwork on your house looks pretty good. It would be highly doubtful that you'd have to replace all the bricks. Spot brick replacement isn't too hard. As Dane mentioned the hardest part is doing the repair so it doesn't look like a repair. The replacement bricks are usually ok it's the mortar that stands out.
I've had to install vent lines in customers houses thru brick.
I've used a gray/darker colored mortar that blended pretty well with the old.
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