Fix cracks in brick stairs

We have some pretty wide cracks in our brick stairs leading up to the front door. Cracks may not be the right word - more the grout is separating from the brick. How do I go about fixing this? And are there different colors of grout so that I can make the fixes sorta match the rest of the stairs. Not sure if grout is the right word either. thanks.

 

A somewhat normal situation, stairs probably did not have a solid foundation and something has settled a little bit, really doesn't look that bad.

The mortar can be chipped out and tuckpointed (installing new mortar) but it may simply crack again if the original issue was the foundation.

 

"The mortar can be chipped out and tuckpointed (installing new mortar)"

So, I can't just put new mortar into the crack? the old has to come out?

 

That's mortar. It needs to be re-pointed.
Until they become a lot more disintegrated, I would go to the hardware store and buy mortar mix patch. It comes in a tube. Unless you want to chip out all the old stuff.

 

That is not grout. It is mortar that holds the bricks together. Yours has cracked, likely due to movement. A long term fix is not easy (and probably not needed) since it's likely the footer/foundation that is the cause so it can't be totally fixed without a lot of work. A mid level repair would be to grind the mortar out the joints that are cracked and repoint with new mortar. The lowest level would be to use a caulk to fill the cracks.

Mortar exists in many, many colors. Yours looks natural but it's color is affected by the type of sand used and the mixing ratio. There is no "go buy this package" advice. If you want a match you've got to do the work to recreate the original recipe including finding a sand of a similar color and texture and mix up some sample batches until you find a good recipe. But, your mortar looks pretty standard so I don't think I'd bother and I would use a standard mix.

If doing anything with mortar it is very important to keep it off of the face of the bricks. A blob of mortar falling on the brick, even if you wipe it off, will probably leave a white mortar stain on the brick when it dries so it's best to keep it clean instead of trying to clean it off after the fact.

 

Mortar creates a structural support/bond, the caulk is more a cosmetic fix but as noted what you have really doenst look bad.

Is that a horizontal (step) surface?

 

"Is that a horizontal (step) surface?"

YES

 

If your in a freeze area then it would probably be a good idea to seal the gaps to eliminate water intrusion.