Unless you grew up the child of a mason or bricklayer, you will be hard-pressed to not only know who does what but also what tools you might need to get started on your own.  You could always hire someone to come in and perform this kind of work for you, but you might like it better if you could save money by doing some easier projects yourself. Let’s talk about basic brick masonry tools and the kinds of “apprentice-type” projects that you could tackle first.

For Brick Work  – One Trowel Will Not Cut It

The masonry trowel is the most basic hand tool that is used in brick or stone work to mix, spread, level, and shape the mortar or concrete used in between your bricks. They come in several shapes and sizes that are designed for different tasks, and also have lots of different names, like brick-, gauging-, or margin-trowels. A great place to learn about how to use the trowel is by watching project-specific clips on YouTube or locating books or ebooks on the use of brick masonry tools by searching the internet or visiting a home improvement store. Having a conversation with a handyman or neighbor who has done a similar project can also help.  

Tools Sets for Brickwork Bundle Several Tools at a Discount

So that you don’t incur the expense of buying six or seven tools separately, you will find that many sites like eBay and Amazon offer sets that include every tool a beginner needs to tackle basic repair and rebuilt projects.  These sets will usually include but are not limited to, a few different trowels, a joint raker, line blocks, a convex jointer and a utility brush. You may also need a brick hammer, a rubber mallet, a level, a tape measure, and string line and line pins. Available tool sets are of varying qualities, so be sure to read reviews before you purchase and research how each tool is used before starting your project.

These Kinds of Projects Are Best For Beginners

Just so you know the difference, bricklayers lay bricks, while masons lay any combination of stones, cinder blocks, and bricks. You’ll want to start with a simple project that can help you perfect your bricklaying skills.  A simple 4-level brick wall in front of a gardening space is a reasonable beginner’s project. You could also build a larger wall, with no curves to separate two patio spaces. Either way, working with projects that are not lengthy will give you the opportunity to feel accomplished and the ability to critique your work and make changes in your techniques for future projects.

For More Complicated Projects You May Want to Hire a Professional

DIY is not always the best answer and can sometimes result in costly demolition and redundant costs for the same repair or rebuild.  Affordable Tuckpointing Pros (http://affordabletuckpointingpros.com/) is a 5 Star-rated company that provides an array of services, including masonry restoration, chimney repairs, tuckpointing for commercial or residential buildings, as well as waterproofing and aesthetic upgrades.  The family-owned business can help provide protection, prevention, and peace of mind to you and your family. Customers say they are reliable, knowledgeable, affordable, accommodating, and clean. Keep them in mind for your more complicated projects that may require permits and inspections.

Brick steps are a prized historic features of many front entrances and home patios. Well known for their strength, natural brick steps are highly durable and have amazing curb appeal, making it a choice for many homeowners and builders.

Over the years, wear and tear as well as damage to bricks are likely to occur because of traffic and extreme weather. It is is very important that you keep your brick steps in good repair, and regularly monitor your steps for damage as it can be a safety hazard if someone was to injure themselves or fall. Loose and crumbling bricks aren’t just an eyesore, they can be a tripping hazard for people who visit your home. Unrepaired bricks make the entire platform susceptible to further damage, which can even become severe enough to loosen the entire structure if damaged enough.

Regular visual inspections and preventative maintenance on damaged areas is an easy to way to keep your bricks steps in tip top shape. This may seem like a dreaded task to many, and some may find themselves wondering how to repair brick steps that are damaged or broken. In actuality, replacing missing bricks and repairing steps are relatively easy, with just the right equipment and some free weekend time.

Step 1: Remove Damaged Bricks

Make sure that you put on your safety goggles and gloves before starting any task like this. You’ll want to either carefully remove the loose damaged or crumbling bricks by hand, or gently use a chisel to chip away at the mortar around the loose brick so it can be removed.

Step 2: Clean the Area

Once you have removed the damaged brick, along with all the previous mortar surrounding it, you’ll need a wire brush and water to sweep and clean the debris from the area. You want to ensure that the area is completely free from debris so the new brick and mortar can lay flat and attach properly.

Step 3: Mix Mortar

Now that you’ve cleaned the area its time to mix a batch of the mortar with water according to the directions on the package. Keep in mind that if you make too much excess, you won’t be able to save it because it dries out so quickly.

Using the brick trowel, carefully scoop the mortar into the empty space and smooth it out, creating a ½ inch layer.

Step 4: Place New Brick

When you’ve created a thin even layer with the mortar, you’ll do the same with the top and bottom of your replacement brick (unless its a top row). Using the trowel again, pack the mortar, adding more as necessary to support all sides of the replacement brick. Carefully wipe away excess mortar with the edge of the trowel.

Sometimes, a brick isn’t completely damaged, and you’ll find it’s more efficient to just repair it. When repairing a broken brick, use the brick trowel and mortar and fill in the crack just as you would fill in a typical brick joint. Make sure that the mortar is even with the rest of the brick and mortar area to ensure a natural finish.

Make sure to let the area dry completely before walking on it and applying pressure, which can take up to a week.

Whether new or old, brick walls will deteriorate and when that happens, repair is necessary. Brick walls are destroyed by poor construction, harsh weather, and poor maintenance.

If brick masonry repair is not done at the right time, the deterioration of the walls can lead to failure of the structures.

To maintain your brick walls, you need to be able to read the signs that the walls need repair. You can also hire a professional mason to offer routine maintenance on the walls. Heres what you should look out for.

The Masonry Wall Looks Bowed

When bricks absorb moisture, they tend to expand, and this can cause the walls to bow. Clay-fired brick is made of a completely dried kiln, and when it absorbs water, it expands over time.

If the wall is not fitted with the necessary expansion joints, the expansion of the bricks will lead to a considerable pressure on different joints on the wall, especially the corners.

The corners of walls tend to be stiff and therefore the wall bows towards the center, either inwards or outwards.

This expansion is very bothersome at the parapet level as the bricks get exposed to the weather elements from all sides. Bowing can occur on new as well as aged bricks, and this usually shortens the life of a wall.

If you notice this happening, you need to call a mason who will tuck-point an expansion joint. It is that simple.

White Powdery Substance on Bricks

When bricks absorb excessive moisture over a long time, they tend to have a white substance covering their surfaces; a condition referred to as efflorescence. This shows that the bricks have not had enough drying up.

The condition can be caused by drainage cavities being clogged by mortar or debris.

If there are leaking pipes in the plumbing system, the condition can also occur. Usually, you need to call a plumber who then inspects your system to identify where the problem is.

If the drainage cavities are clogged, they will unclog them, and if there is a problem with your plumbing system, a plumber will help.

It is advisable to consult a mason before a large section of the wall becomes white. This can weaken the walls.

Cracks in the Walls

Cracks are common indications that a wall needs repair. Cracking usually happens when the shelf angles deteriorate. The shelf angles can weaken when exposed to excessive moisture or when the brick walls expand.

Left unattended, cracking on brick walls can result to a more serious problem. The brick wall can come apart abruptly thanks to the pressure placed on specific points on the building.

Seek brick masonry repair the moment you notice the slightest cracks in the walls to prevent the condition from deteriorating further and leading to more serious problems.

Other Signs

If the mortar joints have started peeling off and are missing in different sections of the walls, get a masonry expert to repair them.

When the mortar joints are weak, they weaken the whole wall. The good news is, the mortar joints are easy to repair.

When you see these signs, give your brick wall the attention it needs. It is better to repair them early rather than have to rebuild an entire wall or structure.

The cost of bricks varies drastically depending on the project at hand. Some projects are much more extensive than others. Planning for projects, therefore, requires advance knowledge of what is needed or not.

This helps in supplying the necessary items in the required quantities, and putting up the project. It also keeps you within your brick budget and the timeframe of the project.

Eventually, how much bricks cost for your project will depend on a number of factors as articulated below.

Type Of Bricks

Materials associated with your brick construction project consist of one factor determining how much your brick costs will be. There are two types of bricks out there, hollow bricks, and traditional bricks. Hollow bricks can be as much as twice the cost of traditional bricks.

If your construction project is relatively small, traditional bricks will work just fine, giving you a smaller brick bill.

Hollow bricks are made of durable outer shells with hollow centers. Should your building project involve a big structure, reinforcement gives hollow bricks stability. This makes them the recommended choice.

Hollow bricks allow easier steel bar insertions right through the inside of the bricks. This is what gives the hollow bricks construction projects reinforcement, stability, and a higher cost.

Who Is Making The Purchase?

Your project will be better if you hire a mason to install your bricks.

Costs will differ if you compare buying the bricks yourself to letting your mason make the purchase. This is because professionalism includes an intimate understanding of the brick market and quality.

The mason will bring specialized talent that comes from experience and background knowledge in working with bricks. This professionalism constitutes an additional brick cost.

The implication is that when putting up a brick wall, for example, brick costs will vary once you compare putting up the wall yourself to shelling out Mansory fees.

In addition, the final brick cost will end up more or less than your estimate depending on your brick supplier or your Manson’s.

How Do Bricks Costs Compare To Other Construction Materials

Bricks feature as the most durable construction materials in the market. Due to this durability, people have a tendency to overestimate how much a brick construction would cost.

Thankfully, bricks compare well with other construction materials.

Fiber and vinyl cement tend to have a lower cost compared to bricks. Conversely, synthetic stucco, manufactured and cultured stone, and real stone come at a higher cost compared to bricks.

Bricks cost about four percent more than fiber cement and seven percent more than vinyl. Conversely, when you compare various other types of stone to bricks, bricks cost up to twenty percent less.

Keep All Factors Under Consideration

The way to finding out how much your construction bricks will cost is through considering several factors. These are their durability as well as the cost and effort of maintenance.

Note also that the supplier of the bricks might also influence the price. Therefore, compare the prices offered by different suppliers before you buy.

Let’s get this straight right off the bat: when it comes to repointing brick, the job must be done right the first time, because shoddy brickwork (or pointing, tuckpointing) will lead to potential breakdowns that can spell doom for your chimney or other brick structures.

It’s the type of work better left to the professionals who handle this type of thing every day. Do it yourself tuckpointing is possible, but you really have to have high confidence in your repointing brick abilities to perform the much-needed work successfully.

We’ll attempt to explain what is brick pointing, how do it yourself tuckpointing is done, and the average cost of repointing brick. This will provide you with the basics necessary to make the best decision for your chimney, brick structure or home.

You Asked: What Is Brick Pointing?

So let’s do some explaining first, what is brick pointing? Also called tuckpointing, brick pointing is the mortar (or “stuff”) between the bricks that holds it all together. This mortar is made out of a mixture of cement and sand. On average, mortar can last on average around 45-50 years, yet some can last up to 100 years.

Variables such as weather and general wear and tear can affect how long and how well the mortar does its job can vary, sometimes vary wildly.

So when your mortar or pointing needs to be repaired or replaced, to do so requires a professionals skill level. Minor jobs on small structures may be able to be done at a do-it-yourself level, but in general, you want experts performing this essential task.

Do It Yourself Tuckpointing, Can It Be Done With Confidence?

So, you want to try to do it yourself tuckpointing? OK, we don’t have enough space to provide you with a detailed step-by-step list of instructions, but we’ll give you an overview.

Again, depending upon your level of confidence in your skills depends upon whether you should hire a pro or not. Still, we’ll provide you with the basics on how to perform do it yourself tuckpointing on your brickwork.

You’ll need the following tools: an angle grinder, a brick trowel, a tuck pointer, bucket, safety glasses, dust mask, cold chisel, hammer, hammer drill, hearing protection of some sort. Also, you’ll need some mortar mix, mortar dye, muriatic acid.

The steps involved include grinding out the joints (old mortar), knocking out the mortar, clean out the mortar, mix the new, replacement mortar, work the mortar into the joints, tool the joints, and clean the bricks.

Those are the basic do-it-yourself steps and tools and materials you’ll need to perform the do it yourself tuckpointing job.

What Is the Average Cost of Repointing Brick?

When it comes to the average cost of repointing brick, many things depend on the actual cost you will spend. It depends on where you live, the size of the project, and whether or not you use high-end materials for your project. Also, it depends on whether you use a professional or do it yourself.

The average nationwide cost of repairing brickwork is about $1,300. The cheap range is about $300, high end close to $4,000.

For comparison’s sake, the average cost of repairing brickwork on a chimney is between $750-$1,000.