Why choose Dayco General for your Commercial Needs?

We can color mortar using aggregates or pigments. Colored aggregates are preferred.

Aesthetics!  Just about anyone could beat a spalled brick out of a wall, stuff a new brick in there and smear it up with mortar.  But therein lies the problem; often when we see a DIY brick repair or tuckpointing job performed by the unskilled and they were not neat and precise about it.  They usually destroy the aesthetics of the building by damaging adjoining brick or using the wrong mortar dye, causing the repair to stick out like a neon sign.  Almost invariably they smear up the brick face on the unit they replaced and any other brick anywhere near it.  We’ve seen unskilled work done on prominent buildings where it’s so bad that, if it wasn’t so sad, it could almost be comical.

Access is everything when it comes to brick repair on buildings. Simple repairs done along the ground level of a building may cost $1500.00 while the same repair concept in a difficult access area of a tall building could be $15,000.00.  We restored a historic smokestack once and the scaffold job alone was around $20,000.00.  So simply setting it up and tearing it down so that our personnel could access the work was $20,000.00.  Actually, doing the work cost more.  If we were working on the same square footage along the ground level, then the entire cost of that job would have been close to $20,000.00.

Ideally, you’ll call, and we’ll come give you a quote. You might find the visit educational beyond the quote as well.

The best time of year to tackle a brick replacement job is in moderate weather.  In a perfect world, it would be a little cool, no wind, a constant temperature of 55 degrees, and fully overcast skies.  In the real world the brick mason must adapt procedures to accommodate the prevailing weather conditions.  In the late fall we might use accelerators or even baffle a job and supply heat, for example.

Address brick, mortar, flashing, caulking or roofing issues immediately.  This could save thousands of dollars.  Very often when we inspect buildings, we find extensive damage that could have been avoided entirely by repairing leaky flashing right away.  Don’t wait!  As soon as an issue is detected, a qualified person needs to find the cause of the problem.  Most buildings are built, occupied and then left to endure the elements for years without any inspections being performed at all.

Water is the number one enemy of brick buildings particularly in the northern climates.  It is recommended that buildings be inspected at scheduled intervals for issues with brick, mortar and flashing.

When inspecting your building, look for issues with the mortar like erosion and pop-out.  Dusting (softening of the mortar) is also a signal that brick has been taking on excessive water and stressing out during freeze/thaw.  When you dig into mortar with a hard probe, like a nail, it should be firm.  You should not be able to carve into it at all.

Brick should be inspected to determine whether there are any spalled units.  Brick spall is usually caused by excessive water absorption, and this is usually caused by failed flashing, mortar failure or even simply brick at the end of its service life. Brick usually fails from the top down.  This is because of water exposure.  The top course of a brick structure that’s exposed to weather absorbs water and then freezes.  Brick windowsills and brick under leaky parapet caps are the number one location for brick deterioration.

The most significant difference with a commercial building vs. a residential home would be access.  Your average home offers fairly simple access for general inspection while a commercial building may require specialized equipment to be able to put eyes on various exterior surfaces.  In addition to this, commercial buildings usually have flat roofs, metal parapet caps and caulked control joints, all of which need to be inspected regularly.