I have a loose brick on a recently made tree well. I have Quikrete Type S mortar and I'm planning on getting a trowel. What are the steps to remove the existing mortar on the brick (which is completely loose at this point) and fix it back on? Did it come loose for any particular reason?
I'm thinking of adding water to the mortar to start after removing existing mortar using a trowel or hammer to loosen the mortar debris. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
You could get rid of the mortar debris using a chisel or a good flat-bed screwdriver and a hammer. Just put the point of your chisel on the debris and hit on top of the chisel with your hammer (be careful of your chisel holding hand).
Note: you should put your brick on a hard surface or else you'd break your brick as well!
After being all done with the cleaning, mix your mortar with some water so that your mortar looks jellyish and apply mortar using your trowel following the same pattern like other bricks.
Oh, and the reason for it coming loose, maybe a shock, or temperature variations, rain/snow -> freezing -> unfreezing
Hope this helps :)
