Questions tagged [brick]
For questions generally relating to the artificial stone-like building material typically called "brick", and also related materials like "cinder block" and natural stone blocks.
584 questions
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Large gaps in brick wall
In my basement, found some large gaps in the wall between bricks.
How do I go about fixing that
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How to determine the entry point for water for a window leak?
We have a leak that shows up on the center of the window only when there are heavy rains with heavy winds (rain coming in at an angle)
Video of leak and exterior photos: https://imgur.com/a/yM2IVP3
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Dirt Covering Brick with Water Barrier Ok?
I'm looking to makeover the front of my grey house (see attached picture). That means replacing the evergreen bushes with something new. I like the look of adding some hardscaping in front (maybe 1 ft ...
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2 window cavities on single brick wall
Our contractor messed up and cut the window cavity off centre. His solution was install another window so it didn't look stupid. This is a single brick wall.
Is this structurally safe?
Lintel above ...
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How should I re-level my paver walkway?
The walkway to my house is made of bricks and these large stones that serve as steps. One of the stone steps shifted so that when we walk down the walkway, it's a trip hazard. I tried to youtube ...
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Brick work under cement porch
Hi all,
I moved into this house a while back which has a cement porch and bricks all the way under it . They are all just stacked under the entire cement area . The sides seem tightly packed but as ...
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Collapsed new cinder block wall [closed]
Family member is building a cinder block building. The “mortar”( probably not using the right term) between the blocks appeared a sandy brown color between the blocks,instead of the grayish mortar mix ...
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Inconsistent lead test results with allegedly identical chemistries [closed]
I am trying to remove paint from some brick that was likely painted in the 60s or 70s. Went ahead and ordered those cheap unbranded lead tests and got a hit. Just to be sure, I got a pack of more ...
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Removing lintel and bricks for larger wall oven
We have a brick faced wall that housed our 1950s wall oven. The original cutout does not support modern full size 30" wall ovens, due to the cutout height requirements. So, I would like to make ...
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Can the brick opening for an exterior door be close to the same size as the door?
I'm trying to turn a window into a door. The house is 1930s with brick veneer. Because the window is next to two 90 degree corner, we cannot make the brick opening any larger. Any door will have to ...
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How to fix long deep crack in plaster wall that exposes brick/conrete block behind
Back Story: My apartment is on top floor of a building that was built in 1950's, and I discovered several diagonal and some horizontal cracks after I removed the wallpapaer from the old owner.
I was ...
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How to repair the bricks on an uneven undercut chimney
I used an angle grinder since I could not find a rental place with an undercut saw and botched the top (angled down instead of flat). The fact that the brick is painted makes the mistake pop out even ...
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Should I be worried about this giant crack?
I live in an old apartment that was built in the 1900s. In the last 2 years, this crack has appeared and grown every month. It had been patched 2 years ago as well.
I am worried about the structural ...
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How to obtain or make type O mortar
After brief research, I figured that I need type O mortar to do some repair work on the exterior of my 1941 brick veneer house. Strangely, it seems that the big box home improvement stores don't sell ...
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Product to fill hole in brick foundation [duplicate]
Old service entrance has started to fall apart and insects have moved it. The hole is plugged with concrete on the inside.Once they're removed, how best should I fill this?
The mortar around it is ...
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Adhering paving stones to wet concrete basement floor to divert water seepage direct to sump pit
Basically looking for advice on adhering pavers 2x4x8" to concrete that is permanently wet due to water flowing through basement stone wall. Idea is to make a moat that funnels the water right to ...
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The front of my home has a rough-cut brick exterior. How would I seal the gaps around light to prevent bugs/water intrusion?
I don't like the look and obvious gaps between the (shallow) light base and the house. I get spider intrusions and am concerned with water intrusion due to sideways rain and/or power washing. Other ...
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Floating 6x12 feet laundry room on concrete slab is separating/sinking from the rest of the 1700-ish sqft pier and beam house (brick exterior)
The laundry room in my house is not attached to the rest of the house. However, the laundry room's roof seems connected to the rest of the house's roof.
The laundry room is on a concrete slab while ...
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Foundation under brick corner is moving/detached
Context: I'm a relatively new homeowner living in a 1958 brich house in Canada (think winters). FWIW, my house is old, has very few water holes and the face where the corner broke off is where the ...
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Bonding additive for mortar in brick parge?
I have a 4’ high section of exposed brick foundation wall which needs parging before I insulate it.
I’m making my own softer mortar mix, but was curious about using a bonding additive. Mostly, is it ...
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Reattaching light to house (brick)?
My kid hit this light with her ball and it came loose from the side of the house.
I would like to reattach the grey junction box to the house and or/cover the hole in some way and install a new light (...
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Parge old brick before waterproofing and insulating?
I have a section of my house foundation wall that’s brick. It’s 4’ high and is badly deteriorated from freeze / thaw cycles.
I want to insulate my foundation wall, but I’d like to stabilize / ...
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How can I fix a loose TV mount screw on clay hollow brick?
The wall is made of the larger clay hollow brick (the red ones that we have in Europe), there is masonry/cement/mortar (not sure which) for connecting and putty + paint over them.
So my TV mount (one ...
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How to stop or catch debris falling down a disused chimney
I live in flat that's part of a 1800s building conversion. It has this nice fireplace, which is perfect as a TV nook, but there's constantly bits of debris (dust and even bits of brick) falling down. ...
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Create a decorative wall end cap
I have a brick wall that has been cut (ceiling to floor) which now needs to be finished off. I was thinking, 3 pieces of wood joined to slide over the wall end. Hopefully this would look like a wooden ...
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brick wall slope
I'm building a new house with a builder company and I've noticed that one of the side walls has a slope of about 1-2 inches from the bottom to the top.
This is 2 story house with full brick siding.
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Leaking basement under chimney - weep hole solution?
We have a brick chimney that rests on a basement foundation wall about 2' above grade (basement is 2/3 below ground). We have a trickle leak into our basement after heavy rains below the the back ...
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How to repair flashing between stucco and brick chimney?
The flashing that transitions from my stucco wall to my brick chimney appears to be separating from the chimney. This separation is occurring across the entire height of the chimney and not just in ...
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Foundation repair at garage wall
Above grade section of concrete is damaged where the brickwork of the house meets the garage. The house has a basement though it does not extend beneath the garage. Previous owners appear to have ...
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Can anyone figure out this specific type of brick?
It is from Acme Bricks but I am unsure on the specific type. I tried Home Depot and Lowe’s but they do not carry it. It is 9.5Lx2.5W.
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Drilling second hole very close to existing one in perforated brick, for hanging a heavy weight
We want to mount a water heater on a wall. The stability requirements are high - the heater will have over 100 kg total weight when full, and we're in a seismically active zone.
Unfortunately, when my ...
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How to prevent damp on a wall with no soffit(roof overhang)
One wall of my 1890's victorian house has no soffit (roof overhang). This wall also suffers from damp coming through the solid brick walls and I don't get that on any other exterior wall. The bricks ...
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What kind of siloxane coating should I use on historical brownstone steps that is historically safe?
I'd like to reduce the amount of water soaking into my 120 year old brownstone steps and want to use something that won't run afoul of the landmarks historical commission or change the look in any ...
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How can I test or decide if I need historical mortar to tuckpoint 100 year old bricks under brownstone steps?
Is there a way to test or validate whether I need to buy more expensive historical mortar or can use something that is commercially available off the shelf from a big box store? Can I scratch the ...
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Mounting TV on brick over fireplace [duplicate]
Yes I am aware that if the fireplace is used, the higher temperatures are bad for the TV. I'm also aware that this is an uncomfortable viewing angle.
This person wants the TV mounted above the ...
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Is this efflorescence on these brick pillars? And is this a sign of water intrusion into the pillars?
There are brick pillars under a bedroom that overhangs. On the brick pillars are some white stuff that I would assume is efflorescence but the patterns are a little weird to me. If that is what it is ...
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How to determine the water source in my flooding basement?
There are a few questions about flooding basements in old houses, but I think that all wet basements are wet in their own way, so none of those are helping me.
I live in St. Louis, MO in an all brick ...
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How can I mount a monitor to a wall without drilling into brick?
I'm looking to mount a larger computer monitor in my wall, running a little app to help me track buses. However, most of the walls in my apartment are brick, so traditional mounting is not an option. ...
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How would you design a code legal guard railing on a raised block deck that also has a 22" high block bench that runs along the deck perimeter? [closed]
In December a contractor built a raised masonry block deck with a wall/bench on top. I didn't plan the job well, so now I'm planning for 37' of guardrail. I would prefer the guardrail didn't hide ...
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Will a brick wall support 150 pounds of mounting bracket and TV?
I want to mount a Tripp Lite Model #DWM60100XX television wall mounting bracket that weighs 31 pounds on a brick wall above a gas fireplace in my family room and then hang an 86-inch television that ...
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Efflorescence on chimney bricks inside the house
I have recently whitewashed my brick chimney. It’s irrelevant to the problem but white background color makes efflorescence more noticeable. After a month of whitewashing, my chimney (January in MA, ...
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How to repair a plaster crack over brick that is a hard wall
I am trying to determine what fill to use in a plaster crack. The plaster is directly over brick. This wall is also an outdoor wall. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Mould like on one window only
I have a weird mould issue. The only window in the house/street like it. There is no leaking pipe etc.
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Does exterior wall cladding have much impact on sound or temperature transmission?
I'm buying a new house which is all brick except of back side. Master's bedroom is going to have 1 siding wall and 1 brick wall. I can select an option to add brick on the back wall for additional $6k....
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Leak above window frame. How to proceed?
I live in a 15yr old townhouse that I bought 2 years ago. Roofing was replaced in 2018 by prev owner.
During rain in Dec 2022, I noticed that the lower right window (shown in picture) was leaking ...
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Was my fireplace insert correctly installed?
I just had an outdoor fireplace put in with a gas insert. I hate that the metal sides of the insert are clearly visible. I had my contractor paint them white in the hopes that it would blend in with ...
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Header for exterior door in a brick wall
Hello internet friends,
I’m working on replacing an exterior door for my 1940’s walk-out basement in NC. The basement walls are brick, with wood frame built on top.
The existing door was framed in ...
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Where to I put house wrap on my brick exterior wall?
We bought an older house that has a crawl space in southern Mississippi. When I took out the existing drywall, it was hung on 1x4 strips attached to brick with masonry nails and there's a gap between ...
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How should I repair a damaged brick post base?
I recently moved into a house with a garage. One of the posts looked off and it’s because it was pushed inside as the edge bricks had cracked off.
I have 0 experience with bricks, but I am wondering ...
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Can I relay the bottom three brick rows
So I removed the hearth (3 rows high) of a former fireplace and found that the bottom three rows was sloppily laid, and this hurts my eyes: https://imgur.com/a/q25Gn8W.
Can I safely relay them? If so ...
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