Continuous exposure to water is usually the main reason you’ll find water damage to your masonry. Faulty rainwater systems are a common reason you’ll find your walls under continual attack from the elements. One of the most preventable problems homeowners will face, it still amazes me to this day with how many water drainage systems are left in disrepair.

However, if you do find that you have damaged bricks, here are some tips to help fix the problem if you’re feeling handy with a trowel.

Continued exposure to moisture in the cement between the bricks will cause it to soften, from the outside in, so the first thing to do is scoop the cement out from between all the bricks, about 15mm deep, or until start to solidify. Cement again, being careful not to damage your bricks.

The surface area should be cleaned once you have finished raking out the soft cement, and then with a clean pointed trowel you can begin to fill in the joints. Always fill perpendicular or vertical joints first, then fill horizontal or bed joints, and lastly run the patch lightly over the affected area so it blends in with the older brickwork.

When the brickwork itself is water damaged, the affected bricks should be carefully removed and replaced, taking care to match the existing brickwork. It is always worth noting at this stage that a brick that has spoiled on the face shown can often be fine on the remaining face. If carefully removed in one piece, it can be flipped over to show the unaffected side. This will be the best match for your existing masonry. After the problem bricks have been removed, the hole should be brushed to remove any loose sand and a new bed joint should be laid ensuring the joint is filled.

The last joint in the replacement masonry is the most important. This is the joint that will be directly under the existing brickwork and will need to be compacted with a piece of hardwood the same thickness as the joints. This is used to pack the mortar into the back of the new joints. Care must be taken that replacement bricks sit in line with the existing face work to ensure continuity and an unobtrusive repair.

When it comes to cracks in your walls, if you only have cracks following the tip of your masonry, it’s usually not that big of a job to repair, however, if your cracks continue through the bricks, then those bricks will need to be repaired. replaced, since just as it has been described that work is being done to discover and repair the root of the replacement where the horizontal fissure has occurred, which is a simple grouting job.

It goes without saying that before attempting these repairs, you should first take care of any corrective work, also checking for potential future issues and addressing them accordingly.