Water Damage Repair

Here is another clear example of how water erodes masonry. This expose could have been avoided by installing a drain spout connecting to the open gutter.

This building has three flaws it it design:

  1. Inferior brick - Sand Limes
  2. Paint
  3. Open gutter - No Drain Spout

Used Chicago Brick

These are a very soft and porous material, very brittle and susceptible to water damage. Much of my restoration work comes from these bricks.

Used Chicago Replicas

for a rebuild project of Used Chicagos, a blend of various matching colors is selected from different makes of NEW Brick for its durability to emulate the appearance of Used Chicagos. This process often involves bringing more brick than I need for a proper color combination to match the existing surrounding brickwork.

 

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This chimney was rebuilt from the roof-up using Used Chicago Replicas.

Sandlime Brick

Also called Cement Brick or Sugar Brick. These bricks are also a very soft, porous and brittle brick which are very susceptible to water damage.

They are not made of clay and were not baked in a kiln.These brick were chosen for the far side of buildings and structures that were not painted or covered with stucco.

 

Sandlime Replicas

I have several matching brick selections for these brick in my inventory, several different shades of gray, depending on how the existing surrounding brick is weathered.

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This chimney was rebuilt from the roof-up using Sandlime Replicas.

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Many homeowners have chose to rebuild the chimney with face brick rather than stucco. It is durable and cost effective and eliminates the uncertainty of matching the stucco color.

In this case the original stone was reused on top.