Help Around the House host Henry Harrison shows a homeowner how to repair a brick column that has lost some of its bricks (
figure A). He helps her determine whether the column is a load-bearing structure, then helps her make repairs. On his elbow grease scale of one to four, Harrison hands this job a three.
Tools:
hammer
chisel
safety glasses
gloves
screw jack
2 x 4 brace
brush
bucket
trowels
bucket
level
ladders
mortar
replacement bricks
Steps:
1. Chisel away mortar using the chisel and pull out all loose bricks (figure B).
2. Brace the beam resting on the column using 2 x 4 timbers and the screw jack (figure C).
3. Chisel away remaining mortar and clean surface by dusting off any stray bits. Rehabilitate old bricks by chiseling away the old mortar (figure D).
4. Mix fresh mortar to the consistency of stiff cookie dough.
5. Before applying mortar, moisten existing bricks with a brush dipped in water (figure E). This prevents the dry bricks from sucking all the moisture out of the fresh mortar.
6. Butter bricks with mortar, smoothing the edges and building the mortar to a peak (figure F).
7. Lay bricks in place, paying careful attention to level, pattern and how the bricks look to the eye. Use a level to make sure everything's straight (figure G).
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