Help Around the House host Henry Harrison gets out the masonry tools to help a homeowner replace a crumbled, deteriorating brick in the side of his house
(figure A). On his elbow grease scale of one to four, Harrison gives this job a two.
Tools
buckets for mixing mortar
trowels
brick hammer
brick chisel
power grinder with a diamond embedded masonry wheel
joining tool
stiff bristled brush
work gloves
safety goggle/face mask
dust mask
mortar and replacement brick(s)
Steps
1. Remove the old brick using a brick hammer and chisel (figure B).
2. Use a power grinder with a diamond embedded masonry wheel to cut a groove in the old mortar, at the bottom and top of the cavity, once the damaged brick has been removed (figure C).
3. Remove the remaining mortar with the hammer and chisel (figure D).
4. Take the stiff-bristled brush and clear away any remaining dust and debris from the opening (figure E). Next, dip the brush in water and thoroughly wet the surrounding area. This is important to prevent all the moisture from being drawn out of the fresh mortar.
5. Mix mortar according to directions. Lay out a bed of mortar along the bottom of the opening and smooth it out with the trowel (figure F). Wet the new brick and butter the top and sides with a bit of mortar and work it into the opening (figure G).
6. Fill in empty spaces with mortar. Place a small pile of mortar on the back of a large trowel and hold it against the wall while shoveling mortar into openings with the small trowel (figure H).
7. In tight areas, use the edge of the small trowel to push the mortar back further and pack into surrounding joints. Continue pressing mortar into the joints until they're completely full.
8. Allow mortar to sit for about 15 minutes before sculpting. To sculpt the joint, use a joining tool. Wet the end of the tool that best approximates the size of the joints and use it to scoop out a bit of mortar and create a finished, rounded joint (figure I).
9. After mortar has had a few hours to dry, come back with a stiff-bristled brush and dust off any remaining mortar and debris.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
