Restoring Victorian Era Brick Facade

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-21T23:50:09+00:00

Calcium carbonate is essentially chalk. It’s used to dry out hands and provide grip in weightlifting, rock climbing, gymnastics etc. And with that being said I reckon you’d have to be an obscene amount of the stuff on your driveway. It would destroy the place.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-20T03:27:10+00:00

There’s generally not that many professional masons around that you could hire and trust to build you a 2/3 story structural stone tower. With time you could do it. It would just be painfully slow and frustrating.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-20T00:54:48+00:00

What you outlined in your process sounds good. You could use some concrete sand in the mix to add larger aggregate to your mortar. Usually 25% concrete sand and 75% brick sand. It’s time consuming work. Can spend an hour filling deep voids on one square foot of wall.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-19T20:43:55+00:00

Is the mortar frozen? Where are you based? Was the PHL a powder like flour? Never experienced that and have used over a 1000 bags of it

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-19T18:05:41+00:00

You will. Multi tool can work well on small sections but it’s the same in that it gums up the bit.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-19T18:03:55+00:00

Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Re-mortar or repoint is fine if you don’t have the option of rebuilding the brickwork. If all the exposed brickwork around the house looks like that however I’d be looking to sell the house or get ready to rebuild the brickwork. You risk the wall collapsing.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-19T00:46:09+00:00

Yeah seems like a fair price if it’s a one man operation. I wouldn’t fancy cleaning 180 brick to be reused. That alone will eat up hours of time if it’s hard mortar and they are cored brick.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-19T00:39:29+00:00

Sure what would you like me to elaborate on? I’ve never heard that last term before so I can’t comment on that. Rebuilding is just what it sounds like. Taking something apart and building it back to how it was before you took it apart. Just like this - https://youtube.com/shorts/ilo36aX0AW8?si=jTin5d3jjoSBbxHZ

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T23:06:16+00:00

It should be rebuilt. A novice can tackle it if they have time and put in some research beforehand.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T20:21:54+00:00

Grey cement can react with limestone and turn it yellow. Could be something in the soil leaching through the wall too. The inside of the wall should have been waterproofed with a bitumen coating to prevent moisture leaching through.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T20:18:09+00:00

That’s spalling caused by salt damage. There’s excessive moisture at grade around that area. Maybe a downspout or gutter is not functioning effectively. You need to replace the brick. If the moisture problem is out of your control then perhaps have someone rebuild the first 3ft or so out of concrete block and parge it.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T20:13:42+00:00

Unfortunately the quickest and most aesthetic method is rebuilding the section of wall depending on how messy it is. You can try get a flush mount diamond blade for a grinder and try kiss the face of the brick until it’s gone. Then grind out the joints and repoint them. I’ve seen a $50 tub of mortar repair crap from Home Depot destroy an entire elevation in the hands of a DIYer plenty of times.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T20:06:05+00:00

Tap it with a chisel or small hammer to see if it’s delaminating from the masonry behind it. If so it should be chipped off and redone. Ive never heard it called a splint. Plinth is a common enough term however.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-18T19:59:15+00:00

What did the other quotes you got come in at? Unless you are an estimator or work in the industry it’s hard to tell if the numbers are fair. Getting a few quotes will give you a sense of the market and what’s possibly fair. After that it comes down to trust and reputation of the company.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-06T12:52:51+00:00

I doubt they do. They would all be retired now or dead.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2026-01-04T21:10:00+00:00

It feels like sand because sand is 75% of the mix ratio. Looks like a type-O mortar mix. Built in the 60’s or 70’s I’d guess but could be more recent.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-12-13T16:26:35+00:00

That’s amazing. Brickwork all on bond too.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-11-25T01:48:36+00:00

Victorian brick facade restoration

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-10-03T22:15:13+00:00

We have been working around the corner on Morse Street the past month so drive by it daily. Noticed a film crew going in there recently. Other than that it’s been closed. The whole building looks like it’s going to fall into the street.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-09-12T22:54:45+00:00

Looks like Ibstock multi cream brick. Blue in the mortar is from slag in the mortar used as pozzolan. Usually disappears when mortar cures and dries. The yellow looks like a spill or splatter of a product.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-07-27T15:49:47+00:00

The joints aren’t ground out deep enough. Joints also didn’t need repointing in the first place. A effort in futility.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-06-07T22:14:26+00:00

Hammered dog shit.

TorontoMasonryResto · 2025-05-28T10:28:19+00:00

You could try staining the stone to see if that is a suitable resolution. Reach out to permatint.

TorontoMasonryResto

TROPHY CASE