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Does anyone know how to fix spalling bricks like below?
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @John-Annie. Let me tag some helpful members for their thoughts about your crumbling brickwork: @EricL, @CSParnell, @Brad, @tom_builds.
I trust that you'll get plenty of helpful advice and inspiration for all your projects around the house and garden from our wonderful members. Please don't hesitate to post whenever you need a hand with anything or have a project to share.
Jason
Hello @John-Annie
Thank you for sharing your question about how to fix spalling bricks. The traditional method of repairing spalling bricks is to replace the brick itself. The process involves removing the surrounding mortar around the spalling brick and breaking the defective brick with a chisel. Once you've removed the old brick, you'll need to mix some mortar and install a new brick in the gap.
It is an involved process and pushing the new mortar into the space between the bricks will take time. I understand that you are perhaps hoping to repair the face of the spalling brick but this is not recommended. The brick itself has been compromised and is no longer structurally sound. In time the brick itself will deteriorate along with any repair that's been applied to it.
However, before you begin your repair work, it is worth considering why did the brick start spalling? The common cause is excessive moisture or water exposure. I suggest investigating the wall and see if there are any sources of water passing through this wall and is being concentrated in this spot. If you can find the source and stop the water from going into the wall it should stop any further damage to the brick wall.
Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to replace a vent in a brick wall ( the techniques used are applicable to your repair work )
Please let us know if you have any other questions we can help with.
Eric
Hello @John-Annie
Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with bricklayers rates. I suggest posting the job on Hipages or Airtasker so that you can get several quotes for the job. However, I encourage you to consider giving this project a try as it is only a single brick to be replaced.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hello @John-Annie
If the brick wall has only one damaged brick you can probably try to remove it and fix it yourself. But if there are many spalled bricks then you'll need a handy person to repair the damage. My apologies as I was under the impression that it was only this brick that was damaged.
Eric
