Replacing a run of spalled bricks

[DIYWell]

I've been having a look at the state of the bricks below the DPC in my house. Most are fine, but the ones on the cold, damp, sunless side are badly spalled.

I was tempted to replace the faces on some with slips, but talking to a local who remembers the area being built, the brick used were pretty cheap and nasty so there may not be any point in putting slipstick on these pigs. (Sorry, bad pun).

I've read that bricks should be replaced one at a time but I've not seen anything about how close I can replace them in one go. Do I hack out every 5th? Can I hack out one, replace it, leave the mortar to cure, then do the next working my way down the run? Either way it looks like a very slow process if I'm only daring to do one brick a day.

Or do I throw in the trowel (another pun, sorry) and get a builder to do the job?

 

[hotrod]

You'll get away with every 4th brick, but assuming it's the the external skin and therefore visible, it's going to stick out like a sore thumb alongside the existing weathered facework

 

[DIYWell]

The original bricks, the ones that haven't spalled yet, are badly weathered and it took a few enquiries to identify what they were. Even if they were still available as new, they'd look different.

I'm sure I'll eventually identify some that look fairly similar, but this time frost resistant, and once they've been there for a few years, perhaps the moss with have camoflagued them.

Of course, if anyone had any practical suggestions ...

 

[hotrod]

I'm sure I'll eventually identify some that look fairly similar, but this time frost resistant, and once they've been there for a few years, perhaps the moss with have camoflagued them.

Of course, if anyone had any practical suggestions ...

If you can put a picture up it will "speak a thousand words" so to speak. It will also help the forum posters picture the scene and the facework you've got - this will help when recommending a suitable way forward and maybe even identifying a similar match with your existing brickwork.

 

[theoldun]

DIYWell. Not trying to tell you how to suck eggs, but need to know the bond of brickwork, so will explain the three bonds that you possibly have, and then I will help you out.
1. Cavity wall, all stretcher faces, i.e each brick 215mm long.
2. One brick wall, English bond, one course all as above but the course above and below are headers (half bricks) 102mm wide.
3. One brick wall. Flemish bond, one stretcher 215mm long, one header 102mm wide, one stretcher 215mm long, one header 102mm wide, ditto ditto.
Come back to me with the bond and will tell you just what to do and best way.

With regard to Fakro roof windows, we always used to fit Velux, but have now switched to Fakro. They are perfectly acceptable but not just quite up to Velux standards. There is very little bargaining discount on Velux, but we have found that you can haggle over the discount on Fakro,

idea of costs for a small single storey extension?
Ref the above. Was not trying to give you a playful slap when I answered this post, but instead to advise the OP that you were way of course. You had the courage of your convictions to say what you did, but a word of advice young man, unless you are 100% sure of yourself, and fully know what you are talking about, it is best to stay silent, then you do not raise or dash the hopes of someone else and more importantly make a fool out of yourself.
Accept the advice kindly, in the same way as it has been kindly given.
old un.

 

[DIYWell]

[quote="hotrod";p="1647949If you can put a picture up it will "speak a thousand words" so to speak. It will also help the forum posters picture the scene and the facework you've got - this will help when recommending a suitable way forward and maybe even identifying a similar match with your existing brickwork. [/quote]

Ok, here are some pics:
One to show stretcher bond and I've identified the bricks as Swarland Black Sandfaced from the early 1970s, long since discontinued. They're facing a cavity wall with, I think, cinder blocks on the inside.

Some mild spalling.

Some of the run of spalling down the coldest, darkest wall.

And the worst spalling at the corner where there is very little brick left now.

I'm glad I picked at it now so there's time in the good weather to fix it rather than wonder where the big crack had come from next year!

 

[theoldun]

Dark coloured bricks are called splash course. Means brickwork between ground level and DPC.
Google Brickhunter SALES HOTLINE: 0844 576 0359
Swarland Brick Body Stained Black Sandfaced (73mm) . In stock. Ref BHO1434. Try them, You might be able to work something out.
Photo 1. Would loose no sleep over the condition of that brickwork or any more like it. If the chips in the bricks annoy you, play around with a drop of black and white paint until you get somewhere near the colour of brick and dab drop of paint over chips.
Photo 2. Any like the one chipped in the bottom course. Knock up small quantity 3 soft sand 1 cement and black cement dye either liquid or powder. Play around with amount of dye until you get colour you are looking for. Don’t worry if it is too black as over time it will fade down to grey. put good drop of PVA bond, Render bond or similar in water. Knock up, put dab of bonding on chip and neatly make good.
Photo 3. We would cut two bricks out on third course down of splash course and three bricks out on second course up. Bed your two in and then your three. There is a knack in doing a neat job of it. If yer bricks have got a frog in them, fill frog first before slotting them in and then make sure that the top joint is well filled with muck. Most important, fully filled as near as poss. Miss a couple bricks, and do same again.. Next day come back and do bit you missed.
Photo 4. Cut corner out complete and rebuild.
Easiest way to cut bricks out. SDS drill with 6to8mm drill and stitch drill all beds and perps. Find blacksmith or steel stockists, and get chisel made up 300mm long by 50mm wide by 8mm thick, and end ground to chisel and hardened. Wack this through the stitch drilling, knocking it from side , slide brick out whole. Sometimes good face on back of brick and you just turn er round and pop er back.
To age new bricks. Half bucket cows c**p, top up with stagnate water or water out of water butt, do not use tap water, put lid on bucket, leave in sun for couple weeks, paint over new work couple coats. Or. Pint sour milk or stale yohgurt.
Hope this helps Put thanks up, so that I know you have read it and I have not wasted my time.
old un.

Ref corner, make sure no leak in gutter or down pipe, to have made it go so bad.

 

[bludger]

theoldun,

Dunno if the original poster thanked you somehow. But I'll do it as your comprehensive reply must have taken considerable work.

I don't need to replace any bricks - I just find building interesting and it's great that this forum has so many people prepared to contribute so much.

 

[Nige F]

Hear, Hear - The old `un is a Good `un Like Softus , without the pedantry

 

[Deevee1]

I like the sound of the oldun - what a comprehensive answer! I wonder if he might be able to give me some advice too! (or marry me, that could be the answer!!!).

I am purchasing a Victorian house (semi but had been one large house at some stage). It is a beautiful house with Georgian style arched windows and doors at the back (originally the front of the house) and the front of the house (originally the back) has been rendered.

The brickwork that is spalling is red brick and Victorian and even in the state it is in looks attractive but I want to do something about the brickwork before I move in to the property. The house next door has had the brickwork rendered over. I may have to do the same as it appears to me that there are too many bricks to take out (and possibly too expensive a job). If I do render, where is the best place to start, I am sure it would have to be of a material that would allow the house still to breathe and that is my main concern (getting something done that doesn't allow the walls to breathe may cause huge damp problems). Any advice? Thank you in advance

Deevee1

 

[theoldun]

Deevee, Will come back to you Sunday.
oldun

 

[Deevee1]

Bless you!

Look forward to hearing from you and thankyou.

Deevee

 

[theoldun]

Deevee, You have a problem that there is no easy answer to., so all we can give you is some back ground and information that will help you understand what local builders mean when they talk to you and give you a quotation.
Victorian period roughly 1830 to 1914, bricks were being produced in vast quantities. Ease of transport with the railways, steam driven excavators for removal of clay, etc..
Modern day brick making has very high quality control, unfortunately this was not the case in the Victorian era, and a lot of the soft reds are now past their sell by date, due to impurities in the clay and either over firing or under firing. By the way the colour of red bricks is mainly due to the iron content in the clay and the temperature of the kiln.
We think that it is sacrilege to render over good brickwork, but when the time comes when she is letting in water, causing damp, and spalling worse each year, then it is time to either buy her a new coat or to re-furb the existing.
What way to go. Without seeing her, difficult to say.
If she is pointed up in lime mortar and you have got a couple of hundred bad brick in the elevation, then we would source the reclaimed demolition yards for a good match reclaimed soft red. it is most importamt to get a good match. A bad match will look terrible.They may take a bit of time to find, but there are plenty about. Get a couple of decent bricks cut out to take with you as a match.
A decent bricklayer with the right tools around him, with a scaffold up, or couple of towers with youngmans staging, should cut out and piece in with a cement lime mortar 60 to 80 bricks a day. When complete, rake out the whole elevation and re-point.
The last sentence is a sweeping statement. What should you re-point in. In our granddads day it was lime mortar. Roman cement was re introduced back in the early 1800s but did not really come into its own as Portland cement in this country until the 1940s, consequently when we started work we pointed in sand and cement. 1 to 3 sieved mix.
Along came the tree huggers, conservationists and preservationists, and said that cement mortar was wrong. It was to strong and did not allow structure to breathe, yet we occasionally go back up London and look at houses that we pointed up in the 1950s, and they are as good as gold.
Years ago we did a study on non hydraulic, hydraulic and hydrated lime. We have forgotten most of it now, but the conclusion that we came to for pointing, is by volume of 1 cement, 1 hydrated lime, 6 soft sand, run through very fine sieve with just enough water to make it workable. With this ratio, it has been proved that the lime will not segregate from the cement paste.
we have found that the cement being hydraulic, gives the initial set, the lime being non hydraulic gives it flexibility, and the strength is not to strong even for a moderately soft brick. With regards to structure breathing through joints in our opinion this is a myth, as she can breathe and evaporate through the brick, providing there is no ingress of water for spalling to occur.
If you go this route you want a bricklayer for your brick re-placement, and raking out, and a pointing lad who is pointing day in and day out with a pointing gun preferably a point master. They are greased lighting, but before accepting either quotes ask to see their previous work
If the old girl is to far gone for this treatment then she needs a new coat.
There are many fine plasterers out there, but with the greatest respect, there are not many good lads out there who can render. Those who can, all have their own preferred way.
Our way. Scrabble all over with combed brick scutch to form key and remove all spalling, Wire brush down. Give her a good hose down that night. Any real bad bricks, apply SBR slurry to and patch in with a 1cement, 1 hydrated lime, 4 clean washed plasterers sand. (SBR is a bonding agent mixed with fresh cement and scrubbed into brickwork with hard brush to form a key). We use Febond SBR. Apply SBR slurry over where you are now going to render, but never apply more than what you can cover with first coat with in 20 minutes. As you are on a soft red, apply 8mm scratch coat, 1-1-5 with a splash of waterproofer in her. Scratch her out 4mm deep. We carry on scratch coating all that day.
Next day lay on 8mm 1-1-6 with a splash of admix, top coat and rule and rub up as you go. Finish with large flat sponge.
Use plastic or stainless steel angle beads and bell mouths,
There are a lot of through coloured, premixed bagged products on the market now. All we know about them, is that they are expensive, mostly specialist application and we have heard some bad reports about them maintenance wise.
Get three detailed quotes in writing, also ask for day work rate. Ask for recommendations, follow them through and ask to see previous work. If you want independent scaffold, get quote for up and down, and how many weeks hire included. Ask for weekly hire rate over and above
Hope you have got some idea of what you are looking at now. If you get some quotes, come back and will tell you whether they are about right. Wish you much happiness in your new house and sincerely hope that you find a good lad to carry out all you can throw at him.
Kindest regards, oldun

 

[Deevee1]

Old'un

Thank you so much for all the information, phew! First thing to do is to get people in I think, see what they say and the take my time to check back on your advice.

It is amazing of you to take so much time and trouble and I greatly appreciate it.

Will keep you posted.

Again, many thanks, best regards, Deevee1.