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SAVING CASH Tips - Fixing Your Own Masonry
Hi, it's me again. I've been reading a lot about how you can spend less buying this or that thing cheaper, and that is fine, but imagine if it's something really big like your roof is leaking or the bricks are coming apart in your chimney.

Most people are afraid of doing something like laying bricks or fixing or sealing up a brick chimney, but it is pretty easy. I learned to lay brick by reading a simple book on basic brick work and in addition by spending a little time watching bricklayers at work, and observing their motions. It took a little practice, but not too long before I got the hang of it, and the outcome was a small brick cottage that I built filled with two doors and five window openings.

The biggest challenge to dealing with brick is getting the mortar to be the ideal consistency. If it's too wet it runs off the trowel and if it's too dry it's too hard to mold. There is a process called tucking, where you squish the mortar in between the bricks and seal up the cracks. In plenty of older homes, the brickwork was made out of mortar that was high in lime or otherwise not quite as durable because the mortar used today. So as time passes with the elements freezing and thawing, it eventually starts to crumble externally. Well you can save it by sealing it in with new mortar.


The trick to tucking would be to not have an excessive amount of mortar on the trowel, yet somehow apply enough to the seam in order that after the initial application you can then take the end of the trowel and press it into the crack. The mortar is pretty forgiving in that it generally does not dry hard for up to an hour after you apply it. So by firmly taking a wire brush to your sealed joints, and using a finishing tool, your repairs find yourself looking quite professional.

Whether it's some new project you do you will need to use a string in order to get the bricks perfectly straight. Discover more takes some focus on detail to do this. I ended up using a tiny level to make sure each brick was level in both directions (in addition to straight with the string) before moving on. I wasn't as fast as the professionals, but might work is solid and it looks great!

I've done just fine with the bags of mortar you buy from the hardware store because of this. An excellent book is indispensable, of course. I can't teach you how to fix old bricks in a short article like this, but I think viewers when you enter the swing of things, you can do this and probably save thousands on repairs. In the event that you get proficient at it, you may be able to even go out and make some money at it.

I would recommend rubber gloves to protect your hands. And make sure to clean your tools thoroughly afterwards. Dried Dry Stone Walling Dewsbury is nearly impossible to get off.

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