There's a brick adrift in one of our outside walls, and I'm not sure how to go about sorting it out. Mortar lines are very slim, so there's not much space to operate, and the brick has slid back a little, into the cavity space, with next-to-nothing to get hold of. Any suggestions for how I can deal with this?
The offending item can be seen here:
assuming you need to preserve the brick can you glue something to it and wiiggle it back/out? - fix it with no-more-nails or similar??
Cheers JimK
Assuming it can't fall down the cavity, put one or two screws into it from the front. The holes can be filled and a little of the brick dust to you keep from the drilling can be dusted onto the wet mortar to disguise the holes.
Is that a wall of your HOUSE?
Can you take a picture further back, showing the whole wall?
I have never seen a wall bulit with so little morter!
vacuum cleaner
not to stick them together.
I've used a wood block with a hole in the middle for a vacuum cleaner hose and draught proofing strip around the edges to lift block paving. A similar tack may work here. the wood block stuck like s**t when the vacuum was started.
me. That means that you should be able to pull it out using one or preferably two small suction cups. Liberally wet them (and the brick) with Fairy liquid, and Bob's your uncle.
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They're probably 'Accrington Nori (Iron)' bricks - known to reduce bricklayers to tears. Work a bricklayer's trowel top and bottom (and sides with a smaller trowel if necessary) until the brick can be eased out with the trowel.
Slip in and hook the brick out. Wear gloves.
Funny, that, because I posted the same information 18 minutes before you did. ;-)
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In Lancashire they were often used for good class work requiring the best bricklaying skills. I think the mortar gap was set at 1/4". Piece-work bricklayers were usually paid a higher rate per yard for these bricks as it took longer to achieve the small consistent mortar gaps.
Cic.
Accrington ("Acky" being the term used by the guy who fitted our new windows). I'm thinking of using urethane foam to bed the brick once I manoeuver it into position, before "dressing" the pointing gap.
Empty frogs :-)
Was it like that before you moved into the house? Have you caused the damage to the bottom RH corner of the brick and adjacent bricks in trying to rectify the situation? Were/ are there any services in the inner leaf that corresponds to that location? TV socket, water services, electrical? I note also that the frogs seem to have free bits of mortar.
Surely there has been human intervention to cause the current state?
Might be worth considering these aspects and following the good advice from others, remove the brick to inspect.
Has the house got cavity wall insulation? Has a previous owner had insulation blown in and not wanting the brickwork damaged, had bricks removed at suitable intervals to have the insulation blown in. All others having been re-mortared and this one forgotten?
Interesting.
Me too - it's in a sheltered corner where it's not readily visible.
Must have been, but it was much later when I noticed it.
No - having noticed the problem, I've been trying to think what could be done about it.
None.
I agree - it's difficult to think how it might have otherwise occured.
I'll be doing that.
No, there's no cavity wall insulation.
Yes. Thanks for your thoughts. :-)
Clot, you can see that the three bricks have been jabbed at.
They used soft mortar on those hard bricks. Lime and sand usually. And since there is so little of it, the brick just gave in and the project was suspended by the look of things.
There would be just enough mortar left to make retrieval difficult for someone so stupid as to hit it with a chisel hoping to put a wire or a pipe in there.
AC, if all the above suggestions fail, put an old saw in there to chop up any mortar that is frustrating things. It should then slide out on the blade.
Since it is a sheltered spot, why not just leave it alone?
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Good advice, I guess, but we intend selling soon so it might attract unwelcome, and disproportionate, attention.
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