I have a turn of the century house and most of the basement is brick in fairly good condition. however some spots are not so good the mortar in between has come out up to about 1/2 inch and in some spots the brick is flakey. i want to just mabye fill in the spots with mortar and paint over it, (it was previously painted) and be done with it, not sure if i will need a pro though, any ideas?
Rob
You're not fooling anyone.
"You're not fooling anyone."
What kind of a post is that? Honestly, did you just post to the wrong newsgroup or something.
Rob, I don't know all that much about masonry, but a quick search on google for "damaged mortar" turned up this tutorial on diy.com
Mike
Look at BIA (Brick Industry Association) web site. Tech Notes are very useful.
You may have problems with dampness, lime mortar, and soft brick. You can repoint (not repaint) the brick following Tech Notes. It's not unusual to have underfiered brick used in basement locations. Check for the standard sources of moisture in the ground around the building. I would NOT repaint, since it does not allow bricks to breath and may encourage flaking. This based on brick basement walls in my 1834 house. TB
All I can suggest is to do some good research before you start. (OK you have started that by posting here - continue by following the links others have provided.
Using modern materials on a old home can cause a lot of damage.
BTW do you mean your home is 6 years old or 106 years old? :-)
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