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How To Protect Your Home’s Masonry Chicago, IL in Winter

Quality masonry in Chicago can certainly give you decades of structural protection. However, those difficult Chicago winters can often cause problems for brickwork that is vulnerable and lead to premature deterioration. A chimney is constantly exposed to the weather, so if it’s unstable to begin with, that poses a threat to the home. At Custom Masonry Contractors in Chicago, we’re here to ensure you as a homeowner or business owner, are properly informed about maintaining your fireplace or chimney over the winter. Follow these guidelines to help avoid damage and expensive masonry repair.

An Outdoor Sealer Can Combat Freezing and Thawing Cycles

Brick masonry, although strong, is porous. Your brickwork soaks up moisture just like a sponge, so it expands and contracts as temperatures rise and fall over the winter and spring. As this continues, it destabilizes the brick and mortar creating cracks, loosening bricks, and developing the risk of total collapse. These problems can be avoided by applying a permeable sealer to your masonry in Chicago that’s exposed to extreme outdoor elements. If your property has historical value, you may require more detailed masonry restoration and maintenance. Neglecting it may cost you more with frequent masonry repair in Chicago.

Interior Chimney Protection

With cold air and snow on the outside of your chimney and warm air on the inside, you may be at risk of damage to the flue liner with snowmelt leaking in. This can develop rust cracks and holes in the liner. With that, toxic fumes and heat can have difficulty ventilating out. Water damage may also damage the damper and ceiling or walls around your fireplace. Specialized masonry contractors in Chicago can install a chimney cap to secure the entire chimney line and avoid internal water damage.

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Importance of Hiring a Knowledgeable Masonry Repair Chicago, IL Contractor

Choosing the best masonry repair Chicago contractors is the key to a successful masonry project. The following blog aims to show the importance of hiring good specialists:

They know what they are doing.

The extensive training of masonry contractors has extensive knowledge and experience provided with the opportunity to repair your brickwork, blocks, patios, decks, and so much more. Many people may think that it is a simple task, but it’s the exact opposite. An amateur contractor with little or no expertise has a higher chance of making different mistakes. Make sure not to take any risks and leave the job to professionals.

Qualified masons save time and energy.

This factor is pretty obvious. While they are working on your project, you can focus on the more important things like paying attention to your family and pets, reading a book, doing a hobby, etc. This is essential, especially when you have a tight schedule and the project needs to stick to a particular deadline. Ensure the masonry contractors get the job done right on time.

They save money.

If you are still not convinced with the advantages above, saving money is a simple advantage. Imagine having no idea what products or materials you will need for your deteriorated brick walls. The first thing you might do is go to the nearest store and ask for advice from the sales representatives. Professional masonry contractors will have stable relations with different manufacturers and suppliers to purchase them with good discounts. Having said this, they will provide top-notch materials at the best price.

Quality work.

Experienced and well-trained masonry contractors are the key to the project’s success. You can rest knowing that your project is in the right hands that promise the best result possible, from your masonry to brick repair needs in Chicago.

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Is Spring The Best Time For Any Type Of Masonry Chicago, IL

Is Spring The Best Time For Any Type Of Masonry Chicago, IL

Rome around Chicago. You will see many structures done with masonry may it be made of concrete, stones, and bricks. Who can’t be attracted to building brickworks Chicago, such as homes and industry, because of its beauty? However, masonry doesn’t only revolve around building structures. Hence, repairing and maintenance are also included. Regular inspection must take place in all masonry-designed structures as deterioration takes place over time due to a combination of harsh weather and normal wear and tear.

Chicago has a continental climate with chilly winters, mild summers, and frequent brief changes in temperature, humidity, cloudiness, and wind direction. As we all know, weather greatly affects masonry-designed structures, and this is where repairing methods such as tuckpointing your home’s structure and integrity occur. By doing this, you can ensure they remain in good working order. But, what is the best time to contact tuckpointing contractors Chicago to perform tuckpointing and other necessary repairs?

All tuckpointing and masonry-repairing jobs would be completed, ideally when the weather is dry, and the temperature is between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature can happen anytime between late spring and fall in the Chicagoland area, depending on the rain. However, it’s crucial to remember that if you notice any signs of damage or degeneration, you should immediately seek professional advice, such as masonry contractors, to help you out.

Nevertheless, some are barely asking if spring is the best time to do masonry work.

It’s not always possible to put off masonry work until the weather is ideal. Fortunately, most masonry contractors, like us, Custom Tuckpointing Contractors Chicago, are well-equipped to deal with these situations and can shop in practically any region! We can start and finish your concrete job practically any time of year, and we’ll take all necessary safeguards depending on the season.

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Signs Your Building Needs Restoration Or Renovations

SIGNS YOUR BUILDING NEEDS RESTORATION OR RENOVATIONS

As time passes, your brickwork will eventually deteriorate. Depending on how you care for your masonry over the years, it is still going to happen one way or another. Bricks and mortar joints need to be taken care of, restored, and renovated as time passes with tuckpointing or re-pointing. Some houses may look great at first glance, but when you take a closer look and inspect, you will notice a particular building’s actual condition. Also, keeping your brick building looking as good as possible with regular upkeep will ensure it stays safe. However, with many restorations or renovation jobs, improvements can become a great investment. Now, it doesn’t have to burn a hole in your wallet, but be prepared to spend some money. Our tuckpointing contractors in Chicago are here to ensure that you will get the highest quality of work at a price that will fit your budget.

When you plan to sell or rent a brick building or home, you might need to have a tuckpointing restoration done. When searching for a new home or commercial space, people are going to take a look at its aesthetics first. When the brick has seen better days, people will move on and continue their search. Visible signs of deterioration can be an eyesore to some people and are not safe for your home or commercial space. Signs of deterioration are crumbling mortar, missing bricks, or a generally unkempt appearance, and you’re not going to have much success with finding a tenant.

Now, this should not be seen as a DIY project. Hiring professional tuckpointing contractors in Chicago to get the job done right is essential. Custom Masonry & Tuckpointing Chicago have the contractors that you need to ensure that your structure will look good as new. Give us a call today!

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Masonry Chicago, IL: How to Avoid Unwanted Cracking

Masonry Chicago, IL: How to Avoid Unwanted Cracking

Since early in most modern civilization, using blocks to build impressive structures has been the go-to standard for both strength and efficiency in construction. They were easy to lay, cheap to make, and anyone with even the smallest level of skill could erect a monolith.

The great pyramids of Giza, the Colosseum in Rome, and even the ancient Mayan temples, all built by unskilled labor, but they also have one other thing in common, and that is they still stand to this day. What sets them apart, is not the hands that built them, but the details that allow them to continue to stand without deteriorating.

Modern masonry

If you want your masonry walls to avoid deterioration and cracking, here is what you have to know:

  • Settlement cracking is reasonably common, and is caused by the weight of the wall itself bearing down on the lower bricks. It can be fixed with minor cosmetic repairs, or replacement of the damaged bricks.
  • Subsidence cracks are due to earth washed away or removed under the foundation of the building. Most often, fixing this situation is costly and difficult.
  • Expansion cracks are caused when temperature or moisture allow the wall to expand and retract causing fissures, usually above door or window areas. They are fixable with a simple mastic or sealastic compound injected into the crack
  • Ground heave cracks are the opposite of subsidence cracks, caused when the ground below a wall expands. This usually happens with clay below the foundation. To prevent the furtherance of cracking and structural degradation, removing the clay soil is the only viable course.

There are other factors that can cause a wall to crack, but the common thread leads back to how it was installed, and where. If in an area that gets both very hot and very cold, cracks are almost a guarantee. Adding the appropriate expansion materials will help, but a knowledge of how to fix these cracks is paramount, lest your masonry crumble.