Brick restoration and repair

When the brick matters, the repair has to disappear.

Request a quote (773) 289-7541
Brick face Typical assembly, illustrated. Not to scale. Illustration: a typical brick wall cut in section; a cracked and displaced brick with a stair-step crack is shown before the work, then repaired after it.

Brick is one of Chicagoland’s defining architectural materials.

When it deteriorates, the solution needs to protect both the structural performance and the visual character of the property.

NOVA Renovation provides precision brick repair and restoration for residential, commercial, historic and new-construction applications, including brick replacement and material matching.

Weathered multicolor brick pier with failed mortar joints
Weathered multicolor brick pier with failed joints.

Where brick fails

In a brick wall, these are the usual starting points.

Illustration: a typical brick wall cut by a section plane, with spalled faces and a stepped crack before the work, four parts keyed to the notes
Typical assembly, illustrated. Not to scale.

  1. Earlier repairs

    A repair that shows

    A replacement brick has to match the original in size, color and texture. When it does not, the patch stands out from the wall.

  2. Brick face

    Spalling

    Water held in a brick expands when it freezes. Winter after winter, the face cracks and flakes away.

  3. In section

    A face broken away

    Cut through, a spalled brick shows the slab of face it has lost. What is left of the brick now takes the weather directly.

  4. Movement

    Cracks through the wall

    Cracks that step along the joints, or run through the brick itself, show that part of the wall has moved.

What failing brick looks like

What you might notice on a wall, a pier or a chimney.

Illustration: a closer look at a brick wall with spalled faces and a stepped crack, marked 1 and 2
Typical assembly, illustrated. Not to scale.

  • Cracked or flaking brick

    Faces that have cracked, spalled or crumbled away.

  • Cracks that step along the joints

    A stair-step line of cracks climbing through the mortar.

  • Loose or shifted brick

    Bricks that move, have dropped, or sit out of line with the wall.

  • Crumbling or missing mortar

    Joints that sit deep behind the brick face, or are missing in places.

  • Patches that do not match

    An earlier repair in a brick or a mortar that stands out from the wall.

A guide, not a diagnosis.

Describe it in a request

White, chalky staining (efflorescence) is covered under masonry waterproofing

Before and after.

A NOVA Renovation brick and limestone job, before and after the work.

The brick arch and firebox of an outdoor fireplace before the work: soot-blackened firebox and worn joints in the arch
Before
The same brick arch and firebox after restoration: clean firebrick and sound joints
After

The brick arch and firebox

Problem
Soot-blackened firebox, stained stone and worn joints.
What we did
Cleaned, repointed and restored the masonry.
Result
Clean firebrick and limestone, with sound joints.
  • Sooty firebox
  • Worn arch joints

Cropped to the brick: the arch and the firebox of an outdoor fireplace NOVA Renovation restored.

See the whole job

From one brick to a whole facade

Repair, replacement or rebuilding, as the wall needs it.

  • Brick restoration and repair
  • Brick replacement and material matching
  • Rebuilding deteriorated masonry sections
  • Masonry facade rehabilitation
  • Historic masonry restoration
  • Structural masonry repairLintel replacement
  • Mortar joint restorationTuckpointing
  • Efflorescence and surface deterioration treatmentWaterproofing

Every project is approached with the same standard: understand the structure, identify the cause, specify the right solution and execute it precisely.

Restore the structure, not just the surface.

773.289.7541
Request a quote NovaRenovationService@gmail.com