Painted brick will often hide the beginning stages of deterioration in masonry because the paint, acting like a glue, will hold damaged and separated brick faces to the wall of the structure. Eventually though the deterioration will accelerate and can cause severe damage; more than if the wall had never been painted.
With painted brick the paint acts like a barrier and holds in any moisture that gets into the wall system through micro cracks in the painted brick surface coating or through other breaches within the masonry structure. Since paint is not a breathable material, moisture that accumulates within the painted brick cannot evaporate during the warmer and dry days. Instead it is drawn to the warm exterior and collects in the surface of the masonry where the paint begins.
Now the moisture is ‘lock in’ just waiting for the next freeze thaw cycle to do its’ damage. When the temperature drops below freezing the moisture accumulated in the bricks surface now freezes within the pores of the brick. This frost action expands the moisture within the masonry pores and shears the faces of the brick from their bodies in a delamination or spalling process. Now the masonry is open and exposed to further water infiltration which can lead to areas of larger damage and more cost to repair.
The following picture gallery shows the stages of a repair that was performed on a wall, what happened to the wall and how we repaired the damage. It is difficult to give a range of pricing because it really depends on how much damage is in the wall however this little repair in the following pictures had an Estimated Repair Cost – $700 – $1100. Contact Us
Double click the first picture in the gallery to receive more detailed info.
