What Do I Do With A Cracked Masonry Block?

What should you do with a cracked masonry block? Depending on how big the crack in your masonry block is, you might be able to fix it yourself! As long as there is not a serious structural problem, cracked masonry blocks can be pretty easy to fill. Read on to find out how!

 

Tools and Materials

In order to fix a cracked masonry block you will need the following tools and materials:

  • Safety goggles
  • Masonry chisel
  • Mixing bucket and stir stick
  • Margin trowel
  • Hammer
  • Cement mixture (e.g. Hydraulic Water-Stop)
  • Gloves
  • Paintbrush
  • Paint

Steps to Fixing a Cracked Masonry Block

  1. Using a masonry chisel, enlarge the crack to at least 3/4″ width and remove all loose material
  2. Squarely cut or undercut the edges of the crack
  3. Mix together water stop cement
  4. Using a margin trowel, thoroughly mix the material until it has a heavy, putty-like consistency
    1. Make sure that the mix is uniform and mixed thoroughly
    2. If the mix is too dry, add water sparingly
    3. Most water stop cement sets extremely fast, so do not prepare more than can be used in 2-3 minutes
  5. Once a putty consistency is achieved, take a handful of the mix and begin working it into a ball
  6. Press the mixture into the crack using firm pressure and hold it in place for several seconds
  7. After the material hardens, use a margin trowel to trim the patch to match the contour of the surrounding brick
  8. If you used Hydraulic Water-Stop to fill the crack, be sure to wait 7 days until painting over it with a water based latex paint

What If There’s Structural Damage?

If the cracks in your masonry block are actually structural issues, then you need to call a masonry expert like Blackwell Masonry right away. Even small amounts of structural damage can lead to serious problems down the road and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Blackwell Masonry Ltd. – Masonry Specialists for Kitchener/Waterloo

Blackwell Masonry provides quality brick laying services, and has served the Kitchener/Waterloo region for over 25 years. Blackwell specializes in all areas of residential masonry. Visit our services page for a full list of the services that we provide.

Contact Us Today

email: conradblackwell@blackwellmasonry.com 

phone: 519-746-2104

Source:

http://www.quikrete.com/athome/Video-Repairing-Leaks.asp#shoppinglist