Stonework- why it falls apart?

Often when our estimator visits a home in need of some relaying or re-pointing of stone work he is asked "why did it fall apart". It is common to see Flagstone steps absolutely falling apart- or stones literally coming off of the steps presenting a tripping or safety hazard. The first question that comes to mind is "why". Stone work, when done correctly by a skilled artisan isn't fairly cheap- so why don't you tend to see it last?

The answers are many but mainly boil down to two things:

1. Unskilled laymen

2. Weather or the elements

The problem today is that many companies/ masonry contractors who are not qualified to do so- take on a stone work job when they don't have someone skilled in the art. Perhaps the employee has done it once before, seen it done or is a bricklayer so assumes they can do it right. Stone work is a fickle art. Every stone, joint and placement must be exactly levelled correctly so that water does not pool or collect at the wrong joint and sit causing decay. Things like salt and water sitting on your stone are likely to cause decay.

So when choosing the right contractor- price should not always be forefront on your mind. Look at reputation, duration and previous work. Cheap work, in the long run, is expensive and when customers are fed up of pouring thousands into their home with poor results- Otto's Masonry is the company that can be trusted to get the job fixed up right and at competitive pricing.

How often should you address masonry issues?

Very often our clients will ask us at what point they need to address their masonry issues or brickwork. The answer is simple: any time you see a deterioration in the mortar joints between the brick (if the joints have been washed away and are very recessed, the joints are broken and falling or there is a separation between the joint and the brick or stone) you should have this repaired. When the joints are seen to fail there is always the potentiality of water coming in and the failure of masonry is simply that- water or weather issues.

If bricks or deteriorating joints are left to accumulate water, the deterioration will continue to grow and water will sit. Your repair could go from a one day job to much longer simply because a small repair needed, was left undone.