The value of a building may be impacted if the exterior begins to degrade. Brick buildings are extremely durable and they last a long time. However, bricks and masonry wear out overtime affecting a building’s structural integrity and the property’s appeal. This can lower the value of your building, and it can hurt your business too. Masonry restoration can be a crucial part of building maintenance that keeps your building looking brand-new.
Why Does Masonry Need To Be Restored?
Masonry is naturally porous, whether it is concrete, brick, or stone. Over time, all of these materials will absorb moisture, oil, dirt, smog, fungi, and other pollutants that cause physical damage as well as harming the appearance of the masonry. Regular power washing extends the life of the material, but there is a limit. Eventually, even durable materials like brick and concrete will begin to break down.
How Does It Work?
Masonry restoration is a big project. First, the existing masonry has to be removed. These materials cannot be fixed once they begin to break down. Their structural integrity is gone, and they need to be removed. Once cracks and crumbling have begun, there is no way to restore full structural integrity to masonry. There will always be weak points left behind.
Once the existing masonry is removed, new masonry is used to make the building look brand new. In masonry restoration, we used the same materials as the original masonry. If your building had red bricks, we tear them out and put them in new red bricks. If it was concrete, we use the same concrete. The idea is to use the exact same materials so that the building looks just like it did when it was first built.
Benefits Of Masonry Restoration
The first benefit is simply having a building that looks good. The external appearance of a building is more important than many people realize. It is a critical part of your building’s value, of course, but it also matters to the success of any business inside. Few people want to work with a business that does not look like it takes care of its building.
Masonry restoration also matters for the structural integrity of the building. Even if the masonry is just a veneer on the outside of the building, it is not purely aesthetic. Gaps and cracks in the masonry let in moisture which can damage the other materials on the interior and can ruin your building’s energy efficiency.
Advantages Of Hiring A Dedicated Masonry Restoration Contractor
Masonry restoration is a big job, but it is also a delicate one. In addition to the hard work of tearing out the old masonry and replacing it with new materials, there is the added challenge of maintaining the continuity of the building’s appearance.
Selecting the appropriate materials is an important part of a masonry restoration, and a contractor who does not specialize in masonry may not be able to do that as well as one who is. After all, you do not just need new red bricks, you need the exact same red bricks that were used the first time. A masonry contractor will know this and will know where to find the right bricks.
In addition to the materials themselves, the construction method must be the same. Masonry has been made and built with different techniques through the ages, and proper masonry restoration usually involves installing the new materials using the exact same techniques as the original work, in order to guarantee that the building looks the same. The older the building, the more important this is. Regular contractors will only be familiar with current masonry techniques; specialized masonry contractors will know them all.
A specialized masonry contractor will simply do a better job of masonry restoration because they understand the job better. They know the materials and the techniques better. They will simply be better at building your masonry. You can trust that a contractor who specializes in masonry will do the best possible job on your restoration because this is all they do. It is the difference between ordering a steak at a fine steakhouse and ordering one at a casual restaurant. Both will probably taste good, but one will clearly be much better.
Work With The Professionals For Masonry Restoration
It may cost more to hire a specialty contractor, but their added expertise and skill will always produce superior results. In the end, it is worth paying the extra money for a specialized contractor every time, especially in masonry restoration.
If you have questions about masonry restoration, would like to learn more about the benefits of masonry restoration, or would like to contact a masonry restoration contractor, contact Waterproof Caulking & Restoration today.