crack in lintel/brick discolouration

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cheeky

cheeky

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Hi there Everybody

I'm hoping to paint the lintels on my brick house this summer. In the pic attached you can see two things: 1. There is a crack in one. What is the best way to repair it? 2. There is grey discolouration under the lintel. What's the best way to clean this up?

Any advice would be appreciated!
Mary-Lynne

IMG_20140615_123008.jpg
 
I an no expert but I will give you a few thoughts anyway. If the crack is in the the sill of the upper window you can grind or chisel it a bit bigger and caulk it with something made for concrete.
Brick will absob moisture and needs a way out so there should have been weeps holes left between every some meny bricks on the bottom row and over windows and doors.
Anytime I see metal around doors and windows I want to know whats been hidden. People think that they are prtecting the wood from the weather but it's the condensation trapped in there that does the damage. My guess is that the grey under the windows is minerals coming out with the water as the bricks dry.
 
In the photo, the concrete below the upper window is NOT a lintel, but sill of concrete use for appearance. The surface light color is probably due to moisture with contaminents in it drying and leaving a surface deposit below. Perhaps the concrete sill did not have a proper drip ledges that stops the moisture from running under the lip and depositing materials.

The concrete over the lower windows may be a structural lintel or just an architectural effect.

I did not pick up a crack, unless it is near the middle of the upper concrete. That could be an old shrinkage from when the concrete was cast. That concrete is not structural.

Just a guess -

Dick
 
Thanks Neal and Dick!
You're right... that is not a lintel. I'll chisel out the crack and fill it. I'm getting ready to paint them this summer and wanted to clean up the brick underneath at the same time. I'll post back with what works.

I assumed the aluminium around the windows was cosmetic and I was going to have the basement windows done to look the same. But now I'm not sure.

Mary-Lynne
 
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