Question on brick mortar cracks.

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papakevin

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I have a house which was built in the early 90’s and some of the mortar joints are starting to crack. I’m wondering if I need to get this professionally repaired, can patch myself using Masonary caulk or if I need to do anything at all.

I’ve attached a few photos. I have had one estimate for a professional repair where they will grind out the old mortar and replace, but my concern is the color won’t match. Thoughts? Appreciate the insight.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1512484834.962702.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1512484857.095568.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1512484872.985190.jpg
 
Real Tuck pointing is the way to go on this one.
Worried about the mortar matching, no way is caulking in a tube going to look any better.
 
I agree tuck pointing is the way to go. may not match 100%, but will match a lot better than caulking and be a lot stronger too..
 
This is just an add, but I think it is the approach.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6FZOlNHGM8[/ame]
 
Have you looked at what may be causing the cracks? eg there might be metal lintels rusting and pushing up the brickwork when expanding.
 
The cracks are mailing in the corners of the house. Again, they aren’t real serious, but want them repaired before they turn into something bad. I did get a quote from a local area business to fix and will probably use them to do so.

Question on temperature. I’m in Southern Indiana where the daytime high is mid 40’s and lows at night in the 20’s. I thought the temp had to be above 20 to do mortar work, but the guy who provided the quote says they can work year round. Is it OK to proceed with this work in the winter or should I wait until Spring when the temps are warmer?
 
Well I’ve looked at this again trying to find the cause of the cracking. From what I can tell, it appears the metal plate over the garage door is rusting and forcing the brick up (is this possible?), causing the cracks on either side of the garage. (See photos.). Should the gap between the plate and brick be caulked? Should it be treated with some type of anti-rust preventative like naval jelly? Photos attached. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1514061281.661940.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1514061294.800564.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Repair1514061307.320246.jpg
 
Ok, thank you. This is helpful. Should the space between the metal and the brick be caulked? Anything I can do to keep it from getting worse? Should I be concerned or is this a common occurrence?
 
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