Key Brick House Maintenance Tips

The majestic look of a brick home comes with some major responsibilities. Routine brick house maintenance is essential to keeping a brick home beautiful and sound for hundreds of years. Unlike vinyl and wood exteriors, brick is a highly porous substance that can attract trapped moisture between a home's frame and siding. Crumbling bricks, clogged weep holes, and discoloration are some other common issues that need to be addressed with brick maintenance and repairs. Here's a checklist covering brick home maintenance tips.

1. Perform Annual or Seasonal Inspections

Photo: Spiroview Inc. / Adobe Stock

Half the battle with brick home maintenance is just being aware of issues when they spring up. Annual inspections are advised. If you live in a zone with extreme winter and summer climates, consider seasonal inspections that can reveal any fresh damage from weather-related wear and tear. Here's what to look for during an inspection:

• Cracks or holes

• Efflorescence (crystal-like powder)

• Rust

• Bulges

• Moss

• Mold or mildew

• Bowing around foundations and walls

• Spalling/flaking

• Crumbling mortar

Make note of any new developments you see during a home inspection. Next, consider bringing a pro in to perform diagnostic tests on your brick to look for any larger issues under the surface. Getting a newly noticed problem fixed immediately is important because compromised brick can allow water to seep into your home's structure. Even something as simple as moss or natural plant growth can cause roots to form underneath your brick until the brick cracks.

2. Evaluate Landscaping

Pan out a bit when considering brick house maintenance to include the surrounding landscaping. Brick foundations need proper drainage to stop water from pooling. Water accumulation around a brick home's foundation leads to efflorescence, mildew, and mold. Make sure your landscaping plan minimizes the amount of water retention near brick. Daylilies, primroses, and white cedars are just some of the water-absorbing options homeowners use in "rain gardens" that are designed to pull water away from foundations. If water near your foundation is an issue, rain barrels or drain systems could also be helpful.

3. Reseal Your Brick

Rainstorms, melting snow, and the common freeze-thaw cycle that takes place in most of the United States all pose risks to brick homes. One of the best ways to shield brick from structural changes is to reseal it often. Most experts agree that a brick home should be resealed at least once every five years. Sealant is important because it prevents water from seeping into subtle cracks in brick. If water is able to penetrate bricks, it will expand as it freezes. This expansion is what's responsible for most of the cracked brick and accompanying damage you see on brick homes.

In addition to protecting against water infiltration, sealant can preserve the beauty of your brick. It also shields bricks from UV rays and staining. While sealant can be purchased at most hardware stores, it's important to know that improper sealing leaves brick vulnerable to damage.

4. Check Weep Holes

Weep holes are subtle holes built into a brick structure's mortar to allow moisture to drain. They are critical for preventing flooding behind brick siding and for providing ventilation that fights mold and mildew growth.

It should be expected that weep holes will be clogged from time to time. Caulk, paint, and random outdoor debris can all get wedged into weep holes. Weep holes should be inspected for clogs every few months as part of routine brick maintenance. Most clogs can simply be resolved by using a thin piece of wire or compressed air to force out the debris. You can confirm that you've unclogged a weep hole by letting hose water trickle through the hole. If it runs clear, you've solved the problem. If the water pools, you have a concealed blockage that may need professional attention.

5. Consider Tuckpointing and Repointing

Brick needs to be repointed every 30 to 50 years. This project is inevitable, and it is on the list of pros and cons of brick houses. If it's been a few decades since your brickwork has been done, it may be time to activate this good-sized project. When updating brick, homeowners can choose between repointing and tuckpointing.

Repointing is the process of removing and replacing old mortar. It repairs damaged joints to help evenly distribute weight across bricks. Like repointing, tuckpointing also involves replacing old mortar with new mortar. The difference is that tuckpointing adds the aesthetic flair of using contrasting color lines to create the look of thin joints between bricks. On average, tuckpointing and repointing cost between $500 and $2,500.

6. Clean Your Brick With Gentle Dish Soap

Give your brick a good cleaning once or twice a year to prevent efflorescence or discoloration. Brick's porous nature means that it can easily attract dirt and debris. Avoid the temptation to blast bricks with harsh chemicals and cleaners. Harsh ingredients can erode the natural look of brick.

What you can use on brick is a mild soap or detergent. Special brick cleaners are also okay. Using a mix consisting of mild dish soap and water, gently scrub brick with a masonry sponge or natural bristle brush. Avoid any sharp or wired brushes that are known to leave behind pieces of steel that attract rust to brick. Here are some simple steps for cleaning brick with soap:

• Clean brick from bottom to top.

• Allow the detergent and water to soak into the brick for a while. This allows the cleaning mixture to penetrate all the areas where dirt might reach. Most soaps or brick cleaners can be left on for up to 10 minutes to help dissolve dirt.

• Rinse brick using a hose or sprayer with a delicate, low-pressure spray pattern from top to bottom. Excessive pressure damages brick. To avoid increasing pressure, spray in repeated circular motions over stubborn dirt.

If you notice that caked-on dirt or stains aren't budging, you can use a rotary scrub brush on brick as an alternative to power washing or hosing the brick at high pressure. This is generally needed when brick has been covered with moss, tree sap, grease, or grass stains. A rotary brush will work with your detergent to break up tough stains that are stuck to brick.

7. Repair Brick When Needed

If you're stumped about when to repair vs replace brick on your house, the answer comes down to the severity of the damage. Cracks that are superficial to medium in size can generally be repaired. Most mortar issues affecting brick can also be handled with repairs. Meanwhile, you may need brick repair if you see:

• Large cracks over 1/4 inch in size

• Dramatically bowing or sagging walls

• Spalling/falling brick

• Extreme efflorescence (salt-related white staining)

Masonry experts can often rehabilitate brick that has been compromised while trying to maintain as much of the original brick as possible. If brick issues appear structural, you should not attempt to investigate or repair them on your own. The right step is to simply reach out to masonry companies near you to have your brick inspected.