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Masonry questions, answered by experts

The premise for painting a brick building is fairly simple: Prime the bricks to seal the surface and apply the top coat to protect your brick home. However, it’s easy to miss a few important steps if you’re starting from a raw brick surface and don’t know the basics of how to paint brick. So be sure to reach out to a local professional painter if you have any reservations about correctly painting your brick house.

There are many things to look for when buying a brick house. Here are some of the key things you should pay close attention to.

  • Lintels: Look for cracks, holes, displacement, or corrosion

  • Mortar: Check to see if the mortar is old and crumbling, in need of repointing, or new. Also check to see if the mortar has a professional finish.

  • Walls: Check along each side of the house. If a wall is bowing outward, this indicates a severe issue such as foundation damage or that the walls are ready to fall.

  • Cracks: If there are stair step cracks in the brickwork, this indicates an unstable foundation.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) recommends placing a mailbox 6 inches to 8 inches back from the curb. If your lot is unusual, speak with town authorities or the local post office to determine the correct placement.

Not all cracks in brick indicate foundation problems. For instance, small hairline cracks can occur as a new construction settles. However, larger cracks are often a sign of a more severe issue. Indicators of a potential foundation problem include long horizontal cracks, "stair-step" cracks, vertical cracks that appear indoors, or any crack that widens at the top. Other signs of structural damage to look for are uneven floors and doors or windows that stick. These issues could be caused by problems with the soil beneath the home or an overgrown tree.

Granite is the strongest commercially available stone houses are built from. It’s also more commonly available, which means transport costs aren’t as high because a granite quarry isn’t too far from a build site. Limestone and sandstone are popular materials as well, but they aren’t as strong or weather-resistant as granite.

The Jefferson, IA homeowners’ guide to masonry services

From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.