"I have a house with circa 1890's brick and mortar that once had seashells in it. David Ricard gave me a fair estimate to fill in mortar where a house brick was party broken by a telecom company and where some mortar fell out from an area a larger masonry company had repointed a few years before. David and his brother showed up on time, did the work in a reasonable amount of time, and cleaned up after. He showed that he understands different kinds of brick and the mortar required. I wish I had known about David before I hired that other company a few years before because the larger company didn't do a particularly good repointing job. I have upcoming mortar work needed on my front walkway and will be calling David for that repair. I would definitely hire him again and recommend him to others."
"Rigo was fantastic. His price was perfect, he was in and out in two days, and he had a very clear idea of what needed to be completely replaced, and what could just be repaired. That helped with both cost and time. He was able to replace bricks in a way that unified the front, and gave us the curb appeal we had been lacking for years. I look forward to relying on International Brick & Concrete again in the future for my concrete and masonry needs."
"The cement on our slate patio was cracking and in need of attention. Mr. Sanchez and his crew did a great job of grinding out the old cement, stabilizing the stones where necessary and putting in new cement. The crew was efficient and polite. The job was finished on time and for a fair price, IMO. Before and after photos (of one small area) attached. [One note: The grinding out of the old cement created a signigicant amount of dust. much of which went into the adjacent garden. My wife was/is concerned this will affect the chemistry of the soil, thereby affecting the health of her plants. Just be aware.] Highly recommend."
"Goldy Brick Construction did an excellent job installing a patio in my back yard and brick repair on my front steps. Very professional from quote to completion of the job. They arrived when they said they would in the afternoon to prep the area and arrived 1/2 early on the morning of the pour. They worked swiftly, and carefully and all of the work was completed in one day as they said it would be. I would certainly recommend them for any concrete and masonry work and would hire them again for any future work needed."
"If you need any driveway, concrete, or masonry work, MJ Paving and Masonry should be your go-to people! They did an amazing job on my new driveway, at a great price, and Miley was even willing to fix some loose bricks from my front path as well as fill in some missing concrete at no extra cost. The communication was top notch and I felt like I was genuinely cared for as a customer, especially at the intial consultation. You won't regret it!"
"The masonry on our front porch was crumbling, and the stones in our back-yard patio were becoming uneven. Horizon Landscaping Designs made both look brand new again! They were prompt, professional, and stuck with the original estimate. I'd definitely hire them again!"
"Thanks to Fabian and his crew for an amazing flag stone back patio, newly built stone fireplace, and area for our new swim spa. They crew was on time every day and kept us up to date on progress. The owners were very easy to work with and made the experience great. I would call them again for a large or small job. Highly recommend."
"Kenny repaired my Front door threshold. He was very easy to work with. He was always easy to reach by phone or text. He provided excellent service at a reasonable price. I will use K Hill Masonry in the future. I would recommend K Hill Masonry."
"They came with a large crew and did the work quickly. One part (fixing stone retaining walls) was very quick and they did an excellent job. The second (fixing the cement grouting on a flagstone walkway) was an excellent result but created a huge mess when the ground out grout was blown all over the front and stuck like glue to plants. The third (fixing a large flag stone patio with a soft grout compound) was not well done at all and created a really bad mess when the dry rubbery joint compound was blown around and stuck everywhere, even under my grill cover. That joint compound is also coming up in less than a year. So, traditional masonry work was done very well but with a huge mess, but they could not handle more modern material and do a consistent job."
""I recently hired J & F Construction to install a new flagstone walkway, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. From the start, Jesus provided a detailed plan and offered great suggestions that improved the overall design. The crew was incredibly hardworking, arriving on time every day and maintaining a clean workspace. The craftsmanship is top-notch—the way they trimmed and set each piece of stone is a true 'masterpiece'. If you want a contractor who is professional, communicative, and delivers high-quality masonry, I highly recommend J & F.""
Masonry work tends to be more expensive because the materials can be costly, such as natural stone and brick. Masonry is also very labor intensive, typically making up 50% or more of the final project cost. In addition, quality masonry work requires years of training and experience, as with any skilled trade.
When painting brick, each application method has pros and cons. Spraying is much faster but may not penetrate the porous surface of the bricks. Rolling is effective for getting paint into the bricks but doesn't work as well on the mortar. Brushing is very time-consuming and also won't penetrate beyond the surface. For the best results, a combination of spraying and rolling is often recommended. If you use a roller, choose a thick option (at least a half-inch) and ensure the paint gets into all the crevices for even coverage.
Use fire bricks for a brick pizza oven. These bricks are typically used for fireplaces and chimneys as they can withstand high temperatures from heat sources. If you attempt to use any other kind of bricks, it’s likely that this material will crack from such high heat exposure in the best case—and potentially explode and cause serious harm in the worst case.
Yes, an outdoor fireplace should use fire bricks. Fire bricks are specially designed to withstand high levels of heat and thus won’t crack as easily as regular bricks when exposed to the intense heat inside a fireplace.
Depending on the amount of soot present, you can vacuum some of it using a brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. Then, remove the leftovers with a mild cleaner, such as dish soap or vinegar mixed with water. Before applying a cleaning solution, saturate the bricks with clean water to prevent the cleaner from penetrating beyond the surface and causing structural damage to the bricks.
The Tysons, VA homeowners’ guide to masonry services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
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