building brick steps Short Hills seems easy to someone who has never done it but when you do it, you will realize that there are a few challenges involved. It involves creating steps by laying bricks and mortar in a systematic way. Keep in mind that the mortar is used to bind the bricks to build stairs that will handle external forces such as people stepping on the stairs and even moving things on the stairs.
It is very important to lay your bricks properly to build strong steps that will last for many years to come. For the durability of your stairs, you should ensure you use the right brickwork. Brickwork is often faulty because of bad workmanship. Continue reading to learn some of the most common mistakes you need to avoid when laying your bricks.
Using the wrong mortar
When it comes to working with bricks, it is important to know the basic principles. While this can to the charm, it makes it easy to assume that you don’t need to pay close attention to detail. A common mistake that people make is to use modern mortar to repair historic brickwork.It might seem like it is not a big deal but combining the two eras of mortar is a very bad idea. It can lead to severe damage to your stairs. A section of brick steps created with old bricks has a certain porosity.In short, the steps will expand and contract as the water enters the bricks and freezes and then the process will repeat itself.Problems will start when the old stairs need to be fixed and new generation cement is used to repair the steps. The mortar is less porous and when a section of the stairs is more porous than another, the adjacent bricks will crumble when they contract, breathe and expand at different rates.This can be avoided by ensuring that the mortar you use to do repairs matches the era of the work. You can talk to a professional builder if you are not sure. In most cases, they will immediately tell the type of mortar and give professional advice because that is what they have been doing for years.
Severe efflorescence
While efflorescence isn’t a term or an occurrence that you are familiar with, your brick or masonry contractor will be very familiar with this occurrence. It is the crystals that may form on your brickwork. The crystals are a type of salt that is usually present in bricks or mortars, although sometimes the salt can come from water.The problems of efflorescence are more than cosmetic. With time, the crystals can grow large and lead to cracks in your bricks and result in the loss of structural integrity.
Rust and corrosion
After building brick steps Short Hills, no matter how professional or good you do the project, corrosion within your bricks and mortar will cause severe cracks over time. The best defense against corrosion is to ensure proper installation. Hire a professional builder if you don’t know how to install brick stairs properly.