Expert: Dan Griffin - 12/24/2007

Question
I have a brink wall inside my home (built in the 1960s)  there are couple of cracked places in the motar.  I've tried to repair it myself but it is on obvious repair, that is, it doesn't match and already looks cracked again.  what is the best way to repair this?  thanks.

Answer
The problem with any masonry repair is making it look like or blend with the original.  Brick layers with years of experience can look at the mortar and tell where the sand came from.  Even with years of experience, the colors will not match due to age/dirt/grease and oil/etc.  It is possible to grind and tuck point the entire wall so everything is the same color.  Dirty, nasty, dusty, labor intensive, etc, etc, etc.  

This can work extremely well, something I picked up from a man who specializes in this.  Chip away or grind out loose, cracked, or unbonded material.  NP1 by Sonneborn is one brand, there are others, that makes a single part urethane caulk in colors.  This will require experimentation, patience, a good eye, and persistence.  He reworked a 3 story building for us about 4 years ago, still looks great.  He used about 3 different colors of caulk and about 10 different blends of sand.  Install caulk in the joint, rub in the appropriate sand into the fresh caulk.  Important quote - "you can always add more caulk, but you can't recover from too much".  I have used the method on several exterior repairs and have found the method to be forgiving and quite effective.  Please experiment somewhere inconspicuous or play on cardboard.

Hope this works and helps.