As the weather starts to warm up, more and more people are migrating outside. One of the best ways to keep yourself busy during this time while staying productive is to start getting your home ready for all of your summer activity. While summer heat and sunshine give us ample opportunity to enjoy the weather, we need to make sure that our homes are prepared to take the hit that powerful UV rays and humidity can cause. This is especially important if you live in a brick home. Throughout the year brick is subject to intense freeze-thaw cycles, which can cause mortar and bricks to crack or spall. If not addressed in a timely manner, humidity can exasperate these problems. Luckily, spring and summer gives you the best weather conditions to clean your brick and look for any signs of damage before the cold sets in again.
To avoid costly repairs during the wintertime, use the summer months to your advantage. Get a pressure washer and give the bricks a good clean, making sure to be gentle and never stop in one location for more than a second or so. If you focus too much pressure in one area during a power wash, you could damage the mortar and create problems that weren’t previously there. If you don’t have a power washer, consider renting one for a day to get your home ready for summer. After you’ve cleaned your brick home, you can see the condition it’s in more clearly. However, it’s important to remember that tuckpointing is a job that requires a very specific level of precision and should always be handled by a professional mason. If tuckpointing jobs are done poorly, it could compromise the structural integrity of your home and create long-lasting, expensive problems.
If you have a brick home or building, take some time to walk around and look for any major signs of damage. Even if you think that everything looks good, we still recommend calling a professional to make a thorough inspection afterwards. This will allow you to catch any problems that might have gone unnoticed to the untrained eye. If there are any damages, the costs are far lower to make repairs during the summer. This is because weather conditions are more ideal and concrete in the mortar joints will set in an appropriate amount of time. If you try to do tuckpointing during the winter months, the concrete can harden and set too quickly, causing problems with the overall job. To combat freezing temperatures, many professional tuckpointing companies will need to set up a makeshift heating room that surrounds the job site. More often than not, the customer will end up being responsible for the cost of these heating areas, which can add up if the tuckpointing job is big.
To make sure that your home and your bricks are in the best condition possible, always keep an open eye. If you notice any signs of cracking, deterioration, crumbling, flaking, or full-on missing mortar, call your tuckpointing professional as soon as possible—don’t wait until the weather conditions are perfect. While summer is the best time to get a tuckpointing job done, it’s not worth waiting for if you see that you need work done in the winter. When you leave problems unfixed, they can grow and create substantially worse situations.
Luckily, the professionals at Chicago Tuckpointing Inc. are here to work with you to determine the best time to address any issues, whether it means doing so in the dead of winter or heat of summer. It’s always best to make minor repairs rather than waiting until it’s too late and a complete tear down is needed. Tear downs and rebuilds are costly, time consuming, and a huge hassle.
As summer moves into full swing, take advantage of the weather and get a professional inspection. This way, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy the season without having to worry about the state of your home. To get the best out of your tuckpointing experience, give the professionals at Chicago Tuckpointing Inc. a call today. All of our masonries have over 20 years of professional experience and know how to handle tuckpointing jobs in all weather conditions. We have the dedication and patience you need to create a seamless and beautiful product that will last throughout the years. To have your tuckpointing job done by someone you can trust, give us a call at (708) 942-1951.