Sandstone and Limestone were commonly used in historic architecture. The retention of their structure and aesthetics are essential for a proper restoration. Historic Brick Co offers stone repair and replacement solutions for architectural details such as stone facades, cornice, balustrades, stone windows, lintels and porticos. We can offer a number of stone repair options for damaged limestone and sandstone.

Our services include natural stone replacement; whole units of defective masonry are replaced. Stone indenting and dutchmen; also known as piecing in, is normally employed when the removal of whole units would affect the structural stability of the building. Stone surface repair; cosmetic stone repairs that are carried out to stone masonry that has suffered from superficial deterioration. Structural stone repair; repairs to cracks in stone walls, lintels or window sills that threaten the stability of a building. Cast stone replacement; reproduction and replacement of cast or real stone to match the original masonry.

Brick replacement constitutes the lions share of many masonry restoration projects. Whether the deterioration has been caused by natural weathering, or more likely, improper masonry repairs from previous masons. Including repointing with cement mortars, sandblasting, flashing deficiencies, drip edge erosion- the list goes on. Regardless of the cause the plan of action is usually the same, remove the deteriorated unit and replace it with an as close match as possible.

Our masons have the tools, knowledge and skill required to remove single bricks with no collateral damage, then from our extensive holdings of over 50,000 brick select a like match and reinstall it with matched mortar, and typically finished with tinting for a seamless repair.

One of the most economical ways to make a dramatic improvement in the appearance of your building facade is cleaning the masonry. Over the years of rain corrosion causes oxides to form on metal components, and leach into the masonry below. Furthermore an increasingly common occurrence, with highly acidic rain is the formation of salts when rain water comes into contact with lime mortar; calcium sulphates, calcium nitrates and many more, sometimes insoluble salts will be formed. Consistent moisture can also cause  biological growth sometimes an almost algae like film, other times thick moss.  One major cause of the dark appearance on historic masonry is atmospheric deposition; deposits of carbon from fuel burning which condense on the surface of masonry. This is especially prevalent in metropolitan areas.

We have a plethora of cleaners, tools, techniques and systems to remove many of these unsightly occurrences. From micro abrasive vapour blasting (not to be confused with sandblasting), steam cleaning and directed low pressure rinses combined with proprietary cleaners, we’ve got you covered.

In true restoration, matching masonry units is absolutely essential to a successful project. It’s one of the most common and most obvious hurdles when not addressed. Manufactures in the GTA had hundreds of variations of molded bricks that were then dispersed all over Southern Ontario. We have come across many houses in buildings with special bricks with detail ranging from dental to egg and dart.

We have run into this problem many times. Specialty masonry units have deteriorated beyond a point that can be repaired in-situ. We then have to remove a like unit in good condition, prepare it eliminating any flaws it may have. Then we a batch of moulding silicone and use our proprietary mix, tinted to match the true colour of the brick. After the brick is often tinted further to match the building patina.

There are many variations of historic stone foundations. Granite, raw fieldstone, split, faced, squared. Limestone, sometimes the ballast of ships from the old world, sometimes quarried locally or brought in from afar. Often these foundations were built by specialized skilled masons and sometimes, by the family settling the land.

As the years progress, water damage, the infiltration of roots and heaving by frost can cause many issues. We are specialized in the repair of historic foundations, from rebuilding with matching stone, repointing, waterproofing or underpinning.

Windows are the eyes of any building. Using incorrect windows for the period of the building can have dramatic aesthetic effects. More often than not the original wooden windows can be restored. This involves dissembling and stripping the windows, restoring the wood and weight system, sometimes even installing thermopane windows and weather stripping to bring the windows up to current standards.

We also offer a line of newly manufactured heritage windows that have all of the aesthetic qualities of a true heritage window, with modern tolerances and weather stripping. Offering a 30 year replacement warranty these wood and aluminum clad windows offer the look of historic windows with full piece of mind.