Brick, block, fieldstone and brownstone, restoration of what is there, and new work that matches it.
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Guide
Brick, Block & Stone Masonry: what to know
Stock photograph. Brick laid into a bed of fresh mortar. Not work by any
contractor listed on this site.
Connecticut has one of the oldest and most varied masonry stocks in the country: colonial fieldstone, Portland brownstone quarried in the Connecticut River valley, 19th-century mill brick, and post-war concrete block. Each behaves differently, and work that is right for one is wrong for another.
Typical work
Brick. Repointing, rebuilding piers and parapets, replacing spalled units with salvaged or matched brick, resetting sills and lintels.
Brownstone. Notoriously prone to delamination because it was often set with the bedding planes vertical rather than horizontal. Restoration means Dutchman repairs with matched stone or a compatible composite patch, not cement render, which traps moisture and accelerates the loss.
Fieldstone. Foundations, walls and steps laid in lime mortar. These walls need to breathe; repointing with a soft, compatible mortar is the repair, not sealing them.
Block and structural masonry. Piers, garage walls, foundation repairs, lintel replacement where a rusting steel lintel has expanded and lifted the brick above it.
Steps, stoops and porches. A very common Connecticut failure, because frost heaves anything founded above frost depth.
Matching matters
On an older Connecticut building, the visible test of a good mason is whether the repair disappears. Matching brick size, colour and texture, matching mortar colour and joint profile, and matching stone type and coursing are all part of the job, not extras. Ask to see photographs of previous work on buildings of a similar age and material.
FAQ
Common questions
My brownstone is flaking off in sheets. Can it be saved?
Often yes. Delamination is usually a bedding-plane problem rather than terminal decay. Repairs range from a composite patch to cutting out and setting a matched stone Dutchman. Cement render over the face is the one approach to avoid: it traps moisture behind it.
Why do my front steps keep cracking?
Almost always frost heave from a base that does not reach below frost depth, or water getting into the structure and freezing inside it. Rebuilding on a proper compacted base with drainage costs more up front and stops the cycle.
Can new masonry be matched to a 100-year-old wall?
To a large degree, yes, using salvaged units, matched new brick or stone, and a mortar mixed to the original colour and strength. Ask any Connecticut mason for photographs of previous matching work before you commit.
