Philadelphia is rich with historic buildings, from homes that are a century or more old to commercial structures of similar or even earlier vintage. Many of these buildings incorporate beautiful masonry to one extent or another, with quite a few still standing today being built using this particularly appealing approach. While properly installed masonry is one of the longest-lasting construction materials of all, it will inevitably start to wear and suffer damage as the years and decades take their toll. Masonry restoration services in Philadelphia, PA like Mara Restoration, however, can help solve any such problem, leaving buildings and other assets looking once again like new.
Most commonly, masonry starts to show the signs of age as pieces of the mortar that run between stones chip, crack, and drop away. While this kind of damage can remain of essentially cosmetic impact for quite some time, in many cases, it will eventually undermine the structural integrity of the masonry itself. Over time, decaying mortar can cause particular stones to loosen, and any kind of play or give that results can start to stress adjacent parts of a wall or other feature.
Even for structures that are equipped only with masonry veneers, this kind of damage can be dangerous. For those buildings that were built with masonry providing structural support, the stakes can be even higher. In every case, arranging for appropriate masonry restoration services in Philadelphia, PA as soon as such symptoms become evident will be advisable.
While the work that will be indicated will vary from one project to the next, the general outlines will tend to be similar. Experts will first assess all the masonry at a site, identifying those seams of mortar that remain in good shape and the ones that need attention. In the former case, a bit of quick cleaning or patching up might still be merited, but with little else normally needing to be done.
For masonry joints where significant degradation has set in, on the other hand, more in-depth attention will normally be required. By carefully removing the old mortar and replacing it with fresh material that blends in nicely, an expert can help a building’s masonry last through many years to come.
