The art of building stone, brick, and concrete buildings is called masonry, and it is one of the oldest crafts in human history. Masonry has helped us achieved numerous architectural marvels such as the Notre Dames or European castles.
However, these structures are not indestructible. As time goes by, signs of wear and tear will show up, and you will have to call masons to help renew the buildings. After the initial assessment, you will be often presented with two kinds of services: masonry repair and masonry restoration. In order to help you find the right service you need, here are the key differences between them.
Nature of masonry repair and restoration services
Masonry repair is all about repairing your buildings. Sometimes defects start showing up on your walls, and it’s the job of the masonry repair expert to assess and find ways to deal with these defects. Defects can range from small cracks on the wall, efflorescence, to serious spalling that could affect the structural integrity of the entire building. Masonry repair can only deal with issues that are still manageable. To fix the cracks on your wall, masonry repair experts will employ a wide range of techniques including caulking, concrete filling, sand filling, etc.
Meanwhile, masonry restoration is often employed when masonry repair is no longer possible, or when you want to preserve the original aesthetic of the building. It involves replacing a section of the building, or the entire structure itself, with the kind of brick or stone used in the original construction process, and, if possible, the same techniques as well. This will mean that your building, or at least a portion of it, will be given a total overhaul to make sure it looks as close to the original as possible. Restoration experts will sometimes change the mortar as well.
Time and price for masonry repair and restoration
Masonry repair will have varied time and price. Some cracks are easy to repair, so they should not cost you much. However, some extensive repair projects can become very pricey, and will take a lot of time to complete. It is generally helpful to talk to your contractors to determine precisely when the project will be finished, and how much it all will cost.
Masonry restoration is a very costly process, much more so than masonry repair. Contractors must first find the right kind of materials, which might be scarce, to begin with. Sometimes, it is even harder to locate craftsmen who can work with these materials using ages-old techniques, so you can expect this service to be costly and time-consuming at the same time. The result, however, will often be amazing and well worth the price.
The choice of whether to choose masonry repair or masonry restoration is ultimately left to the state of your building. If your building is damaged to the point that masonry repair is not possible, then masonry restoration is the only option. If not, then you should try to apply masonry repair as regular as possible to prevent the wall from being further damaged.
