How to Repair a Falling Wall on a Brick Home

Raking Bed Joints

• 1

  Use a carbide-tipped grout saw to scrape mortar from the horizontal bed joints down to a depth of at least 3/4 inch. Scrape mortar joints with widths greater than 1/2 inch to depths of at least twice the current width. For example, a 1-inch mortar joint requires a scraping depth of at least 2 inches. Repeat this step three times on connecting horizontal beds.

• 2

  Hold a five-in-one painter's tool in one hand and a claw hammer in the other, and chisel out vertical mortar joints connecting to the horizontal joints scraped in Step 1. Place the blade of the painter's tool firmly against the mortar, and tap the end of the tool with the hammer. Chisel vertical mortar joints to the same depth as horizontal joints. Repeat this step three times before returning to Step 1. Repeat these steps until all scraping/chiseling on all damaged mortar joints is complete.

• 3

  Remove mortar debris from the brick wall's surface using a stiff-bristled brush. Insert the tuck-pointing trowel into each scraped/chiseled joint. If the trowel blade doesn't fit in the joints, retrieve the grinding wheel, and reduce the height of the trowel blade by rubbing it against the grinding wheel. Retest the joints and grind as needed until the trowel blade can be inserted easily into each joint. Spray the brick wall with water, and soak the brick until water drips from the surface. Wait 24 hours before proceeding with the repair process.

Mixing Mortar Compound

• 4

  Combine 1 gallon of water with 60 pounds of type-S masonry mortar in a 2-gallon mixing bucket. Stir the mixture with a disposable stick until the mortar has a thick consistency. Test thickness by dipping the brick trowel into the mortar mix. Scoop a portion of the compound onto the trowel and upend the tool. If the mortar sticks to the tool, it has attained the proper consistency.

• 5

  Wait 15 minutes or until a thin layer of water appears at the top of the mortar mixture. Stir the water back into the mixture. The compound is now ready to use. One 60-pound bag of type-S mortar creates enough masonry mortar for 27 bricks. Mortar remains workable for eight hours.

• 6

  Add water to the compound if the mortar appears to harden before this eight-hour period ends. Stir in liquid until the mortar regains the proper thickness as identified in Step 2.

Fill in Joints

• 7

  Hold the brick trowel in one hand and the tuck-pointing trowel in the other. Scoop mortar from the bucket using the brick trowel. Hold the brick trowel even with the brick joint. Push mortar into the horizontal joint using the tuck-pointing trowel. Push the trowel blade into the joint until the tip touches the solid mortar. Repeat until mortar fills the joint. Remove mortar gaps in the joint by sliding the tuck-pointing trowel blade along the joint's edge. Repeat this step until mortar fills three connecting vertical joints. Repeat this step on three connecting horizontal joints. Alternate filling joints in this fashion until mortar fills all previously scraped/chiseled joints.

• 8

  Use the flat part of the tuck-pointing trowel to tap and smooth the mortar of each joint. Repeat Step 1 of Section 3 for any joint showing gaps in the mortar. Scrape excess mortar from the brick wall using the edge of the tuck-pointing trowel.

• 9

  Touch the mortar to determine whether the compound is firm. If it's firm, brush the brick's surface with a stiff-bristled brush. Direct the brush in a direction diagonal to the wall's joint lines. Repeat until no excess mortar remains on the brick surface. Cover the repaired wall with a tarp for at least three days.