Category Archives: Brick Repair

03
May
The Masonry Season Well Under Way!
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The Masonry Season Well Under Way!

Every year, the question we ask at Wilkens Masonry is: when can we get back to work!? The main barrier we face in the masonry repair and restoration industry is the weather. For larger jobs, we can avoid the cold and wet weather of the winter months by closing jobs in with a series of tarps and scaffolding and then install job site heaters. For smaller repair jobs, the cost would be too high. So, we find ourselves waking up in March and April, and checking the weather before we even have our first cup of coffee.

This year though, we’ve had a streak of good luck! The masonry season has begun and we are off and running. The weather turned in our favour at the beginning of April and we are finally able to get to all of our wonderful customers who have been waiting for Mother Nature to play ball! We are so happy to be back at it and can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and warmer.

What To Look For On My House

Now that the weather has stabilized, it is a good time to take a walk around your home and look for signs of brick, mortar and other forms of masonry deterioration. Look for discolourations that show where water has saturated the wall. Identify areas where the brick and mortar appear to be softer or seem to be flaking off. These are spots on the wall that are being effected by the weather and, while the cause of the deterioration needs to be addressed, reinforcing the masonry is a good idea.

Honesty And Ethics With Your Quote

The trades and restoration, with masonry as no exception, are home to all types of people and companies. When dealing with any company, you should always trust your feelings with the person who is trying to sell you on having them perform your work. There are many outfits that can do good work, but they aren’t always  a pleasure to deal with. At Wilkens, we aim to show you that honesty and ethics in the world of masonry are not forgotten concepts or simply a banner to add to your website’s homepage. These are two ideas that are at our very core and philosophy as a company. You can learn more about us here

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

 

08
Mar
Brick Repair Hamilton
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Brick Repair Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry wants everyone to know that we have expanded our services to Hamilton, Ontario and surrounding areas. Hamilton is a city that has been booming for quite some time now. It is filled with countless beautiful, old homes that often are in need of basic masonry repairs from tuckpointing, brick replacement, parging, chimney repairs and chimney rebuilds. So far, over the past couple of years, we have been more than pleased with the warm reception from the community of Hamilton. It never ceases to amaze us as to how generous and kind the people of this city are and we look forward to the decades of service will will offer.

What Part’s Of Hamilton Do We Serve?

Wilkens Masonry’s Hamilton office is in the Stinson area, however we service all parts of Hamilton. So far, most of our customers have been in the older part of the city (Rosedale, Corktown, Durand and Downtown Hamilton) as these areas generally have the oldest homes that have been putting up with rough Canadian weather for over 100 years. As the years go on, and the homes in Hamilton’s outer areas continue to age, we will be more than happy to help keep them in tip top shape!

Give Us A Call For A Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

13
Feb
Is It Too Cold For Masonry Repairs?
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Is It Too Cold For Masonry Repairs?

Many people in Toronto, Hamilton and the surrounding areas wait until the spring season has undoubtedly arrived to turn their attention to home repairs. However, living in southern Ontario means that we often have warm weather spells throughout the winter. If you have a small masonry repair such as a chimney repair, a few bricks to replace or some tuckpointing to be done, you may want to reach out to Wilkens Masonry and have the work done before the rush of the warmer months.

Does Temperature Matter?

For mortar to be mixed, you add water to a mixture of sand and masonry cement. If the temperature is below zero, it means that the water can freeze and the mortar will not be able to “cure” properly (this is the chemical process by which mortar and concrete become hard. Sometimes, in a pinch, you can add a liquid that speeds up the curing process and allows the mortar to be worked with at colder temperatures. However, this can alter the look of the mortar and make it harder to do aesthetic work. Speaking to the masonry estimator can help you determine what course of action to take and weather or not the brick replacement, tuckpointing, chimney repair, parging or other masonry repair needs to be done.

Are Masonry Companies Open Throughout The Winter?

While we cannot speak for the responsiveness of other Toronto and Hamilton based masonry restoration companies, Wilkens is open year round. We will come out and take a look at the work you may need done and provide an honest opinion on the importance and process of the project. If it’s too cold we will let you know and we will help find a solution to ensure you are well taken care of.

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens Masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

08
Feb
Homestars Hamilton
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Wilkens Masonry Is Now On Homestars Hamilton!

Wilkens Contracting Inc. has been built on quality and referrals since 1977. Most of our leads for masonry restoration, brick repair and replacement, tuckpointing and chimney repair has come from word of mouth and returning customers, throughout that time period. Now, with our recent expansion into the wonderful city of Hamilton, we are proud to be listed on Homestars. We are planning on a broadened relationship with the home renovations website Homestars as one of the ways that the good people of Hamilton, Burlington and the surrounding areas will find us and bring us out for a free estimate.

What Will Wilkens Masonry Be Offering In Hamilton?

Our services to the people of Hamilton will be all things masonry restoration! We want to give you a free estimate, at your convenience, for your brick restoration and repairs, your tuckpointing and repointing, your new masonry openings, your chimney repair and rebuilds and much more! Hamilton is a booming city that we are excited to grow with and serve.

How Does Homestars Work?

Homestars has a brilliant system for helping people find reliable, verified companies for their home renovation and repair needs. The first option, if you are seeking a trained masonry restoration specialist, you can go on Homestars and put out a general call for a reliable contractor. Homestars will send your posting to the companies in the designated area that fit your needs and give them the option to reach out to you.

The next way that you can use Homestars is as a directory for contractors who you can read about, vet and contact all on your own. Homestars has rated the companies based on a variety of categories to give you the control in choosing the contractor, such as Wilkens, for your project.

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! Watch our short video on Youtube. You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

 

 

21
Dec
Getting Ahead Of The Spring Masonry Rush
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Getting Ahead of the Spring Masonry Rush

It’s the holidays here in Ontario and it’s a time to be with family, eat lots of food and try and regenerate before the new year arrives. The last thing you want to think about is repairing your home. However, there is  a big plus side to having a look around your home now, and finding a company who can slot you in first thing in the spring for some masonry repairs such as tuckpointing or repointing, brick replacement and chimney restoration.

Slow Season

The winter time is the “slow season” for most masonry restoration companies. Mortar requires certain temperatures to cure (chemically harden) properly, so most companies hibernate throughout the winter. This is the time that a company, such as Wilkens Masonry, would be more than happy to come and give you a free estimate. We can outline work to be done the moment we have a warm spell and spring has sprung.

Why the Rush?

When spring begins, and almost everyone performs their home inspection to see what they need to get done, Wilkens will be flooded with calls and all of a sudden find ourselves with a six to eight week backlog of jobs to deliver. This is a great problem to have for us, however we all know that once the weather starts getting warmer, and the weekend plans start piling up, the necessary repairs to your home can get forgotten and lost in the shuffle. All of a sudden you find yourself at the end of the year again trying to find someone to squeeze you in.

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

23
Sep
Should I Get Masonry Work Done Before Winter?
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Should I Get Masonry Work Done Before Winter

For many home in Toronto and Hamilton. Masonry work can be unavoidable and needed as soon as possible. It can also be largely aesthetic and avoided until a convenient time arises to get it restored. We can help you out, at Wilkens Masonry, with both of those categories of repair. Before the winter time comes, you should get any masonry work done that may be exposed to rain and snow from the coming months. You should look for parts of your masonry that are in need of repair and could be made worse by another season of harsh weather. Sometimes it can be left alone for a while, sometimes it will get worse exponentially.

What To Look For

What to look for on the walls of your house are large cracks that usually step down the joints of the wall in a staircase pattern. These are called stress cracks and are usually straight through to the inside of your home. If there is direct exposure to weather at this part of your wall, water can find it’s way in and can cause more damage in the freeze and thaw. Another, very important part of your home to check is the chimney above the roof. If you see that the cap of the chimney has loose pieces or there are larger holes in the joints of the chimney ‘s main body, then you may want to get it tuckpointed or perhaps rebuilt. Chimneys are exposed to the harsh winds and weather of the winter and having the masonry be brand new or restored can be very important. Other than that, a good look around your home to identify any parging, brick repair or tuckpointing is a good idea before it get’s too cold!

Wilkens Masonry Is Now In Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry has officially set up shop in Hamilton, Ontario! We have been serving Toronto for 45 years and are excited to be in a new city where we can build our reputation as a full-service masonry restoration company. Get in touch for a free estimate to discuss your repointing, tuckpointing, parging, brick repair and chimney repair.

We are fully insured, our estimates are free and we can work closely with you or a hired general contractor to make sure that our quote will fit in with any blueprints or plans that may exist.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

 

22
Aug
Wilkens is Family Owned and Operated Since 1977
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The Beginning of Wilkens Masonry

Since the beginning, Wilkens Masonry has strived to be a company the people of Toronto, Hamilton and the surrounding areas can rely on. We have always been family owned and operated and have a vision for the future which includes the expansion of our quality services into more regions of Southwestern Ontario.

Family Owned and Operated

Our owner, Ernie Wilkens, has worked hard over the past decades to build a company his children could be proud to be a part of. Olivia Wilkens, Ernie’s daughter, is the office manager and oversees all administrative parts of Wilkens. Richard Harris, Ernie’s nephew, is our lead estimator. Jake Wilkens, Ernie’s son, is our head mason. The rest of our team, while not bearing our last name, is very much a part of the family!

What Can Wilkens Masonry Do For You

Wilkens Masonry is your one stop shop for chimney rebuild and restoration, fireplace restoration, tuckpointing or repointing and all forms of brick repair and restoration. We serve the Greater Toronto Area as well as Hamilton and Burlington.

We are fully insured, our estimates are free and we can work closely with you or a hired general contractor to make sure that our quote will fit in with any blueprints or plans that may exist.

Wilkens Masonry Is Now In Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry has officially set up shop in Hamilton, Ontario! We have been serving Toronto for 45 years and are excited to be in a new city where we can build our reputation as a full-service masonry restoration company. Get in touch for a free estimate to discuss your repointing, tuckpointing, parging, brick repair and chimney repair.

We are fully insured, our estimates are free and we can work closely with you or a hired general contractor to make sure that our quote will fit in with any blueprints or plans that may exist.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

31
Jul
Wilkens Masonry is now in Hamilton!
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Masonry in Hamilton compared to masonry in Toronto

Restoration masonry is both a uniform trade and an extremely varied endeavour. One of the main variables is that, from town to town, city to city, era to era, the masonry materials used in building homes can be very different. Hamilton and Toronto are very similar cities, so it is common to find the same materials had been used in the construction of the city’s original homes . Many of these homes date back to the late 1800s. Most of the bricks in Hamilton are the same as Toronto’s, standard Ontario-sized. The mortar colours found are also the same as well as the construction designs: stone foundations with brick construction on top. 

Making the leap from Toronto to Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry Contracting has been based out of Toronto since 1977. As we have grown as a company, it seemed logical to expand.  Hamilton has over 500,000 people and an extremely old selection of homes which will consistently require masonry restoration including brick replacement, repointing, parging, chimney repair/ rebuilds and much more. Attaining the appropriate materials is essentially as easy as it is in Toronto, and brick matches for almost any home can be found.

Wilkens Masonry is now in Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry has officially arrived in Hamilton! We have been serving Toronto for over 45 years and are excited to be in a new city where we can begin to build our reputation as a full-service masonry restoration company. Please get in touch soon for a free estimate to discuss your repointing, tuckpointing, parging, brick repair and chimney repair.

We are fully insured, our estimates are free and we can work closely with you or a hired general contractor to make sure that our quote will fit in with any blueprints or plans that may exist.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

01
Jul
I need professional brick repair in Toronto
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I need professional brick repair in Toronto

Giving your home a unique appeal, many will admire requires professional care and maintenance. Wilkens Contracting wants you to know that brick restoration can be an excellent way to extend the lifespan of your masonry, as well as ensure it looks its best, but it should always be performed by an experienced professional. If you need professional brick repair in Toronto, Wilkens Contracting is just a phone call away!

Safety

A brick restoration expert is trained to repair and restore your home’s masonry work in the safest way possible. When your bricks are cracking or crumbling, it can be a sign of structural damage that needs proper repairs. For this reason, it’s always best to hire a brick restoration professional who can inspect your masonry and determine whether your home’s structural integrity has been compromised.

Experience

Brick restoration work can be complicated; in most cases, a professional will need to scrape away existing mortar and install new mortar, as well as re-point damaged bricks. Performing this properly requires extensive, hands-on experience that only a seasoned professional has.

Expertise

The same way there are many different types of lumber, there are also many bricks that have been used over the years. Some bricks might have been composed of a different type of clay than others or fired at a lower temperature, meaning they’ll require an expert touch to avoid damaging them during the repair process. A reliable brick restoration expert can easily determine how old your existing brick structure is and the brick it was built with. Then, they develop a repair plan to meet your structure’s unique restoration requirements.

What exactly is a brick mason?

Brick masons work with brick, be it real, manufactured, solid or veneer. They are commonly referred to as “bricklayers.” The process takes care and attention because the lines are typically very uniform and don’t forgive mistakes. Common installations include chimneys and fireplaces, columns, walls and patios.

Finding professional brick repair for your home in Toronto is easy when you choose Wilkens Contracting. Click here to find our contact information or to speak with a representative.

 

 

 

 

 

10
Jun
Hire A Brick Repair Company In Toronto
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Hire A Brick Repair Company In Toronto

To perform professional brick repair, and have the results come out aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to the homeowner, we at Wilkens Contracting ensure only the highest quality of materials are used, using tried and true techniques, while paying attention to the smallest of details, all to facilitate seamless masonry work. If you are looking to hire a brick repair company in Toronto that can provide all of this and more for your home, then consider hiring our team of professional! To learn more about our services, and why you should choose our company for your brick-related needs, please continue to read below.

Match Your Material

By hiring Wilkens Contracting and our team of professionals, you aren’t just securing yourself over fifty years of experience in the industry, but you’ll gain access to our inventory stocked full of new and antique bricks that will match the aesthetic of your home. Colour, size, and texture all matter when choosing the material to achieve seamless brick repair in walls, chimneys, and the like. Our inventory doesn’t have what you’re looking for? No matter, we can provide brick and mortar tinting of our modern masonry materials to achieve the look you desire.

Knowledge Of Old

We not only bring decades of our experience to the table, but we use techniques and skills that have been developed through centuries of use. Masonry is an age-old profession, as Masons have been hired to construct buildings that far outlast the hands that build them. By using artistic, scientific, and architectural knowledge gathered through hundreds of years of developmental use, we have perfected our twenty-first-century services to provide aesthetically pleasing brick repair to the Greater Toronto Area.

Hire Our Services

From tuck pointing and brick restoration to chimney and fireplace repairs and rebuilds, our company can perform an array of masonry jobs that will have your home looking as good as new. If you notice your brickwork is Spalding, we can fix that problem in no time. Has your chimney or fireplace fallen into disrepair because of environmental damage or disuse? We can easily get the job done! Want to add a window or door to your brick wall? Give us a call!

So when you are looking to hire a brick repair company in Toronto, consider enlisting our help at Wilkens Contracting, as we have the expertise and the required tools for any masonry job in the area!

Please click here to find our contact information online, and inquire more about our services, or schedule a free estimate today!

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