Category Archives: tuck-pointing

03
May
The Masonry Season Well Under Way!
  • By SEO
  • Comments Off on The Masonry Season Well Under Way!

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.

 

23
Feb
Small Masonry Repairs Toronto And Hamilton
  • By SEO
  • Comments Off on Small Masonry Repairs Toronto And Hamilton

Small Masonry Repairs Toronto And Hamilton

There is no shortage of masonry restoration companies in Toronto and Hamilton. Masonry is an age old trade, people have been laying bricks as long as homes have been properly made. However, many companies seek larger, longer jobs to keep them busy for greater periods of time. It is a fair need as many companies have larger crews that they want to keep working. It is because of this that not every company though, unlike Wilkens, will perform small repairs.

Big Repairs vs Small Repairs

Many people are on the hunt for a masonry contractor that can help them with a quick fix. Not everyone has it within their budget to hire a company to do a full rebuild of a chimney, or replace hundreds of bricks. Not everyone has the luxury of restoring their masonry to its former glory. This means that small repairs are something sought after.

The nature of the industry, however, has lead to a relatively lazy approach. The truth  is that some contractors won’t even come and take a look when they hear that all you need is a few holes filled or a few bricks replaced. Wilkens Masonry is known as a leader in the small repairs part of masonry. Our trained masons can be in an out in a few hours and we can do it for a fair price that won’t break your budget. A few holes tuckpointed, some spalling bricks replaced, a small section of your foundation parged or your chimney repaired rather than fully rebuilt. For all of that and more, we are your guys.

For the record, though, while we are more than happy to come out for the small things, we will also come out for the bigger jobs too.

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 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.

 

21
Dec
Getting Ahead Of The Spring Masonry Rush
  • By SEO
  • Comments Off on Getting Ahead Of The Spring Masonry Rush

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.

30
Mar
Does Your Home Need Tuckpointing or Repointing?

Does Your Home Need Tuckpointing or Repointing?

Many houses in Canada have stood for more than a hundred years. Extreme weather from our cold and wet winters lead to the gradual degradation and erosion of the bricks and mortar that form the walls of those houses. The warm days and cold nights of late fall, winter, and early spring lead to water saturating your masonry, liquid during the daytime, and then expanding at night once the water freezes. This loosens the masonry, bringing about a need for repairs.

What is Tuckpointing or Repointing?

Tuckpointing is the industry name for what is more accurately known as re-pointing. It is the replacement of eroded or deteriorated mortar on your masonry walls. Using a pointed bag with a small hole cut on one end, you can apply fresh mortar (mixed to a smooth texture) to the joints found in between the bricks. Once the mortar has dried, the mason will carefully pack the mortar into the joint ,with a wooden dowel or metal jointing tool, and shape the joint to blend in with the rest of the wall. Once this is done, brushing the small, loose particles of mortar off the wall finishes off the process, leaving the mortar to completely cure which usually takes twenty four hours.

Why do You Need Tuckpointing?

Masonry walls are made up of brick and mortar. The mortar is softer than the bricks and generally is found to deteriorate more quickly than the bricks on your wall. When this happens, it is necessary to get work done on your home so that the damage doesn’t worsen and lead to potentially more work at a greater expense.

 

Blending the Old with the New

Wilkens Masonry specializes in tuckpointing and in blending the new mortar with the old. There are dozens of mortar colour tints available, and our trained masons have become Toronto’s best at finding the right colour and tint when tuckpointing walls. Part of the method involves finding a blend that starts off dark enough so that it will dry to the best match. As mortar dries, it usually lightens up, so there is a certain aspect of guesswork involved with achieving the final colour.

More Benefits

The obvious benefits for your home, once tuckpointing has taken place, are an overall aesthetic improvement, as well as prevention of further deterioration of the mortar and bricks, which can incur much higher costs. However, if there is enough damage to your walls, tuckpointing can actual help the energy efficiency of your home. Heat in the winter and cold in the summer can leak out through the tiny gaps in your masonry and lead to drafts and overall higher cost to maintain the temperatures we have all grown accustomed to.

Get Your Toronto Home Tuckpointed or Repointed

Call Wilkens Masonry at 416 425 8055 or request a free estimate online. We will respond right away and have someone evaluate your masonry needs with a no obligation quote.

 

18
Feb
Benefits of Tuck-pointing
  • By SEO
  • Comments Off on Benefits of Tuck-pointing

Benefits of Tuck-pointing

Brickwork when in peak condition looks beautiful and serves the structural function of keeping your home stable and safe. If the masonry falls into disrepair, many problems could be waiting for you with every crumbling mortar joint and broken brick. Tuck-pointing facilitated by our team at Wilkens Contracting will see your damaged mortar replaced with fresh mortar, bringing you many benefits in the process.

Stops Corrosion

The corrosion of your mortar joints and the overall decrease to the stability of your structure is stopped in its tracks when you obtain quality tuck-pointing from professionals. We will restore the overall quality of your brick structure, whether it is your home’s wall or chimney.

Prevents Water Damage

Maybe your home has already suffered from some water damage, and that is how you found out you needed brick repair in the first place. By calling Wilkens Contracting and letting us facilitate your tuck-pointing, we can prevent further damage to your home and to your wallet. Repairing the joints in your bricks, whether it is on your wall or maybe your chimney is simply home maintenance.

Financially Viable

Obtaining repairs on your brick walls or chimney when the damage first begins to become apparent will save you money in the long run. It is much more cost-effective to tuck-point brickwork before the destruction compounds. If you leave the repairs too late, it could result in a whole tear down and rebuild of the wall or chimney, generating a much more significant expense than a small restoration job would have cost.

On top of the savings from an extensive restoration job, you could be gaining money. When your home is in excellent condition, with top-notch masonry on display, the value of your house can improve. Whether you are looking to sell, or just appreciate a smaller hit to your wallet, tuck-pointing is a financially viable option of repair.

Contact Us

We offer a free masonry estimate to all of our potential clients. Just provide us with your contact information and what you are looking to have done, and one of our friendly and knowledgeable members of our team will get back to you promptly.

Contact us online, or visit our call 416-425-8055 for Wilkens Contracting today!

Request an Estimate

Customer Reviews

CLICK HERE TO VIEW>>

Service Area

WE SERVICE ALL AREAS OF:
-HAMILTON
-BURLINGTON
-OAKVILLE
-MISSISSAUGA

Click the image below to view our service area for Toronto:

TORONTO