Delta Masonry Tuckpointing
Reliable Masonry Work & Masonry Restoration Chicago
Masonry description
Masonry structures have been created for more than 6,000 years. Buildings created from masonry are incredibly strong and can be designed as basic functional structures resistant to penetration, earthquakes, and fires. They can withstand extremely high temperatures and direct fire exposure for up to 4 hours. In a fire, masonry will not burn, distort, or melt. Built on strong foundations, they are used for many manufacturing, distribution, and storage facilities. But masonry doesn’t stop there. Because structures can be built from materials other than basic concrete block and brick, more exotic materials such as granite, adobe, marble, stone, glass block and other materials can be incorporated into a masonry structure.
Masonry can be used to create some of the most beautiful and incomparable buildings ever made. Three examples of masonic architectural beauty are The Colosseum, The Taj Mahal, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
Masonry walls are often used in higher-end hotels and clad in a skin of drywall, stucco, or other aesthetically pleasing materials. They can withstand extremely high temperatures and direct fire exposure for up to 4 hours. Concrete masonry can confine a fire to a single room until firefighters arrive. Beyond their resistance to penetration, earthquake damage, and fires, they also provide an amazing sound barrier between rooms and from outside noises.
Masonry takes the larger materials identified above and binds them together with a cement-based material called mortar. Mortar is a building material that acts like a glue, binding these materials together. Mortar is made of cement, fine sand, water, and lime.
Care must be taken in the construction of masonry structures as factors such as the quality of the component and mortar materials, the design of the foundation, and workmanship can greatly influence the integrity of the structure. These are key reasons to use a qualified masonry contractor for all your masonry work, including masonry repair and masonry restoration.
Because of their many advantages over other building materials, homes and other structures build from concrete block or brick often receive tax breaks, lower permit fees, faster approvals, and lower insurance costs.
Masonry Gallery
Stability starts with the foundation
Like any structure, quality starts at the bottom. Working with other qualified structural engineers and contractors, Delta Masonry Tuckpointing can help you establish the best foundation for your building needs. Specifications, costs, and options will all be provided.
- The foundation needs to be level. Reinforced, poured concrete footers typically start the building process. Access points and other requirements are designed in to integrate plumbing, electrical, drainage, and other needs for the finished structure. The footer matrix typically extends to the full length and width of the planned structure.
- After this, the full foundation is poured. It is critical that this pour be nearly perfectly level. If not, the wall structures and the entire building lose a significant amount of their structural integrity.
- Guideposts that will be used to properly square and align blocks and bricks may be set into the concrete.
- If the walls are not level, the building is not stable. It cannot be overstated the importance of the foundation.
Wall materials – a double thick layer of bricks, blocks, or other materials will be significantly more stable and solid than a single layer. If you are considering a brick structure, there are three grades to choose from: severe weathering, medium weathering and no weathering. For an outdoor wall, you must choose either severe or medium weathering. No weathering bricks are strictly for interior use.
Delta Masonry Tuckpointing can provide you with design and material recommendations for interior and exterior brick walls.. We provide you with the more precise cost and material specification information, before beginning your masonry project.
Our materials and labor are guaranteed for “X” years.
Main Advantages of masonry
- Masonry materials are low maintenance
- Masonry, unlike wood, is insect resistant
- Mildew, rot, and mold are minimal compared with other building materials.
- The use of material such as bricks and stones can increase the thermal mass of a building.
- Masonry is a non-combustible product and can protect the building from fire.
- Masonry walls are more resistant to projectiles, such as debris from hurricanes or tornadoes.
- Masonry is a lower-cost construction method with many economic benefits including possible “green built” tax breaks, lower insurance costs, and faster permit approval.
- It is a great material for air-conditioned areas and acts as a very good sound barrier between units and from outside noises.
We hope this information has been helpful.
Now, it is time to call us for a complimentary on-site consultation. We are Chicago-based masonry contractors and have a lengthy, proven record of successful commercial and residential construction, masonry restoration, masonry repair, and other masonry services in the Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana areas.
Don’t wait. Call today and see how our quality and service stand above the rest.