Brick Replacement in Orland Park, IL

Emerald Masonry LLC provides brick replacement in Orland Park, IL. We cut out spalled, cracked and salt-damaged brick on homes built from the 1970s to the 2000s, set new or salvaged brick matched for size, colour and texture, and fix whatever soaked the brick in the first place. We're family-owned, licensed, bonded and insured, and based just up the road in Palos Heights. Call (708) 288-1696 for a free on-site assessment.

Search for brick replacement in Orland Park and you'll mostly find lead-generation directories quoting a generic average, plus at least one painting company suggesting you stain worn brick instead of replacing it. Staining has its place, but it doesn't fix brick that's coming apart. This page explains how to tell what your wall needs.

If the face of the brick is flaking off, no stain, paint or sealer will hold it on. The damaged brick comes out, and the water that ruined it gets stopped.

Replace, repair or stain: brick replacement in Orland Park starts with a diagnosis

| What your brick looks like | What it needs | |---|---| | Sound brick, faded or patchy colour | Staining may be right, after any mortar repairs | | Sound brick, worn or open mortar joints | Tuckpointing, not replacement | | Hairline crack through the mortar only | Brick repair: repoint the joint and watch it | | Face of the brick flaking, popping or crumbling | Brick replacement | | Crack running through the brick itself | Brick replacement, and find the cause of the crack | | Bricks broken by a car, snowblower or ladder | Brick replacement | | Many cracked bricks over a window or garage door | Lintel repair first, then replacement |

Most Orland Park homes need a mix. A few spalled bricks at the garage piers, some open joints on the weather side, and a cracked area over a window are a typical visit.

Signs you need brick replacement

• Spalling: the face of the brick has popped off, leaving rough, sandy brick behind.
• Flaking or powdering brick near the ground, around hose bibs or under downspouts.
• Cracks through the brick, not just through the mortar.
• Broken corners on garage piers and along the driveway.
• Loose brick you can move by hand.
• Old patches in grey mortar or the wrong brick that stand out on the front of the house.

Why Orland Park brick spalls: the usual causes

Brick spalls when it soaks up water and the water freezes. On Orland Park's suburban homes, the water usually comes from one of these:

• Lawn sprinklers spraying the same section of wall every summer evening.
• Downspouts emptying against the foundation and splashing the bottom courses.
• Salted snow shovelled or plowed against the brick beside the driveway and walk.
• Failed caulk and flashing around windows and doors letting water into the wall.
• Soft or under-fired brick in some builder blends, which absorbs more water than others.
• Paint or a sealer that has trapped moisture behind the face of the brick.

Replacing the brick without fixing the cause means replacing it again in a few winters. We point out the cause and include the fix in the scope.

Risks of waiting

Spalled brick soaks up more water than sound brick, so the damage speeds up each winter. Water that gets past the face reaches the ties and sheathing behind veneer walls and the steel lintels over openings. A dozen bricks this year can become a section of wall in a few years.

How we replace brick in Orland Park

1. Find the cause of the damage, and check the lintels, sills and flashing nearby.
2. Match the brick. We take a sample to find the nearest current blend, look for salvaged brick, or borrow original brick from a hidden spot for small areas.
3. Show you samples against the wall before any brick is set.
4. Cut out the damaged bricks without disturbing the ones around them, keeping ties and weep holes intact.
5. Set the new brick in mortar matched for colour and joint profile.
6. Fix the cause: redirect downspouts, reset sprinklers, recaulk or reflash.
7. Clean up and walk the work with you.

Materials we use

Matched face brick or salvaged brick; Type N mortar colour-matched to the existing joints; new ties where old ones have rusted; through-wall flashing and weep vents where they're missing; and sealant at window and door perimeters. We don't apply a film-forming sealer over brick that needs to dry.

What drives the cost of brick replacement in Orland Park

• Number of bricks and whether they're scattered or grouped.
• Matching difficulty: a current blend, salvaged brick or borrowed brick.
• Height and access: ground level, second storey or chimney.
• Hidden work behind the brick, such as a rusted lintel or missing flashing.
• Cause fixes such as downspout extensions, caulking or tuckpointing nearby joints.

We give a written, itemized estimate after a free on-site assessment.

Orland Park local context

Orland Park grew fast from the 1970s through the 2000s, so most of its homes are brick-front or full-brick ranches, raised ranches and two-storeys with builder brick blends that are often no longer made. Older homes near the Old Orland historic district are a different story, with softer brick and lime-based mortar. Large lots mean sprinkler systems, and wide driveways mean plenty of salt against the garage piers. Those two things cause most of the spalling we replace here.

If the mortar is the bigger issue, see our Orland Park tuckpointing and Orland Park brick repair pages. We also replace brick in New Lenox and repair brick in Homer Glen.

Why Orland Park homeowners call Emerald

Emerald Masonry LLC is a family-owned masonry contractor serving Chicago and the Chicagoland suburbs, led by career masons with decades of hands-on Chicagoland experience, in brick replacement and repair, tuckpointing and repointing, chimney repair, lintel and limestone sill repair, foundation masonry, caulking, sealing, and residential, commercial and historic masonry restoration. Free on-site assessments — call (708) 288-1696.

• Established 2024, led by career masons who do the work themselves.
• Licensed, bonded and insured; certificate of insurance on request.
• You see the match first. Sample bricks go against the wall before any are set.
• We fix the cause, not just the broken brick.

For more detail, read what causes brick to spall and salvaged brick sourcing and matching. Related services: brick replacement, brick repair, tuckpointing and masonry sealing.

Damaged brick in Orland Park? Call (708) 288-1696 or book a free on-site assessment.