Grand Rapids has a remarkable inventory of historic brick buildings — early 20th-century commercial storefronts, Victorian-era homes in Heritage Hill and adjacent neighborhoods, mid-century industrial buildings, and residential brick from various eras throughout the city. These buildings represent significant architectural character, and many of them have brick that is showing the effects of decades of Michigan weather, deferred maintenance, or previous repairs done with incompatible materials.
Brick restoration goes beyond simple spot repair. It's a comprehensive approach to returning a deteriorated brick building to sound structural and aesthetic condition — typically involving cleaning to remove decades of accumulated staining and biological growth, assessment and repair of structural issues, and systematic repointing of mortar joints throughout the affected areas. The distinction from basic maintenance is that restoration addresses the building as a whole rather than individual problem spots.
One of the most important considerations in brick restoration on older buildings is material compatibility. Bricks produced before mid-20th century are generally softer than modern brick, and the original mortar used was lime-based rather than Portland cement-based. When modern hard-set Portland cement mortar is used to repoint historic brick, the mortar becomes harder than the brick itself. Moisture that would otherwise migrate through the joint instead is forced through the brick face, causing spalling and damage that didn't exist before the repair. We use lime-based or appropriately low-strength mortars on vintage brick for this reason.
Cleaning is often an important component of restoration work, but it must be done with appropriate methods for the age and type of brick. Aggressive cleaning methods that work well on modern brick can damage softer vintage brick. We assess the appropriate cleaning approach based on the specific building and staining conditions, using gentler methods that achieve good results without damaging the substrate.
