Props for tackling the job on your own. The finished product looks much improved, and while you made some rookie mistakes, I've seen much, much worse. Here's a few pointers: 1) You'll be much more effective, and efficient, by simply troweling and packing the joints rather than slathering the entire surface with mortar. Save the "spread and wipe" technique for interior tilework. You'll waste less material, save time, and most importantly, avoid that nasty haze and staining all over your steps 2) Now that you DO have the haze, you may be able to remove it with a good pressure washing, but for bad mortar smears, a good muriatic acid cleaning may be required. Take care if the brick is particularly old (and/or soft), or the acid may do more harm than good 3) Wetting the brick and old joints was the right move, but never try to bond over standing water. Spraying or sponging before applying your mortar is fine, but I would never pour a bucket on a flat surface beforehand 4) While the new joints look pretty good, you missed a key opportunity to "finish the job" here. I see multiple bed (horizontal) and head (vertical) joints that are failed or failing. Next time you attempt something like this, go ahead and re-point those bad joints at the same you're repairing/re-laying your brick. Not only will the final product look much better (as the joints will be color matched), but it'll last longer as well. Nothing worse than taking all that time to re-do the top surface only to have it crack/sink/shift after a couple freeze/thaw cycles.
Thank you! Obviously I can tell you are a true professional. You started your letter with a kind statement. Using a spray bottle sounds like a great idea to keep the bricks wet, never thought of it but I’ll for sure be doing that next time. The hazed look was not something that I was thrilled about but I was glad it was consistent. There’s never a day that I can’t learn something new.I’ll be absolutely using some of your suggestions next time I find myself in a situation where somebody says hey can you fix my steps, Or one of 1 million other situations. Thanks again for your kind and well thought out response. In a world of RUclips haters and cyber bullies professionalism like yours really stands out.
@@livefree6878 In addition your energy is observed. But do not wet bricks...It will suck all the water out of the cement. Not what you are looking for. The Cement is the glue for the brick. This is why bricks are covered on job sites. we don't want them getting wet.
This was exactly what we needed! I had to convince my husband we could do it ourselves. Once we watched this, we were ready! Turned out perfect. Thank you!
Unless it’s a 100 degrees outside or arrid and windy you shouldn’t add so much water. Wetting brick is ok but saturating it allows all the pores to fill with water which reduces the bricks adhesion. It’s unable to suck water from the mortar and bond if it’s already full of water so the brick basically floats. It may also release the excess water into your joints which would cause them to bleed and stain your brick facing. Hope that helps!
I got to replace a few bricks on our front porch walkway; thus, need to break bricks. In any case, "thank you" for this video. Now, I feel I can move forward with my project confidently.
Thanks for the tips. Watching several brick/mortar videos to get a variety of insights. (I like to research.) Side note: One professional in all the comments actually took the time to be constructive and help. The other nimwits screaming 'don't watch' 'dude don't know', yada yada yada. Yet not a single video from any of them showing 'how it's done.' Anyone who doubts the toxicity of the internet....there it is.
Am doing my paver that way, it's in progress and will upload it soon. Using 1 part cement and 4 parts sand mix and dry fill the joints and hose it wet.
This gives me new hope for a project in a few weeks to help a friend out. This I can do. 3K for the contractor, this person cannot do. Thanks for posting this. (I'm gonna wear gloves!) 😁
Try a mason sponge for cleanup and a jointer for filling joints. Also you may want to break out old mortar from under the brick before fixing or It may not hold up. Great video though!
I have Literally never seen anyone lay brick like this. I have No idea what the point of covering the entire step with mortar is but I know It’s not right. All that will do is stain the brick and make it hazy.
I’ll explain the logic, the one step that I was repairing was for sure the most deteriorated. There was plenty of deterioration and wash out of the mortar in other places. In order to freshen everything up I re-pointed The entire set of steps. Although the steps may have been hazy after completion it was consistently hazy rather than having one step hazy and the rest of the steps clean.
I would suggest pressure washing the area first. Get the old dirt and algae or moss off first. Using a grout release will help from getting such a haze.
Fabulous video. Any negative feedback is from those that want to rip the ass out of your wallet for what is a pretty basic job. Who cares if it isn't the correct method, you gave it a go, shared your experience with a pretty good outcome. Well done mate!
Very helpful, but how do you return the brick to its natural shade (i.e. from 04:38 to 04:41)? Hosing it off didn't do it for me. What about muriatic acid?
Muriatic acid will clean the brick use a 4 parts water to 1 part muriatic acid. The repair will still be noticeable due to the mortar being new. If you want all the mortar to match you can use a screwdriver to rake out the joints slightly then tuck point new mortar in the joints for a uniform appearance.
Well…I’ll say this much, this is the first shown video when searching how to repair brick steps. The instructional video was top notch. I’d love to see a brick layer union be as effective. I loved all the tips and advise shared and the coordination of video and audio was great. The tempo is perfect for my retarded brain and the tonality variations tickled my adhd enough to keep me engaged. Not to mention how well it transferred emotions. There’s even some humility mixed in making it clear you’re human too and if one human can do it, so can others. All we need is a little confidence. And that’s exactly what I got.
Win you think of the money you’ll save by doing it yourself it’ll really make it worth your time. It doesn’t need to be perfect,As you work with it you’ll feel a lot more confident.
How much does this cost to hire someone do a row..? I just need a row repaired, i dunno if i wanna diy im terrible at this stuff. they keep telling me 4k..is ridiculous..
Had to Do an emergency brick step repair today 50 degrees so will take a while to dry…likely be back to winter cold here in cny sunday…i got residual all over otherwise mortar would turn to soup and never set in the cold…so am I screwed? Or just need a ton of lemon juice/vinegar come spring? Prefer not to use real strong acid
I made the newbie mistake of laying bricks over the fresh mortar bed without making sure the row of bricks were level with each other. What happens is the water would back up to a pool on the brick steps, even worse in winter when it turns to ice. I suggest getting a level to make sure the bricks don't slope inwards. It's gonna be a pain in the ass chiseling out the mortar bed when i redo it. Now i know why some people lay sand instead.
No, it wouldn't work. Silicone is more for stopping water from flowing through a gap, which isn't a problem on a brick walkway. Also silicone doesn't hold up well in direct sunlight or in areas with heavy wear.
I know very little about masonry but this video still made me go “Yikes!” 1. Put mortar on the brick edges before placing it. It’s like you made a sandwich by closing the bread and shoving ingredients into the side. You definitely got poor contact between bricks. 2. Mortar is caustic and causes chemical burns after prolonged contact. Don’t handle with your hands. 3. Why you felt the need to cover the whole surface in mortar only to create a very complicated clean-up process is beyond me. Your final bricks look ashy because there’s no way you can scrub the mortar out of every pore. Definitely an easy DIY, but these aren’t beginner mistakes. These are “I didn’t read the instructions” mistakes.
That was painful to watch. That mortar stained on the bricks will never come off. Congratulations on doing this job the worst possible way you could have
@@unvcht5046 your supposed to add mortar to each side that's appropriate and on the bottom like buttered toast hence the butter the brick. Then once it's had a little time to cure you use a striker a specific tool to scrape the mortar between the brick to make it nice and finished looking. This was a mortar mess.
Correct way- clean area, clean brick, lay brick in a bed of mortar and use a 2ft and a 4 ft level to check plum and level. Then you will repoint the brick using a brick pointing slicker. Wait for mortar to begin to dry and precede to brush with horsehair brush. In my 12 years of being a union Mason I have never seen someone Use there hands and literally spread the mortar all over the bricks. It’s crazy
Right?! The guy has a trowel and still just uses his hands for some reason. Even after all the “safety” talk, he just goes back in for another handful. And the spreading it all over! Talk about a massive waste of material and time. Sadly ppl won’t read these comments and do exactly what he is showing 😊
I agree on getting the old mortar off (I would have used a cold chisel). But I was expecting a tutorial on buttering a brick and laying it in and leveling it. I have never seen this done before. I think I'll pass.
How can you leave the bricks in such a state, then make a video about it? Watching you pointing those bricks was making me feel queasy, [2.02] similar to when you see an animal by the side of the road and hit by a car
Why you shouldn’t rely on YT to learn construction techniques. I hear it all the time when I’m working outside: “watch a YT video to learn…” And after you fix your bricks this way, you’re still going to need to pay me real money to fix it later. If you want to learn construction: forget YT and invest in real educational books on subjects of interest.
Sorry I hate being negative about videos but you should have watched a professional lay bricks and your work would have been much quicker and a better stronger job.
Actually as someone who works in the construction trades this stuff is all quite standardized, so no everyone doesn't do it different. There are industry standard methods for doing everything. I have not seen professional bricklayers do this.
dude smeared mortar all over the tops of the bricks with his hands. I get that he fixed the steps but that is not how you do it. his mortar is so wet I do not think the joints will hold up long. curious to see what they look like now to be honest..
For anyone thinking they can’t do it. This guy is undoubtedly a DIYer and NOT a professional. But, he got the job done and it looks good. You can too.
Props for tackling the job on your own. The finished product looks much improved, and while you made some rookie mistakes, I've seen much, much worse. Here's a few pointers:
1) You'll be much more effective, and efficient, by simply troweling and packing the joints rather than slathering the entire surface with mortar. Save the "spread and wipe" technique for interior tilework. You'll waste less material, save time, and most importantly, avoid that nasty haze and staining all over your steps
2) Now that you DO have the haze, you may be able to remove it with a good pressure washing, but for bad mortar smears, a good muriatic acid cleaning may be required. Take care if the brick is particularly old (and/or soft), or the acid may do more harm than good
3) Wetting the brick and old joints was the right move, but never try to bond over standing water. Spraying or sponging before applying your mortar is fine, but I would never pour a bucket on a flat surface beforehand
4) While the new joints look pretty good, you missed a key opportunity to "finish the job" here. I see multiple bed (horizontal) and head (vertical) joints that are failed or failing. Next time you attempt something like this, go ahead and re-point those bad joints at the same you're repairing/re-laying your brick. Not only will the final product look much better (as the joints will be color matched), but it'll last longer as well. Nothing worse than taking all that time to re-do the top surface only to have it crack/sink/shift after a couple freeze/thaw cycles.
Thank you! Obviously I can tell you are a true professional. You started your letter with a kind statement. Using a spray bottle sounds like a great idea to keep the bricks wet, never thought of it but I’ll for sure be doing that next time. The hazed look was not something that I was thrilled about but I was glad it was consistent. There’s never a day that I can’t learn something new.I’ll be absolutely using some of your suggestions next time I find myself in a situation where somebody says hey can you fix my steps, Or one of 1 million other situations. Thanks again for your kind and well thought out response. In a world of RUclips haters and cyber bullies professionalism like yours really stands out.
@@livefree6878 In addition your energy is observed. But do not wet bricks...It will suck all the water out of the cement. Not what you are looking for. The Cement is the glue for the brick. This is why bricks are covered on job sites. we don't want them getting wet.
Didn't fix my joints this way, but still ended up having lots of mortar that dried on my bricks. Any suggestions on how to remove the mortar?
Muriatic acid
To remove the haze use muriatic acid that is.
I was actually able to fix my front and back steps after watching this video a couple times, thank you so much!
This was exactly what we needed! I had to convince my husband we could do it ourselves. Once we watched this, we were ready! Turned out perfect. Thank you!
Fantastic description of job that always terrified me. The water wash with the brush was just great! Thanks.
Unless it’s a 100 degrees outside or arrid and windy you shouldn’t add so much water. Wetting brick is ok but saturating it allows all the pores to fill with water which reduces the bricks adhesion. It’s unable to suck water from the mortar and bond if it’s already full of water so the brick basically floats. It may also release the excess water into your joints which would cause them to bleed and stain your brick facing. Hope that helps!
Not only that , this is the laziest mason work I've ever witness in my life
@@PrescottShorts he wasn't being lazy. It's called purging. You have to know what your doing or it will look like child's work
the worst job i have ever seen
Looks excellent for the price😊
I got to replace a few bricks on our front porch walkway; thus, need to break bricks. In any case, "thank you" for this video. Now, I feel I can move forward with my project confidently.
Thanks for the tips. Watching several brick/mortar videos to get a variety of insights. (I like to research.)
Side note: One professional in all the comments actually took the time to be constructive and help. The other nimwits screaming 'don't watch' 'dude don't know', yada yada yada. Yet not a single video from any of them showing 'how it's done.' Anyone who doubts the toxicity of the internet....there it is.
You make it look
so easy for a complete novice. Very helpful thx
K! My 1st reaction to your vid is "hmmm! Nice!' Hope I can do this that well! Good job!😊
2:10 bro dont use your hands to fill up the joints. buy a simple flat jointer and it will be fine, theres no reason to do this mess
Thank you for transferring your confidence. You made a difference.
Use a mortar bag to fill the holes instead of smearing all of them, less messy, less time, less smearing
Am doing my paver that way, it's in progress and will upload it soon. Using 1 part cement and 4 parts sand mix and dry fill the joints and hose it wet.
Clearly presented to a guy who has never done brick laying! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed the video👍
This gives me new hope for a project in a few weeks to help a friend out. This I can do. 3K for the contractor, this person cannot do. Thanks for posting this. (I'm gonna wear gloves!)
😁
This is very helpful, thank you!
Great video, just what I needed. Thank you!
Try a mason sponge for cleanup and a jointer for filling joints. Also you may want to break out old mortar from under the brick before fixing or It may not hold up. Great video though!
I have Literally never seen anyone lay brick like this. I have No idea what the point of covering the entire step with mortar is but I know It’s not right. All that will do is stain the brick and make it hazy.
I’ll explain the logic, the one step that I was repairing was for sure the most deteriorated. There was plenty of deterioration and wash out of the mortar in other places. In order to freshen everything up I re-pointed The entire set of steps. Although the steps may have been hazy after completion it was consistently hazy rather than having one step hazy and the rest of the steps clean.
“Don’t use your hands.” *proceeds to use hands for entire video
I would suggest pressure washing the area first. Get the old dirt and algae or moss off first. Using a grout release will help from getting such a haze.
Never knew about wetting the bricks. That really helped. Thank you.
Fabulous video. Any negative feedback is from those that want to rip the ass out of your wallet for what is a pretty basic job. Who cares if it isn't the correct method, you gave it a go, shared your experience with a pretty good outcome. Well done mate!
Thank you brother! I'll be doing this project this summer 👍
Very helpful, but how do you return the brick to its natural shade (i.e. from 04:38 to 04:41)? Hosing it off didn't do it for me. What about muriatic acid?
Muriatic acid will clean the brick use a 4 parts water to 1 part muriatic acid. The repair will still be noticeable due to the mortar being new. If you want all the mortar to match you can use a screwdriver to rake out the joints slightly then tuck point new mortar in the joints for a uniform appearance.
It won't. It's a huge no no to saturate bricks with concrete. That haze is never coming out
Well…I’ll say this much, this is the first shown video when searching how to repair brick steps.
The instructional video was top notch. I’d love to see a brick layer union be as effective.
I loved all the tips and advise shared and the coordination of video and audio was great.
The tempo is perfect for my retarded brain and the tonality variations tickled my adhd enough to keep me engaged. Not to mention how well it transferred emotions.
There’s even some humility mixed in making it clear you’re human too and if one human can do it, so can others. All we need is a little confidence. And that’s exactly what I got.
Great video….! I’m just looking for a quick fix like this… how long does it take to dry/walk on?
Oh ok, I don't feel so intimidated now. I'm ready to do it. Thx
Win you think of the money you’ll save by doing it yourself it’ll really make it worth your time. It doesn’t need to be perfect,As you work with it you’ll feel a lot more confident.
Very Helpful! Thanks!
I appreciate your video. Thanks
Brilliant! Thank you!!😀
Nice job!!
Great Information
How much does this cost to hire someone do a row..? I just need a row repaired, i dunno if i wanna diy im terrible at this stuff. they keep telling me 4k..is ridiculous..
Thank you soooooooo much for this video! :). I can't wait to fix my steps!!!!!!!
Had to
Do an emergency brick step repair today 50 degrees so will take a while to dry…likely be back to winter cold here in cny sunday…i got residual all over otherwise mortar would turn to soup and never set in the cold…so am
I screwed? Or just need a ton of lemon juice/vinegar come spring? Prefer not to use real strong acid
very good and practical video.
I made the newbie mistake of laying bricks over the fresh mortar bed without making sure the row of bricks were level with each other. What happens is the water would back up to a pool on the brick steps, even worse in winter when it turns to ice. I suggest getting a level to make sure the bricks don't slope inwards. It's gonna be a pain in the ass chiseling out the mortar bed when i redo it. Now i know why some people lay sand instead.
Great instructional video. Thanks 👍🏻
Hoping this is easier and cheaper than the $3,000 bid I had to fix three 4' by 18' steps.
I got the same bid wth is wrong with these people? What did you do in the end?
great video!
Quick and concise!!!! Thanks for sharing
Great job
Great video!
Weird question.. can silicone sealant in the big tube be used to repair steps
No, it wouldn't work.
Silicone is more for stopping water from flowing through a gap, which isn't a problem on a brick walkway. Also silicone doesn't hold up well in direct sunlight or in areas with heavy wear.
@@rstous7691 thanks
Great explanation. Thanks!!!
I know very little about masonry but this video still made me go “Yikes!”
1. Put mortar on the brick edges before placing it. It’s like you made a sandwich by closing the bread and shoving ingredients into the side. You definitely got poor contact between bricks.
2. Mortar is caustic and causes chemical burns after prolonged contact. Don’t handle with your hands.
3. Why you felt the need to cover the whole surface in mortar only to create a very complicated clean-up process is beyond me. Your final bricks look ashy because there’s no way you can scrub the mortar out of every pore.
Definitely an easy DIY, but these aren’t beginner mistakes. These are “I didn’t read the instructions” mistakes.
Good tips. you have any videos?
What type of mortar did you use?
That was painful to watch. That mortar stained on the bricks will never come off. Congratulations on doing this job the worst possible way you could have
Muriatic acid. Do your homework
What if it’s going to rain the next few days?
Wide painters blue tape on each side of the joint (for a small job).
What the hell did I just watch? It’s called butter a brick up and then use a striker in the seems. And you won’t have dirty brick.
I don’t get it. Did this guy do it the wrong way?
@@unvcht5046 your supposed to add mortar to each side that's appropriate and on the bottom like buttered toast hence the butter the brick. Then once it's had a little time to cure you use a striker a specific tool to scrape the mortar between the brick to make it nice and finished looking.
This was a mortar mess.
@@bsnuff2002 is there a good video on this you can share the link sirn
I would butter the sides then place them.
Thanks
Thank you for this it is super helpful!!
Good job guys!
What kind of mortar is that???? I got a concrete mix with rocks 😔😔
That’s HLM3.5 the one you have is OPC
thanks for the help!
Try using a tuck pointer next time save wear and tear on your hands
thank you
thank you!
Big Help!
Thanks for posting.🤙🏼
also use Lemon Juice concentrate to get all the mortar stains off the brick
I am trying to repair my broken stone slab walkway using quickcrete.
I hope the project is turning out well.
I guess that's 1 way of doing it...
that wasn't just helpful, it was pretty informative haha
Don’t wet the bricks 🧱
Seems like it would be much easier and faster to just do it correctly.
Agreed
Really thought😂😂 I’m a mason and I’ve never seen anyone do that before omg.
Do what correctly. Do tell do tell
Correct way- clean area, clean brick, lay brick in a bed of mortar and use a 2ft and a 4 ft level to check plum and level. Then you will repoint the brick using a brick pointing slicker. Wait for mortar to begin to dry and precede to brush with horsehair brush. In my 12 years of being a union Mason I have never seen someone Use there hands and literally spread the mortar all over the bricks. It’s crazy
Right?! The guy has a trowel and still just uses his hands for some reason. Even after all the “safety” talk, he just goes back in for another handful.
And the spreading it all over! Talk about a massive waste of material and time. Sadly ppl won’t read these comments and do exactly what he is showing 😊
I agree on getting the old mortar off (I would have used a cold chisel). But I was expecting a tutorial on buttering a brick and laying it in and leveling it. I have never seen this done before. I think I'll pass.
A bad job in longterm, but hell, its the homeowner/landlord special
if you are going to use the hands, use rubber gloves, mortar is caustic to the skin, never touch mortar with bare skin
I love how the naysayers are alwAys quick to criticize. If you could do better, post your own video!
I will lol this is a way to do it but definitely not the right way they make 50 cent grout bags now but ig they are a little tricky to use
I concur, post your own vid. This clip helped me much
Who covers the whole top side in mortar? They look faded or dirty and no to mentions all the time wasted on excess clean up.
I like using cleaning gloves. They are durable but you can still get a good feel while you’re working. The fact they go past the wrist is a bonus too.
You would want to use a chisel to break off hardened mortar, not your mortar knife.
At least I now have seen a couple who washed my worry about staining brick with mortar. The stairs do not look so bad
never use your hand ....
Im not a mason but i was a laborer for one a long time ago and this is like 🤦🏼
Call
Solis Masonry
This is the future workers we have replacing the true tradesman. Sad to watch really
I wouldn't ruin a screwdriver by using it as a brick chisel.
How can you leave the bricks in such a state, then make a video about it?
Watching you pointing those bricks was making me feel queasy, [2.02] similar to when you see an animal by the side of the road and hit by a car
Why you shouldn’t rely on YT to learn construction techniques. I hear it all the time when I’m working outside: “watch a YT video to learn…” And after you fix your bricks this way, you’re still going to need to pay me real money to fix it later. If you want to learn construction: forget YT and invest in real educational books on subjects of interest.
awesome
Sorry I hate being negative about videos but you should have watched a professional lay bricks and your work would have been much quicker and a better stronger job.
Every one do it differently. If the final outcome is good, I found it helpful. Fine no need for criticism. That’s the bottom line.
Actually as someone who works in the construction trades this stuff is all quite standardized, so no everyone doesn't do it different. There are industry standard methods for doing everything. I have not seen professional bricklayers do this.
Bruhhh buy a set of small flat jointers and stop mushing that in
Ya thats easy! Wait what was step 254?
I have a technique, don’t use this info. 🤦🏻
This is very good info you clown
Explain what’s wrong here and how to correct it please.
I’ve never seen a bricklayer put so much mortar on tops like that. Finished product would have looked better with less mortar on them
I think this video would be very confusing to a lot of folks who have no experience with brick laying.
I can't believe my eyes.
They didn’t even want to spend $2 on gloves smh
1:50 Purchase a new brick. Why would you use a broken brick smh.
they are unlikely to match. the brick was just chipped. as a career mason, that was the only decision in the video i agreed with 😂
dude smeared mortar all over the tops of the bricks with his hands. I get that he fixed the steps but that is not how you do it. his mortar is so wet I do not think the joints will hold up long. curious to see what they look like now to be honest..
This is just a mess
If you want it done right hire a professional mason. This is typical homeowner diy. Good luck diy people. FYI mason for 47 yrs
What not to do!
Momma mia..
🤣😂🤣🤣😂
Diy vs diy
Wtf are u doin'?