What makes heritage brick different from modern brick?

Heritage brick is softer and more porous than modern brick. It was designed to work with lime-based mortar that lets moisture move through the wall and escape. Modern brick is denser and uses harder cement mortar. Using modern materials on old brick traps moisture and damages the brick.

How do I know if my home has soft brick?

Look for powdery brick faces, frequent spalling, variable brick sizes, or mortar that looks harder than the brick itself. Homes built before the early 1900s almost always have soft brick. A mason can confirm before any repointing starts.

Why does Portland cement mortar damage historic brick?

Portland cement is harder and less breathable than the brick it's attached to. Moisture gets trapped, freezes, expands, and the pressure has nowhere to go—so it blows the face off the brick. The mortar survives while the brick dies.

Lime mortar is the traditional binder used in historic masonry. It's softer and more breathable than cement, which lets walls manage moisture and allows the mortar to wear before the brick does. That's by design—mortar is cheaper to replace than brick.

Can you repoint heritage brick without damaging it?

Yes, but technique matters. Proper heritage repointing uses hand tools or careful grinding to avoid chipping brick edges, matches the original joint profile, and uses compatible mortar. Ask your contractor how they plan to protect the brick during removal.

Do I need permits for brick repairs on a heritage home?

It depends. Some designated properties and heritage districts require approval for exterior changes. Check with your municipality before starting work—a heritage-aware contractor can help you navigate this.

Heritage Brick Restoration Guide for Ontario Homeowners

A homeowner in Hamilton called us about their 1890s farmhouse. A contractor had repointed the entire facade two years earlier. The mortar looked perfect—clean, uniform, solid. But the brick faces were flaking off in sheets.

The contractor had used Portland cement mortar. On soft heritage brick, that's a death sentence.

This is the most common mistake we see on century homes: repairs that look professional but use the wrong materials. The mortar survives. The brick—the expensive, irreplaceable part—dies.

"As we gradually restore our 141-year-old brick home in Hamilton, we've called on Fix My Brick three times to help with some of the work. They've done excellent work every time." — Paul W.

This guide explains what makes heritage brick different, how to spot bad repairs, and what proper restoration looks like.

Why Heritage Brick Is Different

Historic Ontario buildings were built as a system. The brick, the mortar, and the wall design all work together to handle moisture.

The brick absorbs and releases water. Older brick is softer and more porous than modern brick. It's designed to let moisture move through it, not seal it out.

The mortar is intentionally weaker than the brick. Traditional lime mortar is the "sacrificial" part of the system—it wears first, so the brick doesn't have to. When the mortar fails, you repoint. When the brick fails, you're looking at expensive replacement.

The wall breathes. Heritage walls weren't built to be watertight. They were built to dry out. Sealing them with modern materials traps moisture inside.

This system is why many heritage walls last 150+ years. It's also why modern "upgrades" cause faster deterioration.

Soft Brick vs Modern Brick

Not all brick behaves the same. Here's how to tell what you're dealing with:

Signs of soft brick (common in pre-1920s homes):

Powdery or sandy brick surfaces
Frequent spalling, especially near mortar joints
Variable brick sizes and colours
Repairs that look fine at first but fail again within a few years

Signs of modern brick:

Consistent size, shape, and colour
Hard, dense faces
Paired with grey cement mortar without spalling

If you're unsure, get an assessment before anyone repoints. The wrong mortar on soft brick causes damage that can't be undone.

The Portland Cement Problem

This is the single most important thing heritage homeowners need to understand: historic brick repair is a compatibility problem, not a strength problem.

Modern Portland cement mortar is harder and less breathable than the brick it's attached to. Here's what happens:

Moisture enters the wall (rain, condensation, ground contact)
The mortar blocks it from escaping (cement is less permeable than soft brick)
Water gets trapped behind the brick face
Freeze-thaw cycles blow the face off (water expands 9% when it freezes)
The mortar stays intact while the brick crumbles

We've seen this pattern hundreds of times. Homeowners call because their brick is "suddenly" falling apart—but when we look closer, there's usually a cement repoint job from 5-10 years earlier.

"Fix My Brick replaced spalling brick on my 120 year old house. I was worried about how the new brick would match with the existing, but Ryan did a great job of it." — Brad C.

The mortar types guide explains why different mortars behave differently—it matters here.

Signs Your Repairs Used Incompatible Materials

If your home has been repointed before, look for these red flags:

Hard, smooth mortar with crumbling brick beside it. The mortar is fine. The brick is dying. That's backwards—mortar should fail first.

Spalling that started or accelerated after repointing. If your brick was stable for decades, then started falling apart after repairs, the repairs are likely the problem.

Sealed or painted brick that stays damp. Waterproof coatings trap moisture inside the wall. You might see damp patches, efflorescence (white mineral deposits), or mould on interior walls.

Repeated failures in the same area. If the same section keeps needing patches, something fundamental is wrong—usually material compatibility.

What Proper Heritage Restoration Includes

Heritage restoration is a plan, not a patch. A proper scope includes:

Brick assessment. What's salvageable? What needs replacement? How far has the damage spread?

Mortar compatibility analysis. What type of mortar is appropriate? Heritage work uses lime-based mortars—softer and more breathable than cement.

Joint profile matching. The "joint profile" is the shape and finish of the mortar line between bricks. Flush, concave, struck, weathered—it affects both appearance and water shedding. Your repairs should match what's already there.

Careful removal. Removing old mortar without chipping brick edges requires hand tools or careful grinding. Power tools in careless hands destroy brick.

Moisture source identification. Why is the wall getting wet? Leaking gutters, grade issues, failed flashing—fix the water problem or the repairs won't last.

Colour matching. Mortar colour comes from the sand, lime, and pigments used. Getting a close match on visible areas requires sample testing. See mortar matching services for how this works.

"Was particularly impressed with how seamless the repair looks when considering the original surrounding brick work is over 100 years old." — Steve D.

For more detail: heritage masonry restoration services.

How Urgent Is Your Situation?

Now that you understand what you're looking at:

Book an Assessment Now (Safety Risk)

Loose bricks or pieces falling off, especially above walkways or entrances
Bulging or leaning sections, widening cracks, or visible movement
Rapid spalling that started after recent repointing (compatibility emergency)

Address This Season

Crumbling or missing mortar across multiple areas
Localized spalling that's spreading
Damp staining or efflorescence paired with mortar breakdown

Monitor and Plan

Hairline mortar cracks that haven't changed
Cosmetic staining without material loss (but investigate the moisture source)
Minor wear on non-structural areas

Heritage Permits: What You Need to Know

Some Ontario properties are designated under the Heritage Act or located in heritage conservation districts. That can affect what approvals you need for exterior work.

The basics:

Designated properties may require a heritage permit for visible changes
Requirements vary by municipality—Toronto, Hamilton, and Niagara have different processes
Small repairs using matching materials are often straightforward
Changes that alter appearance face more scrutiny

What to do:

Check if your property is designated (your municipality can tell you)
Ask your contractor about permit requirements before signing anything
Document existing conditions with photos—you may need them for approvals

A heritage-aware contractor can help you navigate this. We work with designated properties regularly and know what documentation reviewers want to see.

What Happens If You Wait

Heritage walls don't collapse overnight, but the scope grows when compatibility and moisture problems go untreated:

Year 1-3: Mortar loss lets water into the wall. You might notice damp spots inside or recurring efflorescence outside.

Year 3-7: Repeated freeze-thaw cycles start claiming brick faces. Spalling accelerates. What started as a repointing job now includes brick replacement.

Year 7-15: Damage spreads. Replacement becomes more visible because you're matching larger areas. Costs increase significantly.

Beyond: Localized movement or structural concerns. Major rebuild scope.

The sooner you address compatibility, the more original brick you save.

How to Choose a Heritage Mason

Not every masonry contractor understands heritage work. Here's what to look for:

They explain mortar compatibility. If they can't tell you why lime mortar matters on soft brick, they don't understand the problem.

They show similar work. Ask for photos of heritage projects. Look for clean joints, matching brick, invisible repairs.

"We were skeptical for a franchise company rebuilding our 140 year old Victorian chimneys and putting them back to their original design. We are ecstatic over the job... custom cut and fit a lot of bricks to match the design." — Chris G.

They discuss joint profiles. The shape of the mortar joint affects both appearance and water management. A good contractor will ask what profile you want and explain the trade-offs.

They protect brick during removal. Ask how they remove old mortar. "We use grinders" without further explanation is a red flag. Heritage work requires care.

They understand permits. If your property might be designated, they should ask about it and know how to help with documentation.

Get Your Heritage Brick Assessed

If you own a century home and you're seeing mortar loss, spalling, or signs of incompatible past repairs, get an assessment before the scope grows.

We'll look at your brick condition, evaluate past repairs, identify moisture sources, and give you straight answers about what's needed—whether that's targeted repointing, brick replacement, or just monitoring.

"Our house is over a century old and the crew took care to make the necessary repairs match the existing brick and worked fast to complete the job." — Murray M.

Book an Assessment or call (905) 807-0404.