How to fix a loose brick?
 

This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of loosening
adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place that it seems
like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a reasonable job.

--
Chris Green

How to fix a loose brick?
 

How to fix a loose brick?
 

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of loosening
adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place that it seems
like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a reasonable job.


You can get epoxy mortar..but frankly I'd use brick acid to clear the
mortar and redo it.

Car body filler. Remove some of the mortar to make a bit of room for it.
Used it many times when gate fixings have broken the mortar on brick piers.

How to fix a loose brick?
 

On 25 Sep 2006 10:36:37 GMT, wrote:

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place?

I would recommend the use of a foaming polyurethane glue for this. I've had
similar problems when restoring a rubbed brick arch where it was impossible
to "butter" the lime mortar onto the brick and get a good fit afterwards.

After much negotiation with the LBO we got permission to inject
polyurethane glue and this made an invisible repair. The advantage with PU
glue is that it is transparent, and that it reacts with moisture to set and
in the process begins to foam. This forces it into crevices and makes a
good bond.

You need to secure the brick while the glue sets and to make sure that you
don't use too much glue or the pressure of the foam will force the brick
out of position and cause glue to ooze onto the face of the brick.

You can remove excess glue while it is soft using acetone.

Suitable PU glue can be obtained from Screwfix at a reasonable price, sold
in 310ml cartridges.

How to fix a loose brick?
 

wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of loosening
adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place that it seems
like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a reasonable job.

--
Chris Green

Use clear (or any colour) silicone or Gripfill.

dg

How to fix a loose brick?
 

dg wrote:
wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of loosening
adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place that it seems
like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a reasonable job.

--
Chris Green

Use clear (or any colour) silicone or Gripfill.

Yep, I'd go for gripfill (normal green tube) used it to stick back some
copings I knocked off the garden wall with a mini digger while digging
some foundations.

dg

How to fix a loose brick?
 

On 25 Sep 2006 05:27:42 -0700, Staffbull wrote:

Yep, I'd go for gripfill (normal green tube) used it to stick back some
copings I knocked off the garden wall with a mini digger while digging
some foundations.

It doesn't work reliably, Gripfill does not adhere well in the presence of
moisture and it doesn't work well in the presence of dust or loose
surfaces. In short both Gripfill and silicone have the same limitations as
mortar and in the case of Gripfill one further drawback, the need to be
used on dry construction.

How to fix a loose brick?
 

Steve Firth wrote:
On 25 Sep 2006 05:27:42 -0700, Staffbull wrote:

Yep, I'd go for gripfill (normal green tube) used it to stick back some
copings I knocked off the garden wall with a mini digger while digging
some foundations.

It doesn't work reliably, Gripfill does not adhere well in the presence of
moisture and it doesn't work well in the presence of dust or loose
surfaces. In short both Gripfill and silicone have the same limitations as
mortar and in the case of Gripfill one further drawback, the need to be
used on dry construction.

None of these things will take where there's a layer of dust, but it's
usually pretty easy to work the dust in when you apply it. Body filler
would be my choice as it has a density more akin to mortar when it sets

How to fix a loose brick?
 

Stuart Noble wrote:
Steve Firth wrote:
On 25 Sep 2006 05:27:42 -0700, Staffbull wrote:

Yep, I'd go for gripfill (normal green tube) used it to stick back some
copings I knocked off the garden wall with a mini digger while digging
some foundations.

It doesn't work reliably, Gripfill does not adhere well in the presence of
moisture and it doesn't work well in the presence of dust or loose
surfaces. In short both Gripfill and silicone have the same limitations as
mortar and in the case of Gripfill one further drawback, the need to be
used on dry construction.

None of these things will take where there's a layer of dust, but it's
usually pretty easy to work the dust in when you apply it. Body filler
would be my choice as it has a density more akin to mortar when it sets

Thanks for *all* the replies, very useful. I'll be trying one or more
in a few days time.

--
Chris Green

How to fix a loose brick?
 

How to fix a loose brick?
 

On Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:13:35 GMT, "Phil L"
wrote:

wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of loosening
adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place that it seems
like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a reasonable job.

Use builders PVA, unibond or similar, apply neat to both (dust free)
surfaces and put the brick in place, wipe off any excess glue with a damp
rag, it'll never move again.


I knew someone would say to use PVA. Well I wouldnt use PVA for
bricklaying.

How to fix a loose brick?
 

marvelus wrote:
On Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:13:35 GMT, "Phil L"
wrote:

wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of
loosening adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place
that it seems like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a
reasonable job.

Use builders PVA, unibond or similar, apply neat to both (dust free)
surfaces and put the brick in place, wipe off any excess glue with a
damp rag, it'll never move again.


I knew someone would say to use PVA. Well I wouldnt use PVA for
bricklaying.

I PVA'd the corner of a coping stone back on after I'd hit it with a
wheelbarrow, I didn't expect it to work but it still there now, despite
being on a corner and getting more wear and tear than other masonry in the
wall.
This was in 1983 BTW

How to fix a loose brick?
 

Phil L wrote:
marvelus wrote:
On Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:13:35 GMT, "Phil L"
wrote:

wrote:
This may sound a rather silly question but still....

I have built a little structure to enclose a pond filter, pumps etc.
It's of straightforward brick and cement construction.

One of the top corner bricks has come loose (as a result of using an
SDS drill). Is there any glue or similar that I can use to fix it
back in place? I know I could chip the cement away and re-cement it
but that seems a bit laborious and there is also the risk of
loosening adjacent bricks. It's such a perfect fit in its place
that it seems like some sort of fairly weak glue would do a
reasonable job.
Use builders PVA, unibond or similar, apply neat to both (dust free)
surfaces and put the brick in place, wipe off any excess glue with a
damp rag, it'll never move again.

I knew someone would say to use PVA. Well I wouldnt use PVA for
bricklaying.

I PVA'd the corner of a coping stone back on after I'd hit it with a
wheelbarrow, I didn't expect it to work but it still there now, despite
being on a corner and getting more wear and tear than other masonry in the
wall.
This was in 1983 BTW


Yup. Funny stuff is PBVA. I had some scree laid pretty badly, and a
join between tow days cracked, and sounded 'hollow' on one section..and
moved under pressure.

I poured half a gallon of PVA into the crack, and a week later it was as
solid as a rock.