First of all, it is necessary to understand the nature and variety of defects that cause the destruction of the finishing layer.

Cracks are considered the most common defect. However, shootings are no less a serious problem. They can be caused both by a violation of the construction technology and by the low quality of the material itself.

Shooting and methods of dealing with them

Shots ("dutikami") are called small craters and holes on the surface of the brick, in the center of which there are often small granules of quicklime. They are mistakenly called chips, but this is a wrong term, since the chips are of mechanical origin, and the shots appear as a result of poor-quality grinding of raw materials.

The brick making process involves grinding the clay mass. Often, it contains particles of lime, which, with poor grinding, end up in finished product... When water gets in from the solution, precipitation or when it thaws after frost, quicklime reacts with it, and the carbon dioxide released in the process causes the material to be ejected. This leads to the fact that the surface loses its attractive appearance... A large number of such granules in the structure can cause destruction of the entire facing layer. Shooting usually occurs after the first winter.

There are several ways to solve this problem:

• treatment with hydrophobic materials;
• repair by filling defects;
• varnishing;
• laying of the facing layer from scratch.

Since the reason for the shootings is the low quality of the material, when choosing a facing brick, it is necessary to carefully inspect it for the presence of lumps of lime, as well as familiarize yourself with the documents confirming that the products comply with GOST 530-2012.

Cracks

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the formation of cracks in the facing brick indicates a violation of technology construction works... Usually, their appearance is caused by deformation of the base of the house, when the foundation is subjected to loads exceeding the permissible values.

In general, there are quite a few reasons for the formation of cracks, so they need to be clarified on the basis of a specific case. For example, one of them may be the laying of engineering communications by digging a trench under the base of an already erected structure. This leads to sagging of a part of the foundation and a decrease in its strength, and the resulting deflection in this case can cause destructive stresses in the wall.

Cracks in facing brick: causes of formation

The appearance of thin, so-called filamentous or hairline cracks in the facing brick is most likely caused by the uneven natural shrinkage of the house. There is no reason for serious worries, but it is worth playing it safe - to install beacons and start watching the progress. If they are absent, then the defects can be painted over, repaired and forgotten about.

In the case when the opening of cracks increases, the reason for this is more likely to lie in the foundation, and when it is arranged without preliminary design calculations, there is no need to doubt this.

The main mistakes in construction that lead to the formation of cracks in facing bricks are:

• the wrong choice of the type of foundation;
• insufficient width and shallow depth of the foundation;
• poor-quality or untimely performance of waterproofing of the foundation;
• insufficient compaction or absence sand pillow under the foundation;
• lack of deep drainage in the construction of houses with basements;
• arrangement basement without appropriate reinforcing structures;
• wrong device or lack of a stormwater system.

To get rid of cracks on the surface of facing bricks, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of their formation. Only after that you can proceed directly to the elimination of the cracks.

Crack elimination methods

On practice facing brick most often cracks above and below doorways and windows, as well as in the corners of houses. However, regardless of where the cracks are located, their opening should be measured before repairs. For repair use cement-sand mortar, mixed in a ratio of 1: 2, and polyurethane foam... Its technology directly depends on the size of the defect:

• 1-5 mm - the edges of the crack are gently knocked down with a hammer or slightly trimmed with a grinder equipped with a concrete disc. Using a spatula, the gap is cleaned of sand particles and dust, and then moistened, for example, with a household spray. After that, carefully fill the gap with the solution as deep as possible.
• 5-12 mm - they also knock down and cut the edges of the gap, remove debris and dust, slightly moisten the cavity with water and fill it with polyurethane foam. After solidification, the protruding sections of the foam are removed, the gap is carefully closed with a solution.
• 12 mm or more - provided that the causes of their formation are eliminated, repairs similar to the described methods are performed, and then additional tightening elements are installed, which can be made independently. Before their installation, grooves are prepared, in depth and width corresponding to the thickness and width of the steel strip, and holes are made along its edges for the subsequent fastening of the element to the wall with anchor bolts. After installing the tightening plates, the grooves and cracks are filled with mortar and the wall is leveled.

In order to effectively eliminate cracks in facing bricks and prevent the formation of new defects, it is necessary to determine the causes of this phenomenon as accurately as possible. As warning and preventive measures it is recommended not to save on design and technical documentation, as well as to eliminate even minor errors that can affect the reliability and strength of building structures.

Good day! The house is 2 years from the date of construction.

Foundation:
Reinforced monolithic tape (3 rows of 3 rods of 14 reinforcement, vertical rods every 1.5 meters) laid to a depth of 1.5 m, tape width 50 cm. drains are diverted several meters from the house). No vertical waterproofing was done. There is no drainage due to the complexity of the organization and the inability to drain water (a house within the city, dense buildings).
The foundation was laid on the site of the old house with the complete removal of the previous foundation (there was a shallow tape), there were no cellars. There was a toilet 2.5 meters deep - it was filled up and tamped down, it was located at the northeastern corner of the present house.

Soil: 20-50 cm fertile layer, then 3-5 meters saturated with water loam and clay. The peculiarity of the soil is that due to poor water permeability, loams are saturated with water for most of the year. Mirror of water in a well is from 20-50 cm in spring, up to 2.5-3 meters at the end of dry summer. In "normal" weather - 1.5 meters from the ground level. The plot after the construction of the house is raised by about 50 cm to the level of the neighbors.

Plinth: 4 rows of hollow silicate bricks. Horizontal waterproofing was made between the tape and the plinth and between the plinth and the bearing walls (two layers of roofing material).

Walls - "well" masonry. The main walls are made of autoclaved gas silicate D600, then 5 cm of insulation (penoplex), a minimum ventilation gap, then a facade in half a silicate brick. The connection between the wall and the cladding is solid welded mesh 1.5 mm every three rows of gas silicate. Walls, insulation, cladding are fully supported by the base.

House on two floors. Armo-belts were made between the first and second floors and between the second floor and the roof.

The lintels above the windows and openings for the main walls are made of factory reinforced concrete lintels (lintels are 50-60 cm wider than the openings, the support points are reinforced silicate brick). The lintels on the cladding are made using a metal corner with a width of 10x10 with a thickness of 1 cm, the corners are also wider than the openings by 50-60 cm.

Noticed a crack underneath wide window on the east side of the house. The crack extends from the window through 4 rows of bricks vertically, then shifts slightly to the veranda (3 more rows), closes before reaching the base of 3 rows (see fig, crack under the widest window and its direction is shown in red). It is noticeable that it opens slightly from above (up to 1 mm).

Immediately after construction, a similar crack appeared under more narrow window on the south side (see fig) - it also passes through several rows. However, the crack on the south side looks more like an expansion joint - when the wall heats up, it completely closes, and in cold weather it is slightly open (~ 1 mm).

A new crack under a wide window is not like a crack under a narrow window. The main difference is that it has a distinct disclosure. I have been observing the crack for several days and so far I have noticed only the dynamics of its increase. Lighthouses are tearing. It does not depend on the air temperature. I examined the base with inside- noticed hairline cracks on the bricks approximately in the area of ​​the crack under the window. There are no cracks on the foundation.

Please tell me whether to worry or not? What can be done to determine the cause of the crack and fix it ...

The reasons leading to the appearance of cracks on brick houses, a huge variety. This is unforeseen seismic activity, and mechanical damage, and mistakes made during construction. For example, cracks can occur due to incorrect strapping of brickwork. load-bearing walls at home. What to do if the wall crack brick house already appeared? In any case, the house will need both superficial, cosmetic and thorough repairs to eliminate the causes of damage if they appeared due to a violation of construction technology. If the base and walls of the house are not strengthened in time, then one small gap can provoke a distortion supporting structure and permanent deformation of the house.

Causes of wall damage

There are several main reasons for which a gap may appear in the wall.:

1. Regular natural draft at home for more than 1-2 years ( great importance has a choice of a foundation that can be erected on a specific type of soil) and natural shifts.
2. Subsidence and further cracking of the foundation due to regular erosion groundwater or a poorly distributed load that skews by one point.
3. Freezing of the foundation and further destruction after the next change in temperature.
4. Heavy load on brickwork... Under such circumstances, cracks appear not only on the walls, but also on the pillars. Salient feature cracks that have appeared due to excessive pressure - vertical direction and closedness.
5. Violation of the pouring technology at the stage of building the foundation of the house, poor-quality materials and their incomplete drying.

Cracking

Strengthening the foundation

Serious structural integrity issues involve a total foundation overhaul:

Strengthening the foundation of the house

• First of all, along the wall with a crack to the level of the base horizon, you need to make a deep trench. The width of the trench should not be greater than the thickness of the foundation.
• After that, the crack needs to be slightly widened, cleaned of weakly fortified stones and cement that adheres them.
• The extended and cleaned section is drilled for the reinforcement horizontally and vertically. Reinforcement rods needed suitable size weave with anchors and fix them by welding. The distance between the rods depends on how wide the crack needs to be repaired.... This reinforcement is made as a further connection with the skeleton of the new reinforcing base.
• Now you can make the formwork and pour concrete into it. In order to prevent new cracks, all work with the base is carried out only after it dries.... You can also sprinkle it with water occasionally so that it hardens evenly.

The solution will dry for a very long time - at least a month, only after this time you can tamp the site and make a blind area.

These measures will stop the destruction of the walls and only after they have been carried out, you can proceed to the direct elimination of defects.

Elimination of defects

Reconstruction of a brick wall

After strengthening the foundation, cosmetic cracks are repaired in brick walls ... In order to make sure that new cracks are no longer expected, it is worth sticking pieces of paper in places of damage and monitoring their integrity. If the piece of paper does not break, you can start restoring them.

Small, shallow cracks can be repaired with a cement mortar by first cleaning their edges and knocking unstable pieces of material and bonding mortar off them with a hammer. To make the adhesion with the new solution more durable, it is worth moistening the edges of the gap with water... The middle gaps should be sealed with a mixture of sand and cement (ratio 3: 1).

Sealing large cracks

Reinforcement with plates

In order to eliminate large (more than 1-2 centimeters wide) connectors, you need to do much more operations, which are discussed in more detail below.

First, you need to completely disassemble the entire area with a crack, starting with the top rows. All unstable and crumbling bricks must be replaced with new ones. When laying new brickwork, they need to be additionally reinforced. If a rupture occurs in a brick wall assembly, reinforcement can be made using a strip of steel strip, bending its ends to the sides of the masonry and fixing it with bolts.

If it is not possible to disassemble the wall, the cracks in the brick walls are repaired by throwing rubble into large crevices with cement mortar and reinforcement with a metal strip fixed with anchors.

a - installation of a brick castle; b - brick castle with an anchor; reinforcement with plates with tension bolts (in - smooth wall; r - wall corner); e - repair of a through crack with steel staples; e - repair in the place of support of the floor slab; g - strengthening of the cracked pier. 1- brick wall; 2- crack; 3 - brick castle; 4 - cement mortar; 5 - tie bolt; 6 - channel (anchor); 7 - steel plate; 8 - staples (installation step 50 cm); 9 - floor slab; 10 - brick wall; 11 - corner; 12 - finishing layer.

If the cracks that appear threaten the integrity of the building, it is necessary to perform a major reinforcement of the wall. Steel rods are installed along the perimeter of the house from the outside and the inside. The result is a kind of powerful steel belt that encompasses the entire building.

a, b - steel rods along the outer (a) and inner (b) sides of the wall; c - installation of non-tensioned tie-bars; 1 - steel rod; 2 - corner; 3 - steel base plate; 4 - channel.

If the crack is too deep, you can also use the cement injection method: for this, inch holes are drilled along the entire length of the crack at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. A tube filled with cement mortar is placed inside the hole, and by means of a sealant or a special construction syringe, the solution is injected into the crack, filling it with itself.

Injection method

In addition, some builders use polyurethane foam to fill large cracks.... To do this, it is blown into the depth of the crack, dries and is fixed on the outside with cement.

Sometimes cracks and breaks are so catastrophic that the wall cracks through and through. In such cases, it is also necessary to reinforce the wall from the inside. To do this, you need to deeply moisten the gap, fill the gap formed with cement and crushed stone and install metal linings fixed with anchors. After the solution has dried, you can start finishing the inside of the cracked wall.

So, repairing cracks in brick walls is an important and difficult task that requires large physical and material costs. Nevertheless, if such defects are not repaired in time, the house will soon simply be warped or deformed irrevocably.

Obeying the last design trends, the majority of owners of private houses and cottages in the external design of buildings make a choice in favor of brickwork. Such a coating provides buildings with an excellent view, and also serves as a protective, decorative and cladding material. According to its strength characteristics, facing brick surpasses many finishing options, therefore in our country it is especially in demand, even if the cost of the material and laying work is high. However, in order to maintain durability, the coating needs maintenance in order to avoid such a phenomenon as cracks in the facing brick.

Reasons for the appearance of cracks in facing masonry

Even with strict adherence to the rules for building a house, there is a likelihood of unpleasant situations in the form of shrinkage and thermal deformation of coatings. They are also the main causes of cracks in the brick facing surface. Deformation can lead to various phenomena:

• to shrinkage due to exposure to moisture, due to which there is a decrease in volume, compaction and hardening of the facing coating;
• to a change in linear dimensions during thermal compression and expansion.

The shrinkage process is natural and usually occurs over several years. But the temperature deformation is mainly influenced by the change of the season, daily temperature fluctuations, the position of the lined walls in relation to the cardinal points. Note that facial surfaces walls located on the sunny side of the house are more prone to linear expansion. You can prevent these phenomena by following a few simple rules.

How to prevent cracks in brick cladding: 7 professional tips

Given the likelihood of linear brick shrinkage and periodic temperature fluctuations, it is possible to prevent the formation of cracks in the building cladding by adhering to the following rules:

1. Dry the facing products as much as possible before laying them on the main surface.
2. Strictly follow the masonry methodology based on the arrangement of the so-called stitch rows. The method involves the laying of bonded rows of solid elements in places such as the upper and lower rows of the structure being erected, in belts and cornices, under beams, girders and bearing plates, as well as every four spoon rows. In addition, the facing masonry must be tied up with anchors and unloading belts must be used.
3. In the process of facing masonry, use reinforcement steel mesh with a diameter of 2-3 mm. Such a mesh will reduce the deformation load on the facing surface, thereby contributing to the long-term preservation of its integrity.
4. Arrange expansion joints throughout the masonry surface, which in the facing will simultaneously perform the functions of both shrinkage and expansion joints... Their thickness should not exceed 15 mm.
5. Avoid getting moisture on the facing brick during its transportation, processing and laying.
6. Avoid freezing and thawing of the walls of the building.
7. To carry out the facing masonry using the most rigid mortar, plasticizers and non-shrinking additives in order to avoid wetting of the products and in order to prevent the appearance of cracks during the drying of the facing surface.

Although cracks in the facing brick coating do not affect bearing capacity masonry, yet they spoil its appearance.

How to extend the life of facing brick masonry

To extend the lifespan brick cladding Your home and in time to identify possible cracks, the first thing to do is to inspect the cladding in order to identify and further eliminate defects. At this stage, not only the outer walls of the building are carefully checked, but also the masonry seams. All chips and cracks in the facing brick are sealed with a special sealant, which is matched to the color shade of the base material. For the joints, as a rule, mortars similar to those used in the production of masonry are used - so the restored sections of the facing masonry will not stand out from the overall architectural composition.

The next stage involves cleaning the brickwork from dirt and dust, while experts do not recommend using for this wet way... It is best to wipe the surface with a soft, dry cloth to prevent moisture from entering the brickwork.

To provide optimal protection it is recommended to apply an additional protective layer to facing brickwork at the finishing stage - it can be a special varnish, water repellents or clinker oil. These types of coatings will well save the cladding of your home from negative factors for a long time. Even after becoming unusable, lacquer and coloring compounds are much easier to remove and cheaper to reapply than to restore the brickwork itself. At the same time, the well-groomed appearance of the building will continue to delight the eyes of its owner.