Watch out for old brick ties on these 1920s Chicago jobs

Had to replace a whole section of wall on a house built in 1923. Figured it was a two day job, tops. The old metal ties were rusted solid and fused to the brick, so every single one had to be cut out with a grinder. That alone added a full day. Ended up taking four days total and I had to special order the new ties. Anyone else run into this with pre-war brickwork?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_caleb1d ago

Oh man, tell me about it. I hit the same wall on a 1915 place last fall, and the rust was so bad the bricks just crumbled. You really can't plan for that level of decay until you're in it.

the_joel1d ago

Honestly, the lead paint dust is the real hidden killer on those jobs. You're grinding into a century of rust and paint layers. Tbh, I got a crazy high lead reading on a similar tear out last year. Ngl, it shut the whole site down for a full abatement. That old mortar holds it all in like a toxic powder.