The term masonry is generally used when any individual units are being put together with mortar to create a building or retaining wall. It can also refer to the units themselves. The most common ones are bricks, stones, and concrete blocks, though granite and marble can be used as well. There are a few different ways to go about conducting this very durable form of construction.
Veneer masonry is when units are used to surround an existing structure. For instance, a house with brick on the outside is usually not made of brick entirely—there is a wooden or steel frame, and brick that surrounds it. Veneer masonry is usually used for aesthetic reasons.
Solid masonry is when walls are made entirely from brick or stone. The problem with solid masonry, however, is that they are not durable, and are likely to crumble or collapse during bad weather or an earthquake.
Brick masonry is the most popular form of this type of masonry construction, and is simply when brick is used in more than two horizontal layers to form a pattern. Everything from houses to office buildings have been constructed with brick masonry and it is still prevalent today.
Masonry construction has many advantages. It is cooler in the heat of summer and warmer in the cold of winter. It rarely needs painted or touched up, and it offers great protection against fire, which can lower your insurance rates and save you money.
There are many smaller masonry projects that you can have done to add that something extra to your home or office building. You can have a chimney installed to any room to give it a more rustic and classy feel. If you have existing masonry work, you could look in to tuckpointing, which basically repairs the mortar between bricks while also making it look more aesthetically appealing.
Masonry has been around since the Pyramids and the Coliseum, and is still a wonderful construction option to consider today.
