Has anyone ever encountered or suspected the bricks or stone veneer attached on the exterior of their home could have issues? Let’s find out. Engineer discovered loose and falling stones as could be seen in the left photo and loose mortar when touched with fingers reaching behind the mortar block indicating absolutely no or very little bonding to sub-surface behind mortar blocks (right photo).
Root Cause: Such a condition is due to the use of very dry mortar &/or lack of proper sub-surface preparation before application of mortar. Masonry installers, per the engineer, were not familiar with manufacturer’s product installation specifications, and also the installers lacked good workmanship.
Solution: Re-install the stones properly following manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations.