Historic Brick Repair in the Fan & Museum District

Soft, older brick

The brick in these neighborhoods was fired at lower temperatures than modern brick, so it's softer and more porous. It holds up well for a very long time when water can move through the wall and dry out, but it's easily damaged by hard mortar, sealers, sandblasting and pressure washing.

Lime mortar

These homes were laid in lime-based mortar, which is softer than the brick and lets moisture escape through the joints. When a wall like this is repointed with hard Portland cement mortar, the brick starts doing the job the mortar was supposed to do. Moisture gets trapped, and the edges and faces of the brick crack and flake off. Much of the damage we repair on Fan houses comes from well-meant repairs done with the wrong mortar years ago.

Fan Rowhouses, Soft Brick and Lime Mortar

Most Fan and Museum District houses went up between the late 1800s and the 1920s, and their walls were laid in lime mortar with brick fired softer than anything made today. That pairing is why so many of them are still standing straight. The lime joint is softer and more breathable than the brick, so rain that soaks in dries back out through the joints, and the joints wear instead of the brick faces.

Cornices, parapets, chimneys and front stoops take the most weather, and they're where we most often find hard gray cement from an old repair, with crumbling brick right beside it. We cut that cement out carefully and repoint in lime. That means lime putty on sheltered walls and a natural hydraulic lime (NHL) on parapets, chimney tops and stoops, matched to the original joint in color, sand and profile. On a street-facing wall we put up a small sample first so you can see the match. Then it's kept damp and shaded while it cures, the slow way, so it lasts.

Shared walls, parapets and tall chimneys

Rowhouses share party walls with their neighbors, and many have brick parapets at the roofline and tall chimneys that serve several fireplaces. Parapets and chimneys are the most exposed brick on the house. They get hit by weather on both sides and are often the first places mortar fails and bricks come loose. Work near a shared wall or chimney sometimes means talking with the neighbor too, and we're glad to help explain the work.

Stoops on the sidewalk

Front stoops in the Fan and Museum District often sit right at the sidewalk, built in brick or stone with iron railings. They take daily foot traffic and constant wet weather, and rusting railing posts are a common cause of cracked brick.

Repointing with matched lime mortar

We rake out worn mortar carefully, by hand where the brick is soft or the joints are narrow, and repoint with a lime-based mix matched to the original in color, sand texture and joint profile. Where older repairs used hard gray cement, we remove it carefully and replace it with mortar that suits the brick. More on our approach is on the repointing and tuckpointing page.

Spalled and damaged brick

Bricks that have lost their faces are cut out and replaced with salvaged brick that matches the size and color of the original. On front elevations, where every neighbor can see the work, the match matters.

Chimneys and parapets

We repoint and rebuild chimney tops, replace cracked crowns with properly shaped crowns that shed water, and repair flashing where the chimney meets the roof. Loose parapet brick is reset or rebuilt before it becomes a hazard.

Stoops and front steps

We reset loose treads, repair brick cracked by rusted railing posts, and repoint stoops with mortar that suits the original brick. When a stoop has to be rebuilt, we save and reuse as much of the original material as we can. See brick steps and stoop repairs.

Painted brick removal

Plenty of Fan houses have had their brick painted at some point. Peeling paint can trap moisture against the brick. We strip paint with suitable chemical strippers and gentle low-pressure rinsing, never sandblasting, which would strip the hard outer face from old brick. This is part of our wider historic masonry restoration work.

Cracks, lintels and arches

Cracks above windows and doors are often caused by rusting steel lintels or sagging brick arches. We repair or replace the lintel and rebuild the brick above to match. Bigger movement is covered under structural repairs.

Rear walls, alleys and garden walls

The back of a Fan house often gets less attention than the front. Rear ells, alley walls and brick garden walls tend to have the worst mortar and the most water damage, especially where gutters and downspouts have leaked.

The Fan and the Museum District are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Separately, some blocks, including Monument Avenue, fall within City of Richmond Old and Historic Districts. In those districts, exterior changes may need approval from the city before work starts, and changes to materials, mortar color or design get the most attention. If you're not sure whether your house is in one, check with the City of Richmond before work begins. We use materials and methods that match the original, which is good practice whether or not approval is required.

The same kind of brickwork runs through nearby areas, and we work in all of them: Carytown, Byrd Park, Oregon Hill, Jackson Ward, Church Hill, Shockoe Bottom and Manchester, plus Bellevue, Ginter Park, Windsor Farms, Westover Hills and Forest Hill. We also serve homeowners across Henrico County.

• Winner of the 2026 Quality Business Award for The Best Masonry in Richmond, Virginia
• A family of traditional masons who work in historic brick and lime mortar
• Licensed and insured in Virginia
• 5-year guarantee on labor and materials
• Free written estimates
• Open 7 days, 8am to 6pm

My house was repointed with gray cement years ago. Is that a problem?
It can be. Hard cement mortar on soft old brick often leads to cracked and flaking brick. We can assess whether it's causing damage and, if so, remove it carefully and repoint with a suitable mix.

Can you match the mortar color on my rowhouse?
Yes. We match the color and texture of the weathered original mortar, along with the joint width and profile, so the new work blends in.

Do I need city approval for masonry work?
It depends on where your house is and what the work changes. Homes in City Old and Historic Districts, such as Monument Avenue, may need approval for exterior changes. Check with the City of Richmond before work starts.

Can you remove paint from my brick without damaging it?
In most cases, yes, using chemical strippers and low-pressure rinsing. We test a small area first so you can see the result.

These houses have lasted a century in lime. Repointed the same way, they'll go a good while longer. If you want the job done right the first time, look no further. We'd rather do it once, the old way, than come back in a few years to fix somebody's shortcut. The National Park Service's guidance on repointing historic masonry (Preservation Brief 2) says a well-done repointing job should last at least 30 years, and preferably 50 to 100. Historic England warns that hard, cement-rich mortar on old brick traps moisture and speeds up the decay of the brick around it. So we choose the lime mortar to suit the wall, fill the joints properly and let them cure slowly. Work built to last decades.