Spalled Brick Replacement
Bricks with flaking, popped or broken faces cut out and replaced with matching units, with the cause of the damage discussed before the patch.
About $20–$45 per brick installed (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). Small jobs can carry a minimum charge: ask about one.
Find a MasonAbout Spalled Brick Replacement
Spalling is when the face of a brick flakes, pops or crumbles away. The National Research Council's Canadian Building Digest 30 explains that frost damage depends on how saturated the material is with water, and that spalling from salts crystallizing behind the surface looks very much like frost damage, so it is often hard to tell which caused it.
The same digest warns that a vapour-permeable, water-repellent coating on the outside of a wall can make water evaporate from behind it, leaving salts behind the surface layer that can make the skin spall. Ask your mason before sealing brick, and ask what they think is keeping the wall wet.
Ontario's Building Code says used bricks must be free of old mortar, soot or other surface coating, and that solid units are laid with full head and bed joints. In the Centretown and Minto Park heritage district, the plan says replacement bricks should match the existing in size, colour and texture. On a designated property or in a heritage district, ask the City before using a different brick.
Ask how the damaged bricks will be cut out, where the replacements come from, whether the mortar will match, and how broken brick is disposed of. The City's Trail Waste Facility charges $144 per tonne for masonry fill in 2026.
Published Ontario contractor pricing for 2025–26 puts spalled-brick replacement at about $20 to $45 per brick installed; yours will differ. Small jobs can carry a minimum charge, so ask about one.
What This Work Covers
- Spalled, popped and cracked bricks cut out
- Replacement brick matched in size, colour and texture
- Mortar matched to the surrounding joints
- Possible causes of wetting discussed before the patch
- Disposal of broken brick stated in the quote
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What this work costs
Common questions about spalled brick replacement
- Why are the faces of my bricks popping off in Orleans?
- Patching spalled brick instead of replacing it in Ottawa, okay?
- Replacing 40 spalled bricks in Orleans, ballpark price?
- Should I worry about a few spalled bricks near my Nepean driveway?
- At what point do Ottawa masons stop replacing spalled bricks one by one?
- How much does repointing a brick bungalow cost in Kanata?
- Stone wall repair on an old Ottawa farmhouse, what's involved?
- Should old Ottawa brick get lime mortar or Portland cement mortar?
Other Masonry Services
Repointing & Tuckpointing
Worn, cracked or missing mortar cut out of brick and stone joints and refilled, with the mortar, the cutting method and dust control set out in the quote.
Stone & Brick Veneer
Natural stone, manufactured stone and brick veneer installed or repaired, with ties, flashing and weep holes built to Ontario's Building Code.
Heritage Masonry
Repointing and repair of historic brick and stone in Ottawa's heritage districts and on designated properties, following the district plan.
Brick & Stone Steps
Brick and natural stone entrance steps built, rebuilt or repaired, with the footing, the permit question and the City licence asked about up front.
Brick & Stone Garden Walls
Freestanding brick and stone walls that do not hold back soil, built or repaired, with height limits and the City licence asked about first.
Stone Wall Repair
Loose, missing and cracked stones in the natural stone walls of a house reset and repointed above ground, with the mortar and permit question settled first.
Ready to Get Started?
Tell us about your spalled brick replacement job and we will send it to local masons in Ottawa. They reply by email.