If you notice that your brick wall is gradually falling, leaning, or moving away from the frame because of erosion, time, climate change, quality of masonry materials, and other factors, it’s not yet time to say goodbye to your brick wall.

Believe it or not, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars just to fix your brick wall. Modern technology has developed tools that can fasten your brick walls effectively. In this blog, you will learn how to re-anchor brick veneers, tools you can use to speed up the installation, and alternatives to helical ties.


Re-Anchor Brick Veneers With Helical Ties

Stainless steel ties are used to anchor and re-anchor structural façades to other structural components and to reinforce the masonry. The helical design allows the tie to be inserted into a drilled hole or mortar joints to make a mechanical link between a brick wall and its supporting material fast and efficiently. The shape of the tie cuts the wall as if it is hammered, resulting in an expansion-free attachment that can sustain tensile and compressive stresses.

You can replace misplaced or damaged ties with new helical ties on pre-existing brick, limestone, masonry, and pre-cast cement surfaces. These materials are excellent for joining veneers to stone, cement, brick, and wooden structures. They can also strengthen the damaged brick veneers by directing the tie horizontally in the foundation joint.

Helical Ties Features

This form of ties is simple to install with heavy-duty tools and retains the structure’s original appearance. Most helical ties are countersunk up to half an inch underneath the surface upon installation, enabling the tie position to be fixed.

Modern helical-shaped ties have more consistent spiral design along with the tie, enabling quicker application and a stronger connection with the foundation. Helical ties with bigger core diameters give higher torsional capability that reduces bending due to twisting under load.

The majority of ties for re-anchoring brick veneers are made of type 304 stainless steel, and homeowners are shocked at how nearly unnoticeable the repair is after installation.

If you’re looking for quality ties to re-anchor your veneers, using Prosoco Stitch Tie is highly recommended because they give the same performance in any weather condition and don’t add tension to other components. They’re inserted in small holes which can be quickly repaired and concealed. For a wide range of applications, several diameters and lengths are available.

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Stitch-Ties can also be shortened with cutters to achieve the desired length.


Helical Ties Alternative

Brick facades can be resecured with adhesive anchors, double expansion fasteners, brackets, and ties. Here are the substitutes you can use to re-anchor brick veneers: 

  • Adhesive anchors. This type of anchor is installed by covering a screening tube with sealant on top, placing the tube in a drilled hole, and attaching a steel rod into the screening tube at the bottom part. Attaching the steel rod into the brick presses the adhesive through the screening tube to provide a sturdy connection.
  • Façade Tie Bracket. You may secure existing veneers to studs with this type of stabilizer. Façade tie bracket removes the need for outside drilling operations and mortar patch matching. The tie bracket is excellent for strengthening masonry veneers during renovation, new construction, or simple building modifications.
  • Asymmetric Helical Steel Tie. Use this type of tie for harder backup materials. An asymmetrical tie has a smaller diameter at one end, making it ideal for inserting into hard supporting components.

Re-Anchoring Brick Veneers: Step 1 – Examining the Problem

Veneer instability is mostly caused by corrosion of materials or a lack of wall ties. How would you know if you need to re-anchor the veneers of your brick wall? Here are some actions you can do to check the stability of your walls.

  • Look for wall bulges
  • Observe if there is minimal or excessive wall movement
  • Look for cracks and gaps around windows and doors
  • Crack in mortar joint

Re-Anchoring Brick Veneers: Step 2 – Repair

If you witness any of the signs mentioned in step 1, a remedy you can do to avoid the wall movement is to re-anchor the veneers of your brick wall. However, in some cases, if your wall has many damages and shows excessive wall movement, it is necessary to remove and reinstall the bricks. Follow these steps to re-anchor brick veneers effectively:

  • Install ties in pre-drilled holes by use of a dry-set tool and a rotary hammer. Drill a pilot hole through the façade material and into the backup components to a specified embedment depth with an additional of one inch using an appropriate drill bit or a percussion hammer drill through the mortar joint.

The drill should be in rotation-only mode when drilling into soft masonry or hollow backing material. The drill’s percussive motion will provide the needed force for the tie to be inserted into the wall.

  • Position one end of the tie fastener in the installation tool and insert the tie into the pilot hole. With an SDS rotary hammer in hammer mode, drive the tie until the tip of the installation tool enters the exterior surface of the masonry and countersinks the tie below the surface. Drive the tie until the nose of the setting tool is set against the veneer. 

Once installed, the helical shape offers an in-plane, flexible connector between wythes of material, while maintaining a threaded connection to resist out-of-plane loading for both tension and compression resistance.

  • Re-anchor other sections by repeating the process mentioned above. It’s worth noting that the prescribed anchors are normally placed at a rate of one anchor per 2 sq ft of patched veneer. Check your local construction guidelines and standards for the minimum spacing requirements for wall ties.
  • Patch the hole in the façade with a matching masonry hanger.

There are other things you should use to fix the stability of your brick wall. Here are some tools you can use to make the procedure quickly and connect the ties into the façade properly:

It contains a pin designed exclusively to hold the tie fasteners and produce precise results, making it one of the best tools for field testing to give the exact load values in any structure.

It is used to find the exact drill exit point, evaluate the thickness of the surface, and identify the presence of tubes and pipes.

It is similar to the Drill spotter, but it can’t locate the studs. Transpointer measures the distance between the transmitter and reception centerlines as well as the location of the transmitter centerline.

All veneer masonry is possible to have an internal leakage that allows water to enter the structure. As a result, the type of mortar used in brick veneers is significant. It is advisable to apply reinforcements to fractured masonry and make structural beams out of current brick veneers.

It prevents water vapor interaction between the wall’s internal parts and the surroundings. It’s usually installed on the metal stud interior wall.

The amount of wall sheathing required depends on the quality standard intended for the construction and the weather at the worksite.

The air barrier controls the airflow inside the wall assembly. Controlling the airflow provides various advantages for the overall structural integrity, such as limiting the thermal flow, water vapor movement, and rain absorption through the foundation.

Generally, the setting tool automatically recesses the tie into the face of the masonry.

This wraps up the basic parts you should know to re-anchor brick veneers. Always remember that re-anchoring your brick veneers is the most economical solution to save your time and money but in some cases, removing and replacing the bricks and other components are a much better solution to maintain the stability of your brick walls.

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Matt Greenfield

Matt Greenfield is an experienced writer specializing in home improvement topics. He has a passion for educating and empowering homeowners to make informed decisions about their properties. Matt's writing focuses on a range of topics, including windows, flooring, HVAC, and construction materials. With a background in construction and home renovation, Matt is well-versed in the latest trends and techniques in the industry. His articles offer practical advice and expert insights that help readers tackle their home improvement projects with confidence. Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or a seasoned professional, Matt's writing is sure to provide valuable guidance and inspiration.

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