Brick Veneer Repair and Removal -- Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County,
California, USA

This former manufacturing facility was converted to an architectural studio and the project entailed a complete rehabilitation of the brick surfaces during this adaptive use project.

We performed both brick veneer repair and removal work, as the project called for new openings in the veneer. These openings were cut and removed in approximately one day, using diamond-tipped cutting tools, and circular saws were used for long straight cuts in the masonry veneer. We then repaired damaged brickwork on the facade with closely-matched brick, making sure to match the original mortar very closely in terms of texture, color, and aggregate.

This former shoe polish factory had the good bones for an adaptive re-use project as a clean, well-lit place for architecture and design.
The structure was given a full seismic upgrade, and all brick supporting walls were cleaned and restored during this thorough adaptive re-use of an historic manufacturing building in Culver City.
Numerous new openings in the brick shell were executed using diamond-tipped cutting tools, such as this chain saw system.
Circular saw systems were also useful for long straight cuts in masonry veneer, where space and layout permitted. The walls were only 4 wythes thick, and cuts were able to be completed in one pass.
The newer systems are based upon remote control by the operator to ensure accurate and safe cutting.
This technique is responsible for making these very selective removal processes affordable and effective.
These two new openings were cut and removed in approximately one day.
Such a clean and useful solution is one of the resources in our restoration tool-bag.
Other repairs on the facade included several original windows which had been poorly remodeled over the years. After locating some relatively close-matching brick, we ‘toothed in’ the jambs with new brick to bring the opening back to a better appearance.
Several of the edges had been scored and damaged, and having a close match for the original brick made it possible to blend all these imperfections away. Special care must be taken when attempting this kind of replacement work, since the new pointing mortar must match the original, cleaned mortar very closely in terms of texture, color, and aggregate.
Careful attention to details, such as the re-creation of the stack-bond pattern at the jambs, is a crucial element of a successful project such as this.
The old shoe polish factory converted to design space is yet another example of adaptive re-use in the urban core.