Why is the mortar cracking near the corners of my door?
Answer
Homeowners often notice cracks in their mortar near the top corners of doors & windows. It’s usually because there’s a lintel there which expands & contracts causing pressure in the mortar which eventually leads to cracking of the mortar. A lintel is a support over openings such as windows & doors that keeps the pressure from the bricks above off of the openings. Windows & doors aren’t designed to support the load from bricks bearing on top of them so lintels are needed to keep the pressure off. The lintels are usually steel and can create pressure on the mortar during temperature changes in Madison Heights & throughout Michigan. Lintels are also prone to eventually rusting. Rusted lintels should be replaced which will require replacing some of the bricks above the window or door in order to install a new lintel. Depending on how big the cracks in your mortar are as well as if the lintel is rusted or not will determine if you need some tuckpointing or if you should have the lintel replaced.
