Masonry & Terracotta Restoration

Preserving the Heritage of Historic Building Envelopes

Historic buildings require a delicate balance of old-world craftsmanship and modern engineering. Our masonry experts specialize in the “in-kind” restoration of brick, stone, and architectural terracotta.

From the meticulous sourcing of century-old clay profiles to precision tuckpointing with historically accurate mortars, RAM ensures that your building’s historic fabric is preserved while its structural envelope is fully stabilized against the elements.

Specialized Masonry Capabilities

Terracotta Sourcing & Fabrication: Managing the 6–12 month lifecycle of custom-molded ceramic units to match original profiles and glazes.
Brick & Stone Replacement: Matching color, texture, and compressive strength for seamless structural and aesthetic repairs.
Tuckpointing & Mortar Analysis: Utilizing breathable, lime-based mortars that prevent the cracking and spalling caused by modern “hard” cements.
Façade Stabilization: Installing helical anchors and internal pins to secure shifting masonry to the building’s backup wall.

Sourcing, Matching, & Lead Times

Restoring a historic facade is an exercise in forensic engineering. For Terracotta, we manage a complex 6–12 month fabrication cycle where units are “over-sized” in molds to account for kiln shrinkage. For Brick and Stone, matching goes beyond aesthetics; we analyze the original units to match density and porosity, ensuring new materials don’t cause the original surrounding masonry to fail. Whether we are tracking down a specific quarry for a limestone match or custom-firing a unique brick run, RAM manages the procurement timeline to ensure architectural continuity. Temporary stabilization (like netting or shoring) is often implemented to keep the site safe while these custom materials are being sourced.

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Signs Your Structure Needs Masonry Restoration

Crazing or Spalling Glaze: Fine, web-like cracks in terracotta finish or large sections of the “face” popping off, exposing the porous clay interior.

Visible Rust Stains: Dark orange streaks leaching from mortar joints, signaling that internal steel anchors or “outriggers” are failing.

Bulging or Shifting Units: Masonry blocks that appear to be “pushing out” from the wall line, usually caused by the expansion of rusted internal metal.

Failed “Hard” Mortar Repairs: Evidence of modern cement patches that are cracking or falling out because they didn’t match the expansion rate of the original brick.

If you’ve noticed any of these issues, contact a RAM expert for a professional inspection and our recommendation on the best method to restore your concrete infrastructure.
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Office Locations

RAM Construction Services operates throughout the Midwest and beyond with established teams serving Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. While our core footprint is regional, we have the resources and experience to take on projects in additional markets when the scope and opportunity align. This approach allows us to deliver local expertise with the scalability clients need.