Drill into the mortar closer to the bad brick than to the good surrounding bricks. Otherwise, you may damage them. Squirt or spray water onto the area before you start drilling, and frequently while drilling, to reduce the amount of masonry dust.
Just like when using a drill, spray or squirt water over the work area before you start and every so often during the process.
A bolster chisel has a wider blade than a cold chisel. Both chisels, along with a lump hammer, are essential tools for any brick removal job.
Use your fingers and a hand brush to sweep all the mortar chips and other dust and debris out of the opening.
If there are manufacturer markings on the brick, you may be able to track down a perfect match. Otherwise, aim to get the closest match you can find. Look around in a basement, garage, shed, etc. for any spare bricks left behind from when the wall was built. You may be in luck!
To reuse the brick, though, you’ll have to carefully chip away all the remaining mortar that’s stuck to it.
Start using this batch of mortar within 30 minutes of mixing it. If you want to more closely match the existing brick mortar, stir in a few drops of mortar coloring (available alongside mortar mixes) according to the package instructions. To get an even more precise color match, mix up several very small batches of mortar with varying amounts of mortar coloring in them 24 hours beforehand. Apply the mortar samples to cardboard and compare the colors when they dry.
Don’t worry about making the mortar look nice and neat here—just make sure to create a nice thick bed for the new brick to squish down onto.
Some of the mortar will fall off—don’t worry about that. Just try to get an even layer with full coverage.
This is called “buttering” the brick—just like your morning toast!
Line up the new brick as perfectly as you can while the new mortar is still soft.
If the wall has flat mortar joints, skip this part.
Use a damp rag to wipe away any remaining bits of mortar on the bricks.
