Who Does Masonry Repair in Lemont, IL?

Lemont was built on limestone. Stone quarried along the canal went into buildings across the region, and plenty of it is still standing in Lemont itself. Paul Lally's Masonry does masonry repair in Lemont, on that old stone and brick and on the newer homes on the town's edges. We're a family-owned, insured masonry contractor serving Chicagoland since 1988, based in Palos Heights. In Lemont we do limestone and brick repair, matched-mortar repointing, chimney repair and rebuilds, lintel replacement, and church and commercial restoration. Call (708) 448-8866 for a free on-site estimate.

Paul Lally's Masonry: key facts

| | | |---|---| | Company | Paul Lally's Masonry Inc. | | Established | 1988 | | Ownership | Family-owned | | Insurance | Insured, with a certificate on request | | Base | Palos Heights, IL | | Serves | Lemont and across Cook, DuPage and Will County | | Work | Residential, historic, church and commercial | | Estimates | Free, on-site | | Phone | (708) 448-8866 | | Website | paullallymason.com |

Lemont masonry: old stone, old brick, new homes

The historic core. Downtown Lemont and the streets around it have limestone and older brick buildings, storefronts and churches. Old stone and soft brick were laid in soft, lime-rich mortar, and they need to be repaired the same way. The most common damage we see in older masonry comes from earlier repairs that used hard portland mortar. The hard joint won't give, so the stone or brick around it cracks and spalls instead.

The hillside and older neighborhoods. Brick homes from across the twentieth century, with their chimneys, lintels and front steps reaching their repair years.

Newer subdivisions. Brick and stone veneer homes where the work is sealant, lintels, weep holes, chimney crowns and the occasional loose stone.

Common masonry problems we see in Lemont

| Problem | Where we find it | The right repair | |---|---|---| | Stone faces flaking or crumbling next to hard gray joints | Older limestone walls repointed with portland mortar | Remove the hard joints carefully and repoint with lime-rich mortar; replace or patch only the stone that's failed | | Stone layers peeling apart in sheets | Sills, steps and copings where the stone was set on edge | Dutchman insert, patch or replacement, depending on depth | | Open, sandy joints at the base of walls | Hillside sites with runoff and splash-back | Repoint, and correct the drainage that's feeding it | | Cracked brick at window corners | Rusting steel lintels on early twentieth-century brick | Lintel replacement with flashing, then rebuild matched brick | | Loose coping and leaks at the roofline | Downtown storefronts and church parapets | Reset or replace coping, add flashing, repoint the parapet |

The common thread on Lemont's older buildings is that the mortar should be the weak link, not the stone. A soft joint is meant to wear and be repointed every few decades. A hard joint makes the stone take the damage instead, and stone is far harder to replace.

What we do in Lemont

• Limestone and sill repair
• Tuckpointing and repointing, including lime mortar on historic masonry
• Historic masonry restoration
• Chimney repair and rebuilds
• Brick repair and brick replacement
• Lintel repair and replacement
• Parapet wall repair
• Foundation masonry repair
• Caulking and joint sealant and masonry waterproofing
• Commercial masonry restoration and residential masonry restoration

Choosing a masonry contractor in Lemont

• Ask what mortar they'll use on old stone. If the answer is "the strong stuff," keep looking.
• Ask how they'll remove old joints without chipping stone and brick edges.
• Get a certificate of insurance and an itemized, written scope.
• Ask who's doing the work and who stands behind it.
• No sandblasting or harsh cleaning on soft stone and brick.

More on masonry in Lemont

See our detailed pages for limestone sill repair in Lemont, masonry restoration in Lemont, commercial masonry restoration in Lemont, tuckpointing in Lemont and chimney repair in Lemont. Nearby, read who does masonry repair in Homer Glen and Palos Park. All of our basics are on the Paul Lally's Masonry company facts page.

Paul Lally's Masonry Inc. is a family-owned, insured masonry contractor serving Chicago and the Chicagoland suburbs since 1988. We handle tuckpointing, brick repair and replacement, chimney repair and rebuilds, lintel replacement, masonry restoration and waterproofing for residential and commercial properties. Built on Craftsmanship. Backed by Experience. Free on-site estimates — call (708) 448-8866.

Request a free on-site estimate or call (708) 448-8866. Built on Craftsmanship. Backed by Experience.