Fretting bricks crumble, spall, and erode from the face inward, usually driven by salt attack and rising damp. We cut them out and replace with matched units across Sydney Metro.
What is brick fretting?
Fretting, sometimes called salt attack or spalling, is the progressive erosion of the brick face. Layers of the brick break away in flakes or chips, exposing softer material underneath, which then erodes faster. Left alone, a fretting brick can lose 20–30mm of face in a few years, and entire bricks can eventually crumble out of the wall.
It’s extremely common on older Sydney homes, particularly on the bottom two to three courses, around chimneys, and on south-facing or coastal elevations. The pattern is recognisable: localised, brick-by-brick, getting worse where moisture is highest.
Causes of fretting
Our repair process
Cut out
Failed bricks cut out cleanly using a small grinder and chisel, taking care not to disturb the surrounding wall or the brick above.
Source the match
We source replacement bricks from salvage yards, demolition stockpiles, or a manufacturer match. For heritage stock we can sample-match colour, size, and texture.
Re-bed
New bricks bedded in matched mortar, ensuring full contact with surrounding masonry and correct alignment with the existing course.
Repoint and address the cause
Surrounding joints repointed for visual continuity. Where rising damp or a flashing failure is driving the fretting, we address that too, otherwise the new bricks will fail the same way.
Matching heritage bricks
We hold a small stockpile of common Sydney heritage bricks, sandstock, common reds, blacks and tessellated, and have established sources for the rest. For the most distinctive walls (Hawkesbury sandstock, hand-pressed tessellated faces) we’ll often visit a salvage yard with you to confirm the match before committing.
Where an exact match isn’t possible, we propose blended placement, stronger matches at eye level, less perfect matches in less visible areas, so the wall reads as one fabric.
For strata managers
Fretting on older unit blocks is rarely a single-elevation problem, it tends to affect every south-facing or coastal-facing wall to some degree. We can scope the entire building, prioritise by severity, and stage the work across two or three budget cycles so it doesn’t hit reserves all at once.
We provide written reports suitable for committee meetings, with photos of every elevation and a clear repair priority order.
FAQ
Can fretting be stopped, or only repaired?
Both, but only if you address the cause. Replacing the failed bricks alone leaves the next ones exposed. We almost always combine cut-out repair with the underlying fix: damp-proof course injection, gutter and flashing repairs, repointing in the right mortar, or breathable water repellent on heavily exposed elevations.
How do you match old Sydney bricks?
Salvage yards are the first stop, especially for sandstock and tessellated faces. Modern manufacturers also do good matches for common reds and Federation period stock. We bring samples to site before committing, and propose a blend approach for elevations where an exact match isn’t available.
Is fretting covered by strata insurance?
Generally no, it’s usually classed as gradual deterioration, which most policies exclude. The exception is where a sudden event (a burst pipe, a roof failure, a storm) caused localised saturation. We’ll write the invoice and report to support a claim where there’s a defensible cause.
Get a detailed quote within 24 hours. Photos accepted via our Project Brief form.