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Before you call a contractor, it helps to know what you're seeing. Maybe you've noticed a few thin lines between the bricks. The joints may look powdery, or you may see small gaps where the material has disappeared. Some signs are relatively minor. Others can point to moisture entry, failing masonry, or a problem around a window or door opening.
This guide helps you inspect what you can safely see from the ground and understand what different warning signs may mean. It won't replace a professional assessment, but it can help you describe the problem more accurately and know when it's time to have someone take a closer look.
Healthy joints should appear relatively solid and continuous between the bricks. You shouldn't see obvious holes, deep erosion, loose particles, or sections that have disappeared.
Colour can vary depending on the building's age, original materials, previous work, and exposure. So don't assume that a darker or lighter joint is automatically defective.
A more useful test is condition. From a safe, accessible position, look for missing sections, powdering, crumbling, open joints, or areas where the material appears noticeably recessed compared with surrounding sections. Never climb, lean out of windows, or use an unsafe ladder to inspect an upper façade yourself.
Thin cracks following the joint line can be an early indication of weathering or movement. A single fine crack does not necessarily mean the wall is in immediate danger. What matters is whether the cracking is isolated, spreading, widening, or accompanied by other visible deterioration.
Take a photograph from the same position over time if the area is safely visible. Comparing photographs can help you determine whether the appearance is changing.
Does the joint look dusty or sandy? Can small particles be brushed away easily from an accessible area?
That can indicate active deterioration.
Repeated wetting and drying, freeze-thaw exposure, incompatible previous repairs, age, and moisture movement can all contribute to declining joint condition. In older NYC buildings, the original material and construction method also matter when determining what is appropriate.
Don't dig into the joint to test it. If material is already coming loose, further disturbance can make the damaged area worse.
A missing section between bricks deserves more attention than a superficial colour change. Open joints can provide pathways for water to enter the wall assembly, particularly on exposed elevations.
Once moisture gets behind the outer face, deterioration can extend beyond the area you can see. Look especially closely around parapets, window openings, corners, and other areas exposed directly to rain.
That chalky white material appearing on the face of a brick is commonly called efflorescence. It forms when water travels through masonry and carries dissolved salts toward the surface. As the water evaporates, the salts can remain behind as a white deposit.
Efflorescence doesn't automatically tell you where the water originated. The source may involve joints, flashing, coping, drainage, or another moisture pathway, so simply cleaning the surface may not address the underlying cause.
Spalling occurs when the outer surface of a brick begins to flake, chip, or break away. One possible cause is moisture entering the brick and freezing. As water freezes, it expands and can create pressure within the material. Repeated cycles can eventually cause the face to detach.
Look for exposed inner material, rough patches, flakes on ledges, or brick faces that appear noticeably different from surrounding units. If pieces are falling from an elevated façade, keep clear of the area and seek professional assessment rather than trying to remove additional material yourself.
A horizontal crack above a window or door deserves particular attention. The cause isn't necessarily the joint material itself. Steel lintels above openings can corrode over time, expand, and place pressure on the surrounding brickwork. Movement or other structural conditions can also create cracking.
Because the visible crack may only be one part of a larger issue, this is a situation where an inspection is more useful than simply filling the line. See our Lintel Repair page for more information about deterioration around masonry openings.
You don't need to become a masonry expert before asking for an assessment. Fine, isolated cracking can often be monitored when there are no other warning signs. However, crumbling joints, substantial gaps, loose brick, spalling, recurring moisture staining, or cracking around openings deserve closer attention.
Pay particular attention when several symptoms appear together. For example, white staining combined with open joints and deteriorating brick can tell a different story from a small cosmetic crack on an otherwise sound wall.
A professional can assess the accessible condition, identify areas that need closer examination, and determine whether the issue is localised or extends farther than it appears from ground level. If the affected area is on a multi-storey façade, don't attempt an elevated inspection yourself.
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Not necessarily. A fine isolated crack may reflect early weathering or movement rather than an immediate safety concern. However, monitor changes in width, length, or surrounding condition. If cracking is accompanied by open joints, loose material, brick damage, staining, or movement, arrange an assessment rather than relying on observation alone.
It is commonly efflorescence, caused by water moving through masonry and leaving dissolved salts on the surface as it evaporates. The residue itself doesn't identify the exact source of moisture. Finding that source may require examining joints, brickwork, flashing, coping, drainage, and other nearby components.
Small DIY repairs can create problems when the replacement material is incompatible with the existing wall. This is particularly important with older NYC masonry. A mix that is too hard, too dense, or otherwise unsuitable can affect how moisture moves through the wall and may damage surrounding historic brick over time. If you're unsure what you're dealing with, an assessment before making changes can prevent an inexpensive-looking fix from becoming a larger problem.
For broader joint deterioration, see our Brick Pointing & Repointing service page.
If you've noticed cracking, crumbling joints, open gaps, white staining, damaged brick, or deterioration around a window, you don't have to guess what it means. Get a free inspection and find out what you're actually looking at, how extensive the problem appears to be, and what should happen next.