Solvay / Lintel repair
Cracked brick above a Solvay window: lintel repair and what to ask
A crack that steps up from the corner of a window or door, sometimes with a rust stain, can point to a problem with the support above the opening. For lintel repair in Solvay, send a photo and ask what the lintel is made of.
Tell us what you see on the wall
We help you get the repair priced by separate local masonry contractors, and tell you what to ask them first.
Three things to say before you hear a price
Say them on the phone or at the wall. The answers show how a mason works.
What is the lintel made of?
Rusting steel can lift the brick above it.
How is it flashed, and where are the weep holes?
Flashing sends water out before it reaches the steel.
Will you fill the crack, or treat the steel first?
Filling a crack alone does not stop the rust behind it.
$100 off your first job
Book your first repair through us and take $100 off.
The $100 comes out of our fee; the mason's price stays the same.
Each customer gets one credit per property.
Book the first repair by December 31, 2026, to use it.
Say you hold the credit as you book; we confirm it before work starts.
The Soft Joint promise
- Asking us is free, and asking never ties you to anything.
- We never charge you for the introduction.
- Your $100 credit is honored exactly as our Terms say.
- If an introduction goes wrong, we help you sort it out.
The masonry work is between you and the mason you hire.
Masonry Contractors Syracuse, (315) 640-3590
Quick answers for a Solvay wall
Does a window crack mean the wall is failing?
A crack alone cannot tell you. Growth, rust or a row out of level are reasons to call a mason promptly. Send dated photos.
How is a lintel found?
The mason looks at the opening, taps the brick, and may open a section to see the steel. Ask how they will find out on your wall.
Is a steel lintel better than stone?
It depends on your wall. Ask the mason which material suits it and how it will be protected from rust.
What points to lintel repair in a Solvay house
A stair-step from the corner
The crack follows mortar joints and climbs from the corner of an opening, sometimes on one side only.
Rust bleeding through
Orange or brown stain at the crack suggests steel behind the brick is corroding.
A sagging line above a door
Brick above a door or garage opening that dips or bulges can point to a push from behind or lost support. Do not stand or park beneath a dipping or bulging course, and have a mason see it promptly.
Cracks on every opening
If many windows show the same crack, the wall's design or age may be the cause, not one bad lintel.
- The steel
The steel angle that carries the brick over the opening.
- The rust
Rust forming on the steel.
- The course
A row of brick over the opening, lifted out of level.
- The crack
A stair-step crack climbing from the corner of the opening.
- The flashing
The sheet that should send water out above the steel.
What hides above a Solvay window
The Census records no lintel types, so whether your house has steel, stone or wood over each opening is a question for the mason. Older houses can hide steel that has corroded out of sight, and the early 1900s is the era engineers flag, so ask what spans your opening.
The National Park Service says cracking around openings comes from failing arches, sagging wood lintels and steel lintels that rust. So the first job for a mason is to find out what is up there.
Ask: how will you tell what my lintel is made of? The parts are named in what a crack above a window means.
Basis: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, B25034, Solvay village NPS, Common Problems with Brick Masonry
How rust turns a lintel into a lever
Engineers at Wiss, Janney, Elstner say rust scale can fill 10 times the space of the steel it replaces. The expansion can crack and spall the brick next to it, and the process is called rust jacking.
The Brick Industry Association says steel lintels in harsh climates should be galvanized, and unprotected steel needs periodic maintenance. It also calls for continuous flashing over a lintel, draining out through weepholes at lintel level.
Ask the mason whether a new lintel will be galvanized and flashed. Ask who will put the brick back above it and how the wall will be held while the old steel comes out.
Why filling the lintel crack is only a pause
If the steel is still rusting, mortar pressed into the crack will push out again. Worse, the patch can trap the water that was draining. Ask for the repair to start at the lintel, and ask the mason to explain in plain words what they will open up to see it.
Photograph the crack up close and from across the street. Put a coin beside it for scale and write the date, so you can show the same thing to every mason you call.
The village Code Enforcement Office at Village Hall can tell you whether the work needs a permit. If it does, the application asks your mason for a cost estimate and coverage papers, or an exemption form.
If the brick around the opening is flaking as well, see brick replacement in Solvay.
The other repairs for Solvay walls
In Solvay
Next door to Solvay
Know the steel before anyone fills the crack.