Masonry Walls: ‘Flashed’ before your eyes

As we all know, the economic downfall is not directly related to how we individually run our businesses. It does, however, create opportunities for our businesses to be operated differently. For example, our yards no longer have surplus wall wire, anchors, or rolls of flashing lying around, and I’ll bet the payrolls are smaller than desired. We are all affected by this, and we have to work through it. We have to be a bit stronger and a bit smarter than before, so we can look back on this tough time later.

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A good mason contractor understands that the value engineering he brings to the table must work, or the savings are not worth the efforts; long-term weather can challenge the best design; and workmanship still prevails as his most valued asset to a project.

Masonry walls vary in widely from the past, thanks to engineered rain screen systems, cast stone, precast stone, and natural stone veneers as well as many types of brick, concrete masonry units (CMU) and unlimited variations that combine materials. Today’s masonry walls are similar to those in the past as well. We still need to manage water infiltration and create pathways for the water to return to the exterior of the building in a timely fashion. As a mason contractor, this is important, since this is, in part, the area from where many call backs stem.

 

There are many means for water to enter the walls of our projects. In restoration projects, it becomes an opportunity to repair a wall. In new construction, it becomes a goal to keep out of the wall. In either case, the mason needs to gain access to a cavity as his starting point.

Flashings are familiar to masons, since we install them using propriety systems, and we install them conventionally. Flashings, when performed correctly, are usually a built-in job cost for the contractor in labor, scaffolding/equipment and gathering of various materials. For the mason, the choice of what to use and who installs the flashing in the field is a decision that becomes important for a cost accounting point of the task.

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