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Brick Paving

Brick Paving Basics

Sep 15, 2023 · 4 min read
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Brick Paving

Lay It Right the First Time — Paving Basics

Everything you need to know before you put the first brick down. Base prep, excavation, sand — the stuff nobody tells you until it's too late.

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Brick Repair

Cracked Bricks Don't Fix Themselves — Spot It, Stop It

Your wall's talking to you. Cracks are a language. Learn to read them before they turn into real problems.

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Chimney Repair

Your Chimney Is Talking — Here's How to Listen

Efflorescence, mortar gaps, a leaning stack. Your chimney gives you signs. You just need to pay attention.

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Mortar & Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing Is an Art. Respect the Joint.

There's a right way and a wrong way to tuckpoint. My father taught me the right way. Now I'll teach you.

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Brick Paving

Brick Repair

Chimney Repair

Mortar & Tuckpointing

About the Mason

38 Years of Calloused Hands and Honest Work

My name's Frank Colletti. I've been laying bricks since I was twelve years old, standing next to my father on a scaffold in South Philly. He didn't ask if I wanted to learn. He just handed me a trowel and said, "Watch first. Then do." That was 1988. I haven't put the trowel down since.

As seasoned experts in the field of masonry, our mission is to empower everyone with the knowledge they need to make the most informed decisions. We strive to share our expertise so that you can confidently choose the best options for your brick and masonry projects — whether it's a simple paver walkway or a full chimney rebuild.

I've built fireplaces in homes that have been standing for 30 years. I've repaired chimneys on churches older than the country. Commercial, residential — doesn't matter. Brick is brick. The rules don't change. You either do it right or you do it twice.

This site is everything I know, written the way I'd say it to you on a job site. No fluff. No sponsored content. Just decades of dirt-under-the-fingernails experience, passed from my father to me, and now from me to you.

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