My 150 year old house has stairs that look like this, and we were quoted $8k to tear down and rebuild. Your video makes me think I can just repair the bad parts. Thanks for making it - you are a joy to watch and listen to!

I love watching an experienced tradesman practice his art! Thanks.

Mike, I passed along some of your knowledge to my wife recently. We were walking the dogs and someone patched a small piece of their concrete sidewalk and it's coming apart. I said, Honest Mike would say there are only three types of concrete patches in this area: those that are falling part, those that have already fallen apart, and those that will fall apart, to which she replied, "Who the hell is Honest Mike?" I can't wait til we run across a retaining wall! haha

Wish I could find a guy like this in SF, California! My back patio is a sheer mess and everyone here wants gigantic bucks for repair, if you can even find a true brick guy - who won’t cut corners and might actually care about their work. A new install would cost an entire fortune.

Mike I love your philosophy of repairing the cavity only, not a total tear down and rebuild. You make it look so simple. That's what pros do.

I have to fix some brick steps and this was the most helpful video I found anywhere. You explain things very clearly. .

You make it look so easy. Again! The fact that you did the job for free, just goes to show the true nature of you Sir. Can't wait for your next video.

I wish I could met u in person just so I can have the honor to shake ur hand. Ur knowledge and skill set does not go unnoticed.

Man Mikey do some great work!!! Probably watched almost every one of your videos so far.. That was nice of you to help out that older lady with her steps for free

can't wait to try this! my pops was quoted 5k to do some repair brick work! save him some money and I get to have a Zen moment working with my hands! thanks for the tips on mortar and mud!

This is my favorite video of yours!

I was watching this thinking.. He's doing this the quick, cheap way.. Not the right way.. turned out you did it for someone for nothing just to help them, and it should last a couple years or so. Nice thing for you to do Mike 👍.

FREE!!! Yiks.... Today I don't think there is another Mason alive who knows what a free job is. Mike, taking care of people is more than the job at hand.... That was a real nice thing to do... Proverbs 2:21

Mike, this is the only time I can say this and mean it as a total compliment: Great job making that patch look functional and as old and shitty as the rest of those brick steps! No one would know you were ever there without this video.

A free job, and you go back the next day to clean it up! Amazing

Nice patch up job that Mike plenty of life left in those steps. Lots of builders wouldn’t take the time to patch them up only quote a ridiculously high price to rebuild. Keep up the good work. All the best Pete (uk)

I love it. There are so many jobs that could be done quick and look like you were never there. 👍🏼 I will remember all these little tricks.

I enjoy your videos Mike. My wife and I were born and raised in Plymouth, PA but I joined the military after high school in the early 80s and we never moved back after I retired. We visit family there once a year. Wyoming Valley will always be in my heart. I toured pretty much all the castles and sights around the world you have been to and enjoy your travels. I have learned a lot from you. Love the mud trick. I hear you say hydraulic lime mortar doesn't last in PA. Here in Virginia we have a lot of old brick buildings built with old soft brick and if you use modern Portland mortar for repairs or re-pointing the brick will become sacrificial to the mortar and the brick will spall and in some cases disintegrate. As a rule of thumb here if a building was built before 1950 make sure you don't need to use hydraulic lime mortar. Don't you have problems using Portland based mortars like this up there on old turn of the century brick buildings? Make a video on why you should never paint old brick buildings please, lol. Brick needs to breath and weep.

The dirt in the mortar mix - pearl. I heard a story of a conservator expert that was overseeing a renovation of a 19th century farmhouse in Belgium. When the builder was raising the issue of the joint mix not really looking like the rest of the building, the conservator took a handfull of soil (mud) and tossed it into the mix and it came out perfect. The conservator explained to the builder that, at the time, builders did not have/use buckets to mix the mortar. They would dig a hole in the ground and mix lime and sand in that hole. So naturally there would be some local soil/mud in the mixture. (Mind blown) 🙂

I love the mud trick. The antiques trade has a similar one with hoover bag contents (best say no more).

Mike you are the man I learn so much every time I watch your videos. God bless you brother!!

This guy works for a living. Thumbs up.

Mike, thanks for all the useful movies you publish. After watching some of them i decided to patch on my own a chimney of mine. The chimney was build in the 80s and uses just regular clay bricks (no clinker), it has 4 ventilation ducts and one exhaust duct for my gas boiler (with stainless piping inside) - here in Poland most of chimneys are multi-ducted. Some weeks ago during my annual roof inspection I saw that some mortar is already gone so I decided to patch it up with some portland. It was not easy to find a nice ready-to-use mix, but I followed your tips and found something with more portland and less sand, to make the coating stronger. And I used your oldtimers bonding agent :) Thanks again for the good work you do!

We all need a Mike in our lives

Thank you for sharing, you just gave somebody confidence to do a repair. And laying out your repair, before you mix up mortar another great idea. You have a nack to teach. Your right with the brick hammer too, if you can wack a chunk of brick off, that far better than gettin dust all over, dragging out cords, finding some place to plug in oh boy.

I know who they will call when they need the next repair. Nice job.

I love dis guy.

About to do my own before appraisal. Love. The mud hack. Enjoyed the video. Thx!!

Helpful video - Mud trick was great for my old brick steps thanks !

You make it look easy Mike - Bravo!

Nicely done. Reliving to see that even a pro gets confused puzzling it back together. Also, minimizing the repair and hiding it is good inspiration. Keep going!

Hey Mike great video all common sense stuff like your technique very much thank you so much for your time and effort. Guys like you make KZfaq an awesome resource for us novices

Love the mud trick Mike! So obvious but never occured to me - brilliant. Your videos have inspired me to do several projects this Spring. Gracias!

VERY NICE JOB

Didn’t want to tackle my own steps until watching your video. Now my daughter thinks I’m a genius.

How is it your videos are actually soothing to watch? It's masonry not a relaxation video. Don't need to do this job but the tricks are always cool to watch. I've done the adding of Portland to Quikrete's Quick Set as well. You must have done this in another vid I viewed 'cause I'm not brave enough to make things up on my own. Thanks Mike, always a treat to watch.

The Bob Ross of Masonry

Great video Mike! I especially enjoyed this one because I have the same brick steps that I have to repair also. Thanks again for the advice!

I like the mix. More forgiving on time with the rapid set. Thanks.

Thanks Mike. I have to patch my sister's steps and will use your mix. Should work well in Boston. The mud trick will finish it nicely. Most helpful...

Thank you Mike 🌻

Thanks, gonna try today, amateur style, gotta try!

I LOVE the way you explain all this..off 2 try & fix my front step!!

Doing that for free was a really nice thing to do Mike....peace to ya.

Great job Mike

Thanks Mike -

Great video 10*** Exactly what I need to do next week!

It being Halloween, I'm thinking that you are the Dr. Frankenstein of masons. You take something old and tired and bring it back to life.

Very nice explained thank you

Wonderful work Mike

Amazing

What a puzzle that job was Mike. Very interesting approach to the lay out and design before the setting. Most of our steps in Western PA are stone. Not so many brick work. I guess it's more frequently found on the Eastern Coast. I know many homes and business in the Carolina's use brick with their more moderate weather and temperatures. BTW many of my work shoes look just like yours.

Great to watch and learn.

Consult a pro? I can't afford that, besides, your video was free and very informative.

Thanks for keeping the videos going!

Of all the step designs in the wold, I wouldn’t have picked a sideways-brick type. It seems dangerous, prone to failures and is ugly. But Mike sure does fix it up good. Appreciate your work mike, entertaining with that old school can-do attitude.

Keep the videos coming Mike!

Mike, your videos gave me the confidence to repair the brick steps in front of our house. It took me a few days but they now look great. However, living in NJ I know it won't last. My wife does not want any stone on top. Do you think a sealer will help protect the brick and mortar from winter weather? Thompson's Water Seal says it is made for brick. Thanks again for your great videos.

Mud trick...Thank you very much!

Nice Job Mike!

I’m learning.

that was nice of you! and a nice job too. I bet you're good at jigsaw puzzles too lol.

"The Joy of Stone Masonry"

We have those same type of brick steps on the front of our house here in Baltimore...and they are falling apart as well...will be tearing out the brick treads and replacing with poured concrete...should last forever afterwards...brick treads in our area dont last very long and eventually fall apart.

Nice work mike!

Hi, thought this might be the right place: We have some stairs I've been fixing for last two seasons. First a few bricks came off in the thaw after winter, then I patched them up in the summer. Then, in the winter a new set of bricks came loose in a rough ring around the bricks I'd fixed. So again in the spring I fixed those, making sure to really pull hard on all the bricks to make sure they werent loose. Now after frost is gone, the dammed bricks went loose again, again the ones right around the ones I'd fixed. They've held up for many years (Likely built with the house in the 40's, but we've only owned the house for 5 years or so. I cant see any other repair jobs other than mine, so I think they held up really well before these last three years. What should I do, fix it again to just hope it'll hold up (Were talking 9 bricks or so) or just get a mason to come re-do it completely? Loved this video, all the best from Denmark 🇩🇰

Thanks Mike !

Great job.. good for s couple more years

fantastic info free

Lol 😂 Don’t forget your Cardboard

I NEVER re-use the brick anymore (without pressure washing them). Years ago, everytime I tried to be a nice guy and re-use the bricks to save the homeowner a few dollars, I ended having to come back 8 to 10 months later to re-do it. I find that scrubbing with water and a sponge and/or wire brushing and vacuuming, or blowing with compressed air does not get all the dirt and dust out of the pores of the brick, and the mortar will not stay bonded to the brick. And not long after there's hairline cracks where the mortar meets the brick. Sometimes just blowing with compressed-air works, but nothing insures a good job better than pressure-washing and then either vacuum or blow out with compressed-air. To get a permanent good solid mortar to brick bond. or just getting new bricks. ..That's been my experience.

Your the man!

Yo he shoes are done!!!!

Always enjoy your style and advice. Thanks for the video Ever think of being a voc teacher?

Your sneakers look like my Romeo boots look like that, let me know when honest mike has his Christmas shoe sale. Keep up the good work have learned a lot, form your knowledge.

nice!! love ur work

No big deal I gotta have a signed shirt !!

I thought I heard Honest Jardy in the background. Thanks for sharing.

Mike ,I really appreciate the mud paste technique. I have been using it and it works great. Quick question: Do you happen to know why on brick steps so many times,the mortar joint will crack on the third brick....sometimes all the way from top to the bottom on both sides? I think it has to do with when we build our leads on both sides before filling in the middle,but not positive.

you forgot to show us how you cleaned and wet everything well before laying the concrete mixture. Also putting the bricks in water for a few minutes before layering them should help making the whole structure stronger, right?

How Mike! I am in LI NY and the mix you use for your area I would like to know would I use the same thing in NY since our weather is basically the same. There are a few steps (4) that needs to be repaired. Do you have any recommendations on what to use when the snow comes, since the salt is the problem that bricks loosen? Thank you in advance!

So yae Ain't won the Lorttery yet then Mike,Great Video

Man you deserve new working shoes.

Hey, who are you? The Mike H I know, wets it first "I don't want to wet it" why not wet the base area first? or even dunk immerse (wet) bricks first? How fast is the set/cure time on this mix? Visually looks nice . Really like the mud paint stain idea.

Nice of you to do that for her for free.

Nice patch job and kind gesture. I was thinking about tackling my steps all old 1900s bricks and it was suggested to me never to patch steps but to do every brick. Is there a reason for that?

Mike ,,, if I add a shovel of portland to one bag of mortar mix, is this essentially type m? Good for at or below grade? Thanks

Hi Mike, I recently resurfaced my front step after watching one of your videos. I used the quikrete sand top, and it turned out pretty good. I have had to do it in stages due to my work schedule. I did the other half of the side of the step yesterday afternoon. It turned out great, but today it's raining all day. Can I smooth it out once the rain stops? Or do I have to start over. Thanks! Love the videos.

Mike "Portland" Haduck

Just curious as to why you didn’t even out all the cracks with more mortar?????

Hi Mike - I did the mud trick yesterday. I checked on my concrete pad patch and despite being painted with mud, the patch dried a bright bright white. Can I do the mud trick again or once the patch has cured it's too late? What are my options b/c the white patch is an eye store when the rest of the pad is weather/old dark tan/gray'ish (original pad from the 1960's)

How come you didn’t wet everything down before adding mortar?

Mike what's ur preference to clean up the mortar stains after pointing up?

I have some similar brick steps to repair but they're not quite as bad. The eaves have been dripping on the steps and breaking down the mortar between them. Are there any other options other than the limestone caps that you've shown in other videos that could help prevent this? Or is it just inevitable without those caps?

Here in the UK we have stopped doing a recessed finish , because the weather destroys it Mainly half round joint finish or also known as bucket handle finish To be honest you dont even have to be a Mason to understand that having a recessed finish on the steps is very silly as the weather will kill it no matter how hard the brick is Does my head in

How do create a sturdy base under one row of bricks I’ll replace, where the cinder bocks have unevenly eroded?

What mix do you use for repointing? and do you use lime or do you just use Portland cement with building sand?

Mike, have you ever met a mason who put water in the pan first, before any of the dry?

Why would customers require the mud trick anyway? New is fancy.

I love #mhsoott