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Legendary Masonry Allentown installs brick veneers in Allentown, PA to give your home the look of solid brick without the added weight. We handle moisture details, flashing, and brick layout so your veneer stays straight, secure, and attractive for many years.
Legendary Masonry Allentown provides professional brick veneers throughout Allentown, PA, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call 484-284-5120 or request your free quote.
Brick veneers for Allentown homes and businesses
Brick veneers give you the look and feel of brick without the weight and cost of a full structural brick wall. Around Allentown, from West End single-family homes to older row homes near Center City and mixed-use buildings along Hamilton Street, brick veneers are a practical way to upgrade curb appeal, protect exterior walls, or add character indoors.
Legendary Masonry Allentown focuses on brick veneer installation that fits the way people in Lehigh County actually live. Our team evaluates your building’s existing structure, moisture conditions, and insulation so the veneer does more than just look good. We pay attention to details like how the veneer will meet your roofline, windows, basement walls, or existing siding, which is especially important on Allentown’s varied housing stock from early 1900s brick facades to newer vinyl-sided developments.
Whether you want to refresh a tired stucco facade on a South Allentown ranch, add a brick accent wall in a downtown condo, or wrap a new chimney or porch columns in brick, we tailor the veneer system to your property and to Pennsylvania’s freeze-thaw climate.
How professional brick veneer installation actually works
A proper brick veneer installation is a full system, not just bricks glued to a wall. Legendary Masonry Allentown begins with a site visit where we inspect your framing or masonry, identify any signs of water intrusion, and check that the wall can support the veneer and anchor system. On older Allentown homes, we often find missing flashing or hairline foundation cracks. These are documented and addressed before any veneers go up.
For exterior work over wood framing, we typically strip back to the sheathing when possible. We install a weather-resistant barrier, such as housewrap or building paper, then add a metal or composite drainage matrix if the design calls for it. We set through-wall flashing at the base of the veneer and above openings, then install weep holes so water that gets behind the brick veneers can safely drain out instead of soaking your framing.
We then lay out brick ties or adjustable anchors on a measured grid, fastening them through the sheathing into the studs. This keeps the veneer stable against wind loads that are common in more open parts of the Lehigh Valley. For interior veneers on concrete or block, we may use a combination of mechanical anchors and specialized masonry adhesives, depending on the structural engineer’s recommendations and the wall condition.
Once the support and moisture system are in place, we start setting bricks in mortar, checking level and plumb courses as we go. Joints are tooled to the profile you choose, then we clean the face of the bricks and inspect the full wall for consistent joint thickness, alignment, and proper weep detailing.
Brick veneer design options tailored to Allentown properties
Brick veneers can be customized heavily, and the right combination of brick, pattern, and joint style determines how natural and high-end the result looks. Legendary Masonry Allentown works with several regional suppliers in Pennsylvania so we can match or complement existing brick colors commonly seen in Allentown, like deep reds on older row homes, warmer brown tones in mid-century neighborhoods, and lighter blends used in newer developments in the suburbs.
You can choose from thin brick veneers, typically about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, which are ideal for interior accent walls, fireplace surrounds, or tight exterior clearances, and full-bed brick veneers, usually around 3 1/2 inches thick, for more traditional facades. Both can be installed in a variety of bond patterns, such as running bond for a classic look, stacked bond for a more modern style, or Flemish style patterns when matching historic details.
Mortar joint choices also strongly affect the final look. Raked joints emphasize the individual bricks, which can work well when you want to highlight color variation, while concave or V joints offer better weather resistance for exterior veneers that face repeated freeze-thaw cycles and road salt spray in winter. We often recommend slightly recessed or concave joints on street-facing walls in Allentown to reduce staining and water penetration.
We can also integrate brick veneers with other materials like stone, stucco, or fiber cement. This is useful when updating a partial front facade or creating a base brick wainscot on all four sides of a home, a common request when homeowners want more visual weight around the foundation without rebuilding full walls.
Costs, timelines, and what affects your brick veneer price
Homeowners in Allentown often ask why prices for brick veneers vary so much from project to project. Several concrete factors drive the cost. The first is surface area and accessibility. A straightforward single-story front facade with good access usually costs less per square foot than a three-story gable wall over steep terrain, which may require additional scaffolding and safety measures.
The condition of the existing wall is another major factor. If we discover rotted sheathing behind old siding, failing stucco, or loose block on an older row home, those repairs must be made to support the veneer long term. While this adds to the upfront cost, skipping it would create serious moisture and structural issues later. Legendary Masonry Allentown always separates preparation costs from veneer costs in our written proposals so you see exactly where your investment is going.
Your choice of brick veneer (thin versus full-bed units), brick brand, and any special shapes or corners will influence material pricing. Thin brick systems with proprietary panels or high-end imported brick will be more expensive than standard domestic clay bricks. Complex detailing around arched windows, bay windows, or chimneys adds labor hours, as does intricate pattern work.
Timeline depends on size and complexity, but as a reference, an average single-family front facade veneer project in Allentown might run from several days to a couple of weeks from start of demolition to final cleanup, assuming weather cooperation. We always discuss staging, dust control, and daily cleanup routines in advance so disruption to your household or business is limited.
Managing moisture, freeze-thaw, and other local issues
Allentown’s climate creates real challenges for poorly installed brick veneers. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles, heavy rain, and winter road salt spray can quickly damage veneer systems that were not detailed for drainage and movement. Legendary Masonry Allentown pays particular attention to flashing, weeps, and expansion joints so your veneer does not trap water or crack prematurely.
For exterior veneers in this part of Pennsylvania, we design a drainage plane behind the brick whenever the wall assembly allows it. This means a combination of weather barrier, air gap, flashing, and weeps that gives water a place to go instead of pushing into your insulation or framing. Around window and door openings, we carefully lap flashings with the housewrap and tie in metal sill pans or flexible flashings so you are protected from wind-driven rain.
Movement joints are another critical detail. Bricks and structural framing expand and contract differently as temperatures change. On long walls, tall gables, or where new brick veneers meet older masonry, we plan control joints and soft joints that absorb this movement. This is especially important on south and west facing walls in Allentown, which experience stronger sun and larger daily temperature swings.
We also talk with you about maintenance expectations. While brick veneers are low maintenance, they are not maintenance free. We recommend periodic inspection for chipped joints, hairline cracks around openings, and clogged weeps. When we install your veneer, we can schedule an optional follow-up inspection after the first winter to confirm the system is performing as intended.
Why work with Legendary Masonry Allentown for your brick veneers
Brick veneer installation affects both the appearance and the durability of your property, so the installer’s approach matters. Legendary Masonry Allentown combines local experience with hands-on project management. A masonry professional, not a generic salesperson, walks your property, identifies any risks specific to your building, and discusses realistic options before you sign anything.
We are familiar with the nuances of working on Allentown’s older brick and stone homes, post-war bungalows, and newer framed construction in surrounding neighborhoods. This helps us choose the right anchoring methods, flashing details, and veneer types for each structure instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all system.
During the project, we protect landscaping, walks, and neighboring properties, which can be close together in many Allentown blocks. We coordinate with any other contractors on site, such as window installers or roofers, so your new brick veneers integrate cleanly with their work. When we are finished, we clean the brick faces with appropriate solutions that will not damage the units or mortar and remove construction debris so you are left with a completed, usable space.
If you are considering brick veneers for your Allentown home or commercial building, we are ready to inspect your property, explain your options in straightforward terms, and provide a detailed written estimate that reflects real site conditions, not just a generic price per square foot.
