Figure 1.

This crack was injected with a fine cement grout to restore

material continuity through the masonry. Note that the grout has
seeped into a very thin bond-line delamination between the brick and
mortar, closing a potential pathway for moisture infiltration.

Masonry repair by

GROUT INJECTION
Use this process to reduce moisture penetration or strengthen walls
By Wayne Ruth and Michael Schuller

Applications

rout injection has gained

popularity in recent years
as an effective method for
repairing or strengthening masonry walls.Thiswell-researched
technique involves low-pressure
injection of fine cement-based
grout into cracks, voids, collar
joints, or cavities within masonry.
The concept is not altogether
new: Following the 1886 Charleston, S.C., earthquake, the citys
News and Courier reported that
liquid cement was f o rc e d into
cracks that had opened in the
walls o fS t . Michaels church,
bonding the masonry materials
together more firmly than before they were cracked (Ref. 1).
Over the years, grout injection
methods were developed
through laboratory testing and
commercial use.

Today, grout injection has seve r a la p p l i c a t i o n s :t o repair a n dh a l t

the spread of cracks; to increase a
buildings resistance to moisture
penetration; and to strengthen
retrofitted buildings, particularly
historic structures and those in
seismic areas.
Crack control. Left unchecked,
cracks can sometimes threaten a
buildings structural integrity, as
well as allow moisture to penetrate into a wall system; so it is
usually beneficial to repair them.
Grout injected into a crack not only blocks the moisture path, but
also restores material continuity
across the crack. Cracks as narrow as 0.007 inch can be injected
with micro-fine cement slurries,
and those 0.020 inch or more in
width are commonly repaired by
grout injection (Figure 1).
Moisture resistance. Moisture
penetrating into masonry can

cause efflorescence and staining

and lead to further damage and
deterioration. Masonry wall systems still are sometimes designed

Figure 2. This wall system was designed for composite action between the concrete block backup
and brick veneer; however, the
collar joint was left unfilled, resulting in a structurally marginal and
leaky wall. Grout injected into
empty joints shows as a gray material, effectively filling empty collar
and head joints to bond the wall together as one component and provide an effective barrier against
moisture penetration.

and built without adequate drainage space behind the exterior

wythe or veneer and without the
proper combination of flashing
and weep holes. Water can enter
these walls and eventually reach
the inside surface through voids
in head and bed joints and partially filled collar joints, as well as
through cracks.
Research is currently being conducted by Atkinson-Noland & Associates to determine what effect
filling interior voids and empty
mortar joints with grout has on a
walls moisture resistance. Preliminary results show that an injected collar joint is an effective barrier to moisture penetration and
eliminates moisture transfer to
the inside wall surface (Figure 2).
Future tests will examine the results of grouting improperly built
cavity wall systems, effectively
turning cavity walls into barrier
walls.
Strengthening masonry structures. Many older masonry buildi n g sa re being retrofittedforchange
of use or to upgrade their seismic
performance. Most of these older
structures were constructed using high-quality face brick or stone
on the facade and lower quality
common brick or rubble for interior wythes. Connection between
wythes often was poor, and internal joints normally were not filled.
Over time, these joints and header courses have deteriorated.
G ro u t injected into internal
voids and cavities strengthens
masonry by bonding together all
parts of the wall (Figure 3). This
increases structural integrity and
overall stability, which improves
resistance to seismic forces. Parapets, veneers, bearing walls, and
shear walls can be strengthened
using the technique.
G ro u t injection is especially
useful for restoring or stabilizing
historic structures because the
technique does not alter a buildings appearance. Special grouts,
formulated to be compatible with
archaic building materials, increase masonrys durability and
overall s e rv i c e life by bonding
wythes together and reducing
moisture infiltration. Research

projects conducted by the University of Colorado (Figure 4) and

the University of Texas at Austin
(under way) have demonstrated
that grout injection is an effective
method for repairing seismic damage and strengthening existing
wall systems.
Because of improper design or
construction, newer buildings
sometimes need to be strengthened, as well. Horizontal steel reinforcement can be added by means
of slots routed in bed joints or in
holes drilled into interior wythes.
Grout then is injected around
the new reinforcement, which
bonds the steel to the surrounding masonry.

tion at randomly selected locations. Evaluate the ability of the

wall ties to resist injection pressure (Ref. 2).

Surface repairs
Using mortar, epoxy, or another
material capable of resisting injection pressure, seal any discovered
surface cracks and voids to contain the grout. Give special attention to masonry around windows,
d o o r s ,a n do t h e rw a l lp e n e t r a t i o n s .
Replace masonry units that
show serious damage, such as extensive cracking or spalling. And
rake and repoint deficient mortar
joints not likely to withstand injection pressures (Ref. 2).

Examine each case

Grout injection is not applicable to every situation. Each case
must be considered carefully by
an experienced engineer to ensure that the repair procedure is
compatible with the existing masonry system. It is especially important that existing movement
joints remain clear of grout, to permit thebuilding to re s p o n dt ot h e rmal s t r a i n sa n d othermovement.

Grout mixes
Custom-formulated for each application, grout mix designs include different types and proportions of portland cement, fly ash,
lime, and admixtures. To fill larger voids, a fine sand aggregate
would be added to the grout mix.
The mixture must be prepared
carefully to ensure a fluid grout
that can penetrate into fine cracks
and fissures, yet resist segregation and shrinkage. Some projects
require multiple grout mixes to
achieve the desired results.

Building evaluation
Before injection begins, assess
the exterior condition of each
wall area to be repaired. Note any
surface cracks, missing mortar,
spalled units, or other visible damage that could have an impact on
grout confinement or the injection
process.
Use a fiber optic instrument to
examine the internal wall condi-

Figure 3. This marble facade, detached from its brick backup, was
in danger of collapsing into the
street. The facade was first pinned
to the backup wythes with steel
ties. Grout injected between the facade and backup further stabilized
the facade and increased its moisture penetration resistance.

Injection procedures
W h e na p p l i e dc o rrectly, t h eg ro u t
injection process can strengthen
masonry while preserving a buildings appearance. Observe the
following general guidelines to
prevent damage to the masonry
during injection. Remember that
each application is unique, and
procedures must be modified to

fulfill project objectives.

Injection holes. Grout is injected through holes drilled to intercept cracks and internal cavities.
Use the smallest diameter holes
p o s s i b l e ,d r i l l e di n t om o rt a rj o i n t s ,
to prevent chipping and damaging
masonry units. Hole diameters as
small as 14 inch have been used
for injecting g ro u t in masonry
built with thin mortar joints. A
properly formulated sanded grout
can be injected through holes up
to 12 inch in diameter.
Injection hole spacings will vary.
For injecting very fine cracks,
space holes as close as 4 inches
on center. Use a spacing of up to
32 inches on center for injecting
open collar joints and large void
spaces.
Water flushing. In the eight
hours before grout injection begins, remove dust and clean internal surfaces by flushing all injection holes with water. Regulate
water pressure to be less than 10
psi. Starting at the top of the repair area, use as little water as
necessary to flush dust and debris downward. Continue working
down the wall until you reach the
second row from the bottom, and
the water flowing from the bottom
holes is clear.
Injecting grout. To p re v e n td a mage while strengthening already
fragile masonry, use a grout pump
capable of limiting the pressure to
about 8 to 10 psi. For collar joint
injection, begin grouting holes at
the base of the wall and proceed
to the top, moving across the wall
horizontally and then upward.
Plug holes after grout has flowed
from them.
Use low lift heightsabout 2
feet or lessto prevent wall blowouts. Make sure the project engineer analyzes each situation to
p ro v i d eg u i d a n c eo nt h e proper lift
height. You know youve reached
this level when grout flows from
one or more holes at the designated lift height. Allow the grout
to stiffen before continuing with
the next lift.
F o l l o w i n gi n j e c t i o n ,s i m p l yp o i n t
the holes with mortar to restore
the masonry to its original appearance. Quality control is main-

Figure 4. This shear wall was heavily damaged by seismic loads during laboratory testing. The strength and stiffness of the wall was restored by injecting a
cement-based grout into the cracks. As a result of filling empty collar joints
and other voids in interior wythes, walls repaired by grout injection actually
showed an increase in lateral strength of about 5% to 10% over the undamaged wall.

tained through standard flow tests

and observation of g ro u t flow
from adjacent injection holes.
After the grout has hardened,
verify grout coverage using nondestructive testing or a fiber optic
borescope.
Wall cleaning. During injection,
any grout spills should be cleaned
from the masonry surface immediately using a water hose. After
completing the injection process,
use water and a stiff nonmetallic
brush to remove any remaining
surface stains.

More thorough repairs

Masonry repair no longer has to
be skin deep, only reaching as far
as the mason pushes in the mortar with a jointer. Grout injection
produces substantial repairs that
can turn back the clock on old
b u i l d i n g so rs t a rt t h ec l o c ko nn e wer, initially flawed buildings.
Wayne Ruth, a masonry contractor, is president of Hunt Valley, Md.-based Masonry Solutions and Hunt Valley Masonry. Michael
Schuller, a structural engineer, is president
of Atkinson-Noland & Associates in Boulder,
Colo. They have f o rm e d a strategic alliancethe Atkinson-Noland/Masonry Solutions teamto repair masonry by g ro u t
injection.

Mike Carter, a mason with Masonry

Solutions, checks for grout flow.
References
1. Robert P. Stockton, The Great Shock,
1986, Southern Historical Press, Easley,
S.C.
2 .M i c h a e l P. S c h u l l e ra n dC l a y f o rd T. Grimm,
Masonry Repair by Grout Injection, June
2-5, 1996, pages 449-457, Proceedings of
the Seventh North American Masonry Conference, University of Notre Dame, South
Bend, Ind.
3. R. Manzouri, P.N. Shing, B. Armadei, M.
Schuller, and R. Atkinson, Repair and
Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Walls: Experimental Evaluation and Finite Element
Analysis, University of Colorado Report
Number CU/SR-9512, November 1995,
University of Colorado at Boulder.

PUBLICATION #M960409
Copyright 1996, The Aberdeen Group, All rights reserved