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Legendary Masonry St Louis installs commercial brick veneer systems for buildings across St Louis, MO. We work with engineered brick cladding over steel, concrete, and stud framing to create attractive and durable exteriors. Our crew follows manufacturer specifications to manage drainage and movement joints correctly.
Legendary Masonry St. Louis provides professional commercial brick veneer throughout St Louis, MO, Missouri and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call 314-788-7849 or request your free quote.
Commercial Brick Veneer Systems for St. Louis Businesses
Commercial brick veneer gives St. Louis buildings the look and durability of masonry without the weight and cost of full brick construction. At Legendary Masonry St. Louis, we design and install brick veneer systems that handle local freeze-thaw cycles, heavy rain, and Midwestern temperature swings while still meeting strict commercial codes.
A brick veneer system is not just a thin layer of brick glued to a wall. It is a complete wall assembly that includes structural backup, anchors, air and moisture barriers, drainage cavities, insulation, and the brick face itself. When each piece is laid out correctly, you get a facade that looks like traditional brick, protects the structure, and performs reliably for decades.
Our team focuses on combining the appearance you want for your storefront, office, or multi-family building with details that keep water out, prevent efflorescence, and minimize maintenance. We work closely with owners, architects, and general contractors across the St. Louis metro to make sure the veneer ties in properly with windows, doors, parapets, and existing structures.
How We Design a Commercial Brick Veneer System That Works in St. Louis
Every commercial brick veneer project starts with a site visit and a review of the existing structure or plans. For new construction, Legendary Masonry St. Louis reviews architectural drawings, structural notes, and specification sections for masonry, air barriers, and flashings. For retrofit work, we examine the existing wall, measure out-of-plumb areas, check for previous leaks, and identify where we can anchor safely into the backup.
From there, we select an anchoring system to match the wall type. On steel stud walls we typically use adjustable veneer anchors fastened into the studs at code-compliant spacing. On concrete or CMU backup walls we often use screw-in or expansion type anchors designed to handle veneer loads and local wind conditions. For multi-story buildings in downtown St. Louis or near the river, we factor in higher wind exposure when we plan anchor patterns.
We also plan the cavity and drainage. In our climate, a minimum 1 inch air space is standard, but we often recommend 1 1/2 inches with a drainage mat or mortar collection device. This allows water that gets behind the veneer to drop to the flashing and exit through weeps. We coordinate flashing elevations with floor lines, window heads, and shelf angles for structural steel so the system can move and drain correctly rather than trapping moisture in the wall.
Step-by-Step Installation of Commercial Brick Veneer
On site, we begin by preparing the backup wall. If you already have sheathing and framing in place, we inspect fasteners, joints, and any existing air or vapor barrier. We look for gaps, tears, or penetrations that will need detailing. On retrofits, we often remove old sealants or loose materials so anchors and flashings can be attached to solid substrates.
Next we install or coordinate the air and moisture barrier. In many St. Louis projects this is a fluid-applied membrane or a self-adhered sheet. We pay close attention to transitions at window openings, slab edges, and existing masonry tie-in points so the barrier is continuous. This step matters more in our humid summers, when small gaps can quickly lead to condensation and hidden mold.
Once the barrier is inspected and approved, we lay out and install veneer anchors in a grid pattern tailored to the brick size and coursing. We fasten them to studs, CMU, or concrete with hardware specified for the project. After anchors are in place, we set flashing at the base of the wall, above openings, and at shelf angles. We turn the flashing up the backup, lap it properly with the air barrier, and install end dams at terminations so water cannot run off the edge and into the wall.
With the foundation of the system in place, we begin brick installation. Our masons string lines to keep courses straight and level, adjust bond patterns around corners and openings, and leave proper gaps for control and expansion joints. We place weep devices at regular intervals along flashing lines. Throughout the process we monitor cavity cleanliness, trimming excess mortar so it does not bridge across the air space and block drainage.
Material and Design Options for Your Brick Veneer Facade
St. Louis commercial clients choose brick veneer systems for both appearance and performance. Legendary Masonry St. Louis helps you understand exactly what is available so you do not overpay for features you do not need or end up with a product that ages poorly in our climate.
Brick options include modular, utility, and Norman sizes, as well as thin brick for certain engineered systems. For busy streets like South Grand or Delmar, owners often prefer darker or variegated colors that hide soot and general urban grime. For medical offices or schools, lighter earth tones with a uniform finish can give a cleaner, more institutional look. We can create patterns with soldier courses at window heads, rowlock sills, or accent bands in contrasting colors.
Mortar selection also matters. Type N is common for veneer, but for taller structures or areas with higher structural loads, we may specify Type S. Color additives can be used to blend or contrast with the brick. In St. Louis, where snow and ice sometimes sit at the base of walls, we pay attention to mortar durability at grade and at areas subject to deicing salts.
Behind the brick, we can work with several system types: traditional cavity walls with steel studs and exterior sheathing, CMU backup with continuous insulation, or engineered panelized veneer systems for tight downtown sites. Each has different cost, speed, and performance tradeoffs. We walk you through these so the system fits your budget, construction schedule, and long-term maintenance expectations.
Common Problems We Solve in St. Louis Brick Veneer Buildings
Many of our commercial veneer calls are for buildings that were constructed 15 to 40 years ago, when drainage and air barriers were not always installed with modern best practices. Owners notice water staining on interior drywall, efflorescence streaks on the exterior, or brick cracking around windows. Legendary Masonry St. Louis is often brought in to investigate, identify the cause, and either correct the existing system or design a replacement.
Typical issues we see in the St. Louis region include missing or poorly installed flashing over window heads, no weeps at shelf angles, mortar packed tightly in the cavity, and anchors that have corroded or pulled loose from their backup. Winter freeze-thaw cycles can also cause faceshell spalling on lower courses where water collects. On some 1980s and 1990s projects, we find that the veneer was installed directly over gypsum sheathing without an effective air and moisture barrier, which leads to rot and mold.
When we correct these problems, we start with selective demolition in test areas. We document what we find and propose targeted repairs, such as adding new flashing with surface-mounted reglets, installing retrofit weeps, or replacing isolated sections of deteriorated veneer while reinforcing the connection to the backup wall. For more severe failures, especially on high traffic retail facades, we may recommend a full tear-off of the veneer and redesign of the wall assembly to meet current codes and performance standards.
By approaching repair and new work with the same attention to drainage, movement, and structural attachment, we help St. Louis owners avoid repeating the same failures and extend the life of their facades.
Cost, Scheduling, and What to Ask Before You Hire
The cost of a commercial brick veneer system in St. Louis depends on several factors: wall height, access, the type of backup structure, brick and mortar selections, detailing around windows and doors, and whether the project is new construction or a retrofit. Ground-level veneer on an open site with straightforward detailing will be less costly per square foot than multi-story work in tight urban conditions that requires lifts, scaffolding, and complex flashing transitions.
During estimating, Legendary Masonry St. Louis breaks out unit costs for brick veneer installation, air and moisture barrier, flashings, anchors, and any demolition or repair of existing walls. On retrofits, we often include allowances for concealed conditions, such as replacing corroded shelf angles or reinforcing deteriorated CMU backup. We will explain what is fixed price and what depends on what we discover when the veneer is opened up.
For scheduling, we consider weather windows, especially for winter work. Mortar and air barriers should not be installed below certain temperatures unless cold weather procedures are used. In St. Louis, this often means planning major veneer work for spring through fall, or budgeting for tenting and heating in colder months. We coordinate closely with your general contractor so that framing, window installation, and masonry sequences avoid overlaps that can compromise the air barrier or create rework.
Before hiring any masonry contractor for commercial brick veneer, you should ask to see details of at least one similar project in the St. Louis area, including how they handled flashings, shelf angles, movement joints, and air barriers. Ask what testing or inspections they use, such as pull tests for anchors or water infiltration testing where practical. Legendary Masonry St. Louis welcomes these questions and is ready to walk you through how we will protect your building while giving it a brick appearance that reflects well on your business for years to come.
