Commercial Brick Veneer Systems in Lansing, MI

We install commercial brick veneer systems in Lansing, MI for new buildings and renovations. Our crews are experienced with cavity wall veneers, support angles, flashing, and expansion joints to keep your facade attractive and watertight.

Superior Masonry Lansing provides professional commercial brick veneer throughout Lansing, MI, Michigan and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call (517) 289-4333 or request your free quote.

Commercial Brick Veneer Systems for Lansing Businesses

Commercial brick veneer is not just a facing material. On a commercial building in Lansing, it is a weather screen, part of your brand image, and a line item that affects long term maintenance costs. Superior Masonry Lansing installs and repairs commercial brick veneer systems that are designed around Michigan’s freeze and thaw cycles, wind exposure, and local code requirements.

A modern brick veneer system is usually a single wythe of brick tied to a structural backup wall made of steel studs with sheathing, concrete block, or cast in place concrete. The brick is not the main structure, it is a protective and decorative skin. What matters is how that brick is supported at each floor, how it is tied back to the backup wall, and how water that gets behind it is drained back out.

If you own or manage an office building, retail strip center, school, church, or medical facility in the Lansing area, you will typically see brick veneer at the entry features, columns, parapet walls, or full height facades. Superior Masonry Lansing starts by looking at how your existing structure is framed, how much insulation you need to meet Michigan Energy Code, and how people actually use the building. Then we match the veneer design to those conditions instead of just copying a detail from a catalog.

How a Commercial Brick Veneer System Is Built

A proper commercial brick veneer installation follows a clear sequence. First, the backup wall is prepared. On steel stud or wood framed walls, this means installing sheathing and a continuous air and water barrier, then flashing and sheet metal at window heads, base of wall, and roof to wall transitions. On CMU or concrete, we clean the surface and apply fluid or sheet membrane where required.

Next, we plan structural support. Brick veneer must bear on something solid every floor or two, usually masonry shelf angles or brick ledges poured into the slab edge. In multi story buildings around Lansing, Superior Masonry Lansing often works directly with the structural engineer to locate hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel shelf angles that anchor into the slab or spandrel beams. At these lines we install thru wall flashing and weep systems so any water that reaches the cavity can exit.

After the support is in place, we install veneer anchors. For framed walls these are corrugated or adjustable anchors spaced typically at 16 inches horizontally and 16 inches vertically, or as the engineer specifies. For CMU backup we drill and epoxy anchors if they were not cast in. The anchor selection changes with wind exposure. For open sites along I 96 or near the Lansing airport we use heavier gauge anchors and sometimes reduce spacing to meet higher design pressures.

Only after this prep do we lay brick. We maintain a ventilated cavity, usually 1 to 2 inches between the veneer and backup, so that water can drain and the wall can dry. We tool joints tightly to shed water, install control joints where the engineer and architect call them out, and cover work at the end of each day so fresh mortar is not saturated by unexpected rain or snow.

Brick, Mortar, and Cavity Options That Matter in Mid Michigan

Material choices on a commercial brick veneer have real consequences in Lansing’s climate. Brick units range from standard modular through utility and Norman sizes. Larger units can reduce labor cost because they cover more area per brick, but they increase the weight on shelf angles. Superior Masonry Lansing looks at the mix of brick size, texture, and bond pattern so you get a design that can actually be built on schedule.

Face brick can be smooth, wire cut, tumbled, or glazed. Darker colors tend to show efflorescence more if the wall is not detailed to drain water correctly, so we take that into account around ground level and at areas that get heavy snow splashback from plows. For many Lansing retail projects we combine two or three complementary brick colors to break up long walls without increasing complexity in the cavity design.

Mortar is not one size fits all. For typical commercial veneer we often use Type N or Type S, depending on the structural requirements and exposure. Joints can be concave, V joint, or flush. Concave or V tooled joints are better for water shedding, which is important on wind driven rain sides of a building, for example west facing elevations that take weather off Lake Michigan systems.

Behind the brick, you can choose traditional ventilated cavity with rigid insulation on the backup wall, or a drained and ventilated continuous insulation system that puts mineral wool or foam boards in the cavity. Local energy codes and your heating bills often dictate this choice. In downtown Lansing, where property lines are tight, we often recommend continuous insulation to hit R value targets without thickening the exterior walls too much.

What Drives Cost and Schedule for Commercial Brick Veneer

The cost of commercial brick veneer in Lansing is influenced more by detailing and access than by the brick itself. The main drivers are building height, the number of corners and projections, shelf angle quantity and complexity, insulation requirements, and site logistics.

A simple single story warehouse facade with long straight runs and ground based scaffolding will cost less per square foot than a three story medical office building with multiple step backs, punched windows, and varying brick patterns. Each interruption in the veneer, such as a window head, sign band, or canopy, requires flashing, cutting, and extra time.

Structural steel shelf angles and their coatings are a significant budget item. If the building is already framed and angles were not planned, we may need to retrofit support using post installed anchors or rework slab edges, which adds cost and time. Superior Masonry Lansing works best when we are brought in before final structural drawings are issued so we can help simplify the veneer support system.

Season also affects cost and schedule. Brick veneer can be installed in winter here, but heated enclosures, cold weather mortar mixes, and protection for fresh work add expense. In mid Michigan, the most efficient window for commercial veneer is typically April through early November. During this period, we still watch overnight temperatures to protect against cold snaps, but we can often avoid full tenting and extensive heating, which saves owners money.

Common Problems in Commercial Brick Veneer and How We Prevent Them

Most serious problems in commercial brick veneer show up years after construction and are usually tied to water management or movement. In the Lansing area we see recurring issues such as efflorescence, spalling brick faces, cracked corners near openings, and rusting shelf angles that push the veneer outward. These are not just cosmetic, they are signs that the system was not detailed or built to handle moisture and movement.

Superior Masonry Lansing addresses these risks upfront. We install continuous thru wall flashing with properly lapped end dams at shelf angles, window heads, and base of wall locations. We line up weep holes every 24 inches horizontally and leave clean cavities by using mortar collection devices at the base of each section. This prevents mortar droppings from clogging the weeps, which is a common shortcut that causes hidden damage.

Movement joints are another frequent weak point. Brick expands and structural frames move differently, especially in steel framed buildings with long spans. We follow an engineered joint layout and use high quality sealants that remain flexible through Michigan winters. Around window and door frames we coordinate with glazing trades so the brick joints line up with frame joints, which reduces random cracking.

For existing buildings that are already showing trouble, such as bowing veneer or water leaks into interior finishes, we can investigate by removing selected bricks, checking anchor spacing, and examining the condition of shelf angles and flashing. Many Lansing property managers call us for this type of forensic work before deciding whether to repair or replace portions of the veneer.

What Lansing Owners Should Know Before Hiring a Veneer Contractor

Choosing a contractor for commercial brick veneer is not just about low bid. Ask for details on how they plan to handle flashing, weeps, air barriers, and cold weather protection. If a proposal from any contractor barely mentions these items, the veneer is more likely to fail early. Superior Masonry Lansing provides project specific detail summaries so owners and general contractors can see how the wall system is intended to work.

For new construction, involve your veneer contractor early. We often catch conflicts like shelf angles that land right in front of horizontal control joints in precast, or window heads that leave no room for proper flashing thickness. Fixing these on paper is much cheaper than cutting steel in the field. If you have a design build project in the Lansing region, we can help your architect and structural engineer optimize wall sections for cost and performance.

Check that any contractor you consider has real experience with commercial brick veneer, not just residential face brick. Multi story veneers need a different level of planning, safety coordination, and layout control. Request photos of completed projects in similar building types and in similar exposure conditions. In Lansing, north and west elevations of tall buildings often see more driven rain and freeze cycles, so projects with proven performance on those faces are a good reference.

Finally, confirm that the mason understands local inspection and testing requirements. Many commercial jobs in Lansing involve special inspection of masonry ties, grout, and sometimes pull tests on anchors. We coordinate with third party inspectors, keep detailed daily logs, and provide mortar and brick batch records when required. That documentation is part of how Superior Masonry Lansing stands behind its commercial brick veneer work long after the scaffolding is gone.