Bricking Up a Garage Door – Full Conversion with Toothing for a Seamless Finish
This project involved removing an old garage door that had long since outlived its purpose. Many years ago, we had converted the garage internally and bricked up the inner wall. However, at the time, local council planning rules prevented us from altering the building’s external appearance.
To comply, we were forced to reinstall the false garage door — purely cosmetic and non-functional. Fast forward nearly 20 years, and planning regulations had finally relaxed, giving our client the go-ahead to remove the door entirely and finish the job properly. The idea was to use an old UPVC window to maintain the visual balance of the façade.
Toothing In the Brickwork – The Right Choice
The first decision was whether to tooth out the existing brickwork or to use brick ties. While brick ties would have been much quicker and cheaper, they wouldn’t have matched the original brick bond, leaving an unsightly join.
We recommended toothing in — carefully cutting out every second brick at the edge to interlock new bricks into the old wall. This approach takes much longer and creates more waste, but the results are far superior in terms of both strength and aesthetics. The customer agreed, and we moved forward with this option.
Brick Matching, Preparation, and Build Process
Luckily, the original bricks were still available. The job was done in December and the bricks were quite wet so we pre-dried the bricks by stacking them for air circulation and covering the top to protect against rain.
We used a grinder and chisels to carefully cut between the brick joints. This minimises the risk of damaging the ‘teeth’ and helps the new brickwork blend in cleanly. It’s a slow, skilled task that actually took as long as the new brickwork itself.
Finishing Touches and Final Result
As the brickwork went up, we fitted the UPVC window using brick ties and secured it temporarily with a fast set expanding foam filler called Insta-Stik. This sets within 10 minutes and held the window solidly in place while we built around it.
To reduce visibility from behind the window, we painted the internal blockwork white. We suggested adding a discreet vent at the top of the frame to reduce potential condensation but the customer preferred to keep a clean look, so we left it out.
We re-pointed above the garage’s original metal lintel, where a few cracks had formed over time.
The result is a seamless, professional finish that enhances the front of the building. After a time the new section will blend beautifully with the original wall.
See some other brickwork projects here or our paving jobs.