How to repair holes in brick wall?

[Djole]

Hey All,

I have a couple of cup sized holes in my internal plastered brick wall in the living room. It was to conceal a cable in the wall, but now would rather it patched up. Is it possible to cut out and replace the damaged bricks, render, plaster and paint? I was preferring to repair this way. They are maxi commons. A couple of contractors I have reached out to only want to fill the holes with mortar. Would cutting a brick out of the internal wall damage/weaken the overall wall structure and surrounding plaster? It's a double brick wall and would carry load. I realise more work would be involved with replacement. I'm a new home owner and trying to understand further. Do most people just patch this way (mortar fill) for internal plastered walls?

Thanks,

Djole

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @Djole 

I was wondering if you could post a few pics to show the area close up and also a pic from further back. It would be easier to then make a recomendation

I would also like to say "Howdy" and welcome you to the Bunnings workshop community Perfect place to put up questions like yours

Dave

[JacobZ]

Hi @Djole,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Similar to @Dave-1, I'd love to see some photos so I can get a better idea of what you are working with. If you need a hand uploading images, please let me know so I can assist.

In short, yes, it is technically possible to cut out and replace individual bricks, re-render, plaster and paint. However, this is rarely done for small penetrations like cup-sized holes.

Cutting out bricks from a load-bearing internal wall introduces unnecessary risk. Even removing a single brick can disturb surrounding masonry, crack adjacent plaster and compromise how the load is distributed. To do it properly, you would need temporary support, careful cutting of mortar joints, replacement bricks tied back in, then full re-rendering and plastering. It is a lot of work for very little visual or structural gain.

That is why most contractors recommend a mortar-based repair. For internal plastered brick walls, this is standard practice and is considered structurally acceptable. The bricks are already carrying a load around the opening, and filling the holes with a solid mortar repair restores continuity without disturbing the wall.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob