What's involved in repointing a house?

What is involved in repointing?

Repointing brickwork involves carefully repacking the mortar sitting between the individual bricks, or stone blocks, that make up the exterior skin of your home. Although many renovators carry our DIY repointing, given the requirement for working at heights it can be a job that is best outsourced to a professional.

How long does it take to repoint a house?

On average, it takes one to two days to point/repoint a wall, one to five days to perform this work on a chimney, five to seven days if the work is taking place on the side of a house, 12-16 days to point/repoint a semi-detached house, or 15-20 days to point/repoint a terraced house.

Is repointing brick expensive?

It costs between $3 and $15 per square foot to repoint brick, though the average homeowner pays $8 per square foot. Costs can rise to $15 per square foot or more depending on the materials used, local rates, and the mason's experience.

What happens if you don't repoint brickwork?

Failed or unsuitable pointing

The more modern mortar could trap moisture and so prevent it escaping via the mortar joints. This, in turn, would force the moisture to emerge on the brick faces, where it could be frozen and then lead the brick surfaces to crumble.

How to repoint old brickwork

Does repointing stop damp?

You can do this yourself, or have a professional complete the work for you if it looks like it might take too much time. Repointing is one of the crucial steps in removing penetrating damp from your property.

How long should repointing last?

When it is done properly, repointing can restore the beauty and functionality of a masonry structure. If the repointing job is done the right way, it can last for quite a long time, namely somewhere between 50 and 100 years.

How do you remove old mortar before repointing?

Can I repoint my house myself?

Repointing is a job that you can do yourself if you have the skills, but it is best to get a professional bricklayer to at least check it first and give advice.

Can you repoint in winter?

One thing is very important to note, however – repointing should never be tackled during the winter, as wind and rain will damage the freshly-applied mortar.

Does repointing strengthen walls?

Repointing only restores joints; any other damage will continue to worsen, eventually causing the entire wall to split in places.

How do you know if pointing needs redoing?

The best way to test the resilience of your pointing is to simply go outside and look at it. If it is all even and almost flush to the brickwork then it should be in order. No water can get in and damage the bricks (or stone or blocks) and your walls should remain free from water coming in from the outside.

When would you consider taking on a repointing job?

When is repointing necessary? Repointing is premature until mortar has weathered back to a depth equivalent to the joint width or is very loose. The lime mortar used widely for pointing on older (pre-c1919) buildings is more permeable than the brick or stone, concentrating frost and salt action in the joints.

What depth should repointing be?

As a general rule, the pointing to be repaired must be dug out to a minimum depth of about two-and-a-half times its thickness, in other words ¾ inch to one inch for regular 3/8-inch pointing. You need to dig at least ¾ inch deep for thinner pointing.

What is the difference between tuckpointing and repointing?

Repointing is the process of removing damaged mortar joints and renewing them. Tuckpointing is quite similar but is not always completed for damage control. Tuckpointing by definition is a style that uses two different colors of mortar to alter the appearance of mortar joints, this is an important distinction.

When should I be worried about cracks in brick mortar?

Small, thin vertical brick cracks can show up right after a home has been built and can be traced back to some initial foundation settlement. Though usually minor, these cracks should still be examined by a professional. Wide vertical brick cracks, on the other hand, are serious indicators of a foundation problem.

Why do houses need pointing?

Pointing is the mortar around bricks in a wall that holds the structure and ensures weatherproofing. Bricks are built to last hundreds of years. The mortar surrounding them, however, is sadly not. This 'pointing' will need a little TLC from time to time.

How often do you need to repoint a house?

50-60 years is the average lifespan of mortar. At some point, the mortar between your bricks will have degraded to a stage where your house will need to be repointed. This process involves scraping away the old mortar from between your bricks and applying new mortar.

Why is my pointing crumbling?

Crumbling or failing mortar can be caused by a number of reasons: Failing mortar can usually be attributed to a lack of carbonation of the lime within the mortar meaning that the mortar will have little if any, strength.

Can you render instead of repointing?

Rendering will give you a more waterproof solution but not always the best. If it has been converted properly it will be a double skin wall and insulated in which case repointing will as good a remedy. Personally i would always rather retain the natural brickwork unless beyond pointing due to spalling of the bricks.

Can water get through pointing?

Penetrating damp is caused by the ingress of water from the outside of a building to the inside. There are many causes of penetrating damp, and one that we encounter regularly is decayed or poorly installed pointing. Poor pointing is one of the easiest causes of penetrating damp to fix, but only if it's caught early.

Is repointing a house messy?

I don't think it will damage inside but it can be messy outside. The loose, old mortar will need to be scraped back / removed... there are two ways of doing this - chipping it out with a chisel by hand (lots of small pieces on the floor) or grinding it out with a power tool (lots of dust).