Wall Pointing

[Andy46]

Hi,

Any estimates as to what it would cost to re-point one wall for a standard two storey end terraced property please?. Also at what stage would you bother having it done? Some articles on the net seem to suggest its usually a waste of time. I'd say less than 10% of mine is falling away but admit I fancy doing it simply because it looks nicer when newly done.

Thanks

[stewamax]

Beware that re-pointing a (brick) wall without chasing (raking) out some of the the existing mortar can make the result look worse than before. There a special power tools for the job; these use a mortar rake (like a drill bit but with abrasive sides) that is useful for the smaller vertical joints and a circular blade that works like an angle grinder disk (for longer horizontal joints).

[JMN2]

If it's good old-fashioned lime mortar then it could be that no special tools are needed to make space for new mortar, as it crumbles away very easily with just a finger or some kind of a rounded tool. Whole house will probably be very expensive, luckily I had to do just my chimney and some spots on the wall, and was able to study repointing at length and then did the work myself. Dead easy but takes time if you're not done it before. Very therapeutic and good fun. So fun I'd do some smaller projects for other people for nothing.

If it's lime mortar I wouldn't modern hard mortar to repoint. Old bricks are fragile. Frost-warm cycle makes them expand back and forth and hard mortar does not yield, thus brick cracks. Lime mortar is flexible and leaves bricks intact, mortar gets weaker and needs repointing say every 80 years, depending on circumstances of course.

You may already be an expert but this guy is very very good:
https://youtu.be/fvIsCb-JCsE

[sg31]

I had 2 sides of a detached property repointed about 2 to 3 years ago. I can't remember the exact figure but it was roughly £25 - £30 per square metre although some quotes were considerably more. You will need to add on whatever the scaffolding costs.

I would suggest you see how deep the pointing damage extends from the face of the bricks and have a poke (technical term) at the pointing to get a general idea of it's condition. In my case the property was on the south coast and was very exposed. Someone had repointed previously but not raked out sufficient depth so most of it had fallen out. In places there was a couple of inches of pointing depth missing. Definitely urgently needed.

Just a few points you might want to consider if you go ahead

I would strongly suggest you use someone who is a bricklayer or a full time repointing contractor, general builders are a bit hit and miss on repointing. ( I say that as a retired general builder).

It is important that the joints are ground out to a decent depth, 12 to 15mm, if any builder suggests less don't use him. The grinding out process is extremely messy, make sure your drains are covered to stop sand going down them (the builder won't bother). The ground out mortar will create a very fine sand dust, make sure your car is parked well away because the dust will sand paper your windscreen as soon as you turn the wipers on. I can guarantee the neighbours will hate this bit of the job.

Check what mortar mix the builder will use, I had a couple suggest 3-1 cement which is too strong for most situations, personally I would rarely go stronger than 5 - 1. Depending on the age of the property you might need a lime based mix. If it needs lime and the builder uses cement the wall won't breath properly and the face of the bricks can be damaged.

Make sure you see some of his previous work, my next door neighbour got a guy he knew to do his, I can honestly say I could have done a better job using a shovel while blindfolded.

[stewamax]

I would guess that the biggest problem is finding a good bricklayer who is willing to do re-pointing.
Competent brickies are in great demand and are deservedly well paid.

[sg31]

I would guess that the biggest problem is finding a good bricklayer who is willing to do re-pointing.
Competent brickies are in great demand and are deservedly well paid.

A Google search for bricklayer or repointing in your area should bring up a few, Yell will usually come up with a list. If that doesn't work try 'Rated people' or 'my job quote' which should produce a few who would like to quote.

Be aware that you don't know these people so you should check any reviews given by previous customers and make sure you see an example of their work. Not all of the people you come across on the last 2 sites will be competent but there are some good tradesmen on there. With my experience in the building trade I can spot the good ones reasonably quickly, anyone without experience needs to be a bit more careful.

Personal recommendation is still the best option. Failing all else have a chat with the landlord of the local pub, people often talk about building work they've had done and landlords often overhear. If nothing else he might tell you who not to use.