Few jobs are as quiet and good for the long-term health of a house as repointing. It does a lot more than just hold your bricks together in a pretty pattern. Rainwater runs off, moisture can escape, and the wall stays stable. When it breaks down, problems happen. Knowing what a professional repointing job entails will help you make smart plans, ask the right questions, and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Reasons why repointing is important
Mortar is meant to be the part of a wall that is sacrificed. Because it is softer than the bricks around it, it gets frost, wind-driven rain, and general wear and tear first. It takes a few decades for most mortar joints to start to fall apart, shrink, or crack. There may be sand and other things at the base of the wall, joints that are very deep, or small holes in the bricks where a key can fit.
If you don’t fix these problems, water will get through the wall. That can cause wet spots on the inside walls, damage to the bricks from frost, and in the worst cases, structural movement. By removing the old, crumbling mortar and replacing it with new material during repointing, the waterproof barrier is restored. While it’s not a rebuild, the work needs to be done with skill and care to make sure it lasts.
The first survey and price quote
A site visit is usually the first time you’ll talk to a brickwork expert. A respected repointing professional will walk around the property and look at the joints and bricks, making note of any that are loose, cracked, or falling apart. A screwdriver or other similar tool may be pressed into the mortar to see how soft or crumbly it is. Also, they will look at things like gutters, downspouts, roof overhangs, and ground levels because rainwater goods that leak are a common reason why mortar fails before it should.
You can expect a lot of questions. They might ask how old the house is, if the walls have been repointed before, and if you’ve noticed any drafts inside. After the visit, you should get a written quote that tells you how much work needs to be done, what kind of mortar is suggested, how access will be made, how long it will take, and how much it will cost. Take figures that are only given verbally very seriously. You and the contractor are both safe with a clear agreement.
It is fair to ask to see examples of the specialist’s work from other repointing jobs and to find out how long they’ve been working with properties like yours. It’s important to take a different approach with older homes than with newer brick-built homes.
Picking out the right mortar
Here’s where a real expert makes their money. When repointing, the mortar that is used must work with the bricks that are already there, and ideally it should work with the original mortar. An awful lot of homes built before the early 1900s were made with lime-based mortar, which is pretty soft, bendable, and airy. Putting up these walls with a hard, cement-heavy mix can trap water and force it out through the bricks instead of the joints, breaking up the brick faces.
A skilled contractor will often take a small piece of the existing mortar to figure out what it is made of. They will think about the type of sand, the glue, and the colour. They may also make a small test panel for you to approve. It’s important to match the colour because mortar can look very different after it has dried and been used for a while. Don’t be shocked if you are asked to sign off on a sample change before the real work starts. It shows that you are doing things right.
Most of the time, a stronger mix is needed for newer homes that were built with harder bricks and blocks made of cement. New mortar should never be harder than the bricks. This is the most important rule. A good tradesperson will use simple words to explain why they did what they did.
Get ready and get in
You can expect to talk about access before any work starts. For walls that are higher, you will need scaffolding or a tower, which is often the most difficult part of the job in terms of logistics. Your worker should tell you who sets it up, how long it will stay there, and if it affects windows, doors, or properties next door. If the scaffolding goes over a neighbour’s property, you might need to let them know ahead of time.
You will also have to move things close to the walls, like garden furniture, plants, cars, and anything else. There will always be dust and dirt, so it’s best to close the windows during the workday. However, if you plan ahead, things will go more smoothly. Good professionals will put down protective sheets, cover plants that are easily damaged, and keep the work area clean.
The act of repointing itself
As soon as the site is ready, the work goes in a clear order. First, the old mortar is raked out of the joints until it’s about twice as deep as it is wide, which is usually about 25 mm. This can be done by hand with chisels and plugging tools, or power tools that are carefully managed can be used on rougher mortar. Skilled workers are very careful not to damage the edges of the bricks because a widening joint or a chipped arris will stay there and make the final wall look bad.
The joints are brushed clean and lightly dampened after being raked out. It is very important to do this step because dry bricks take water out of fresh mortar too quickly, which makes the bond weaker. Then, layers of the new mortar are pressed into the joints, giving each one time to harden before adding the next. To stop shrinkage and voids, deep joints are filled in steps.
Finally, the joint is finished to the shape that was chosen. Styles like flush, weathered, struck, and bucket-handle are common choices. The right style will rely on the building’s age and style. Weathered and hit joints are good at shedding water, but you should stay away from recessed joints because they can trap water and let frost in. Once the mortar has hardened, the closing step sometimes includes brushing back the surface to give it a clean, natural look.
Mess, noise, and trouble
Repointing is not a quiet or perfect process, as any honest worker will tell you. When you rake, you make dust and a noise that sounds like tapping or grinding. Small particles may end up on windowsills and cars. Professionals will use dust extraction when it’s needed and clean up at the end of each day, but there will still be some noise.
Tell the team at the quote stage if you work from home, have young children, or pets so they can make plans around you. It might be possible to plan the noisiest tasks to happen at certain times of the day.
The weather and time frames
How long it takes varies on how big the wall is, how good the joints are, and how many people are working on the site. It could take a few days to clean up a small area, but it could take weeks to clean up a whole house. Be wary of people who say they can finish quickly when it’s not possible. You can’t rush the repointing process because each step needs enough time to set.
The weather is very important. It’s important to keep fresh plaster away from heavy rain, strong sun, and most of all, frost. Most professionals don’t like to work when it’s almost freezing outside, and lime kilns need especially mild conditions to cure. Delays that are caused by smart decisions about the weather are not a reason to worry. When contractors keep going anyway, the work often fails early.
Care afterward and final checks
Take some time to walk the walls with your worker when the job is done. Check the joints from different angles and in different lighting to make sure the colour is the same, the edges are smooth, and the mortar is well-packed down so there are no gaps or smudges on the bricks. Most small marks on the surface can be brushed off, but it is easier to let the team know about problems while they are still there.
Also, ask about care afterward. If it’s warm outside, fresh mortar might need a light misting to set slowly. After that, you shouldn’t pressure wash or clean the walls too hard for a while. As the mortar dries over the first few weeks, you may see small changes in colour. This is normal. A good worker will let you know about this ahead of time and be ready to come back if there is a real problem.
Figuring out the price
Prices vary based on how easy it is to get to the wall, how big it is, what kind of mortar is used, and how good it is. Repointing with lime usually takes more work than repointing with cement, and older homes with complicated brickwork cost more than homes with simple, flat elevations. A big part of the sum often comes from the scaffolding. You can compare like with like if you get at least two or three written quotes. However, keep in mind that the cheapest choice is rarely the best. Not being careful when repointing can do more harm than good, and it costs a lot to fix bad work.
Last thoughts
The process of hiring bricks experts for repointing should be open and involve everyone. From the beginning to the end, you should get a thorough survey, a detailed written quote, a clear explanation of the mortar and method, and good communication. If a contractor can’t tell you why they picked a certain mix or brushes off your questions, you should find someone else.
If you do it right, repointing your brick walls makes them more resistant to weather, protects them, makes your home look better, and can last for decades. Take the time to find skilled people and think of it as an investment in the structure of your home. You will be glad you did it long after the scaffolding is taken down.