How to repoint brickwork

Mortar holding weathered bricks
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How to repoint brickwork

Re pointing your house can be an expensive operation as it can cost you up to forty pounds a square metre to have it done by a professional. It is essential that a good job is done of the re pointing as otherwise dampness can get into your house, especially if essential guttering repair has not been carried out.

Brick Pointing is well within the capabilities of the average diy`er and with a little bit of patience and practice there is no reason that you cannot confidently do your own re pointing. It is a straightforward operation and the only tools that are required are a hammer and plugging chisel to rake out the old pointing (or an angle grinder) and a pointing trowel,a frenchman or a straight edge, (such as a level) a hawk to hold the mortar( and not the bird variety) and some sand and cement.

The first task is to rake out all the old and crumbling pointing to a depth of about 12mm.This ensures that the new pointing will be adequately keyed into the new brickwork. When all the old pointing has been raked out it is neccessary to hose down the brickwork thoroughly so that no dust remains in the joints that might affect adhesion. Next mix up to a ratio of 6 parts soft sand to 1 part cement and 1 part lime. Mix it up to a a nice consistency making sure it is not too wet. It is a good idea to use a paint kettle or similar when measuring out the material so that there are no variations in colour when the mix dries out.

Next apply the mixed up sand and cement to the joints and smooth it out with the back of the pointing trowel. Now all you have to do is use your straight edge or your level as a guide and cut off the excess with the point of your pointing trowel taking care to ensure that the line is nice and straight and has no jagged edges. Next,using a very very soft broom lightly brush the pointing so that no excess mortar remains on the bricks. If you think this task this task might be too daunting for you and you want it done professionally just give us a call.

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