Brickwork Pointing

[jim jim jaroo]

Hi

I need some brickwork re-pointing on my Victorian terrace.
If you fancy the work or can recommend anyone for the job I'd be most grateful.

Ta!

 

[hop]

Hi

I need some brickwork re-pointing on my Victorian terrace.
If you fancy the work or can recommend anyone for the job I'd be most grateful.

Ta!

What makes you say it needs repointing ? Is penetrating raining coming in on that wall ? Or do you think it should be done for aesthetic reasons ? Older solid wall buildings are built using lime mortar which is a sacrificial product and is weaker than the surrounding mortar. This is because solid walls are meant to breathe and let moisture out. If you get a cheap cowboy in to do the pointing he will probably use cement rather than lime. This will then cause problems with your house, since the use of cement will trap in moisture leading to not only damp problems inside but also to spalling bricks on the outside.
Don't take my word for it. Read around and you will see how the use of cement has been banned on older building by both English Heritage and Conservation Scotland. Why is this ? Because cement is very deleterious to the fabric of an older building.
Its amazing how many older houses you see with mould on the walls and other issues caused by morons who do not understand the construction and have used cement for pointing and then compounded such bodges by bricking up fire places and replacing sash windows with UPVC. Older buildings require ventilation the chimney used to be able to suck out a large volume of air from the building and the sash windows would ensure the air volume of the house was replaced.
Be sympathetic to the building at it will thank you.
All pointing should be softer than the masonry if it is harder moisture will leave the building via the masonry rather than the pointing. After a few freeze thaw cycles over winter you will have spalling bricks which are soft and friable.

If you have e an older building I would question anyone who talks about pointing and plastering and ascertain if they would use appropriate materials which means lime. If they talk about gypsum or cement show them the door they will ruin you house.

 

[jim jim jaroo]

What makes you say it needs repointing ? Is penetrating raining coming in on that wall ? Or do you think it should be done for aesthetic reasons ? Older solid wall buildings are built using lime mortar which is a sacrificial product and is weaker than the surrounding mortar. This is because solid walls are meant to breathe and let moisture out. If you get a cheap cowboy in to do the pointing he will probably use cement rather than lime. This will then cause problems with your house, since the use of cement will trap in moisture leading to not only damp problems inside but also to spalling bricks on the outside.
Don't take my word for it. Read around and you will see how the use of cement has been banned on older building by both English Heritage and Conservation Scotland. Why is this ? Because cement is very deleterious to the fabric of an older building.
Its amazing how many older houses you see with mould on the walls and other issues caused by morons who do not understand the construction and have used cement for pointing and then compounded such bodges by bricking up fire places and replacing sash windows with UPVC. Older buildings require ventilation the chimney used to be able to suck out a large volume of air from the building and the sash windows would ensure the air volume of the house was replaced.
Be sympathetic to the building at it will thank you.
All pointing should be softer than the masonry if it is harder moisture will leave the building via the masonry rather than the pointing. After a few freeze thaw cycles over winter you will have spalling bricks which are soft and friable.

If you have e an older building I would question anyone who talks about pointing and plastering and ascertain if they would use appropriate materials which means lime. If they talk about gypsum or cement show them the door they will ruin you house.

This is exactly what I have read too, I can see why people would make this mistake.
It's less for aesthetics, I've noticed some areas where it has worn away and mason bees have made their homes in some holes. I think I'd like to get it done before any penetrating damp occurs.

 

[hop]

This is exactly what I have read too, I can see why people would make this mistake.
It's less for aesthetics, I've noticed some areas where it has worn away and mason bees have made their homes in some holes. I think I'd like to get it done before any penetrating damp occurs.

The good news is that so far you haven't used inappropriate materials. A lot of the pointing which is done by these idiots is strap pointing, big fat lines of pointing put over the original lime which is of very poor quality and would not be recognised as pointing by the craftsmen who built this kind of building.
Think about your masonry and how it came to be. Older bricks are often softer than modern ones since the manufacture of them would be based on clay and they would be baked in a kiln rather than using cement and a modern fan assisted oven. The kiln would have had hot spots and colder areas so some bricks would be baked more than others and hence would be harder / softer than others they would not uniform like a more industrial based brick.

None of this is any cause for concern. If you are in no rush it's probably better to do it yourself with a good quality lime mortar. If you contact the British Geological Society with a small sample they will chemically analyse the composition of the mortar for you. They will let you know it's chemical make up and how to recreate this mortar. This is well worth doing since you want to ensure that mortar is softer than the masonry. Bricks made by different companies in different regions will vary a great deal. They key point is to ensure that the pointing material is softer than the masonry so it can be sacrificed and that moisture can escape from it.
This assumes that you haven't already messed up the inside by hacking off lime plaster and replacing it with gypsum. If you have used impervious materials inside then you need to consider if you have any damp problems as a result and maybe look to increase ventilation.