Brick Repointing – Tips & Facts
Cracked brick mortar is more than simply aesthetically undesirable. Water can enter the gaps, freeze, expand, and cause the rifts to widen more. Occasionally, the mortar between the bricks is gone, having disintegrated and fallen out over time. Brick repointing is a cost-effective, traditional remedy for this issue.
Although it sounds like a work designated for masons, repointing brick mortar is neither complex nor challenging. In reality, only a few simple tools and mortar are required.
What is Brick Repointing
Mortar is the material used between bricks to hold them in place. When the brick is initially laid, pointing is one of the final procedures. Pointing the brick involves grooving and removing excess mortar. Repointing the brick mortar consists in removing and replacing the old mortar. The practice is referred to as pointing or repointing because a pointed trowel is used.
Safety
When working on a chimney or in higher parts of your homemade of brick, use a fall arrest or fall restraint system. It is possible to trip and tumble off the roof due to the unstable mortar and dropcloth. When raking the old mortar, wear safety eyewear.
Tips & Facts
- Work in small quantities to prevent the mortar from drying up before you can point it.
- If you are raking bricks for an outside wall, have the garden hose nearby and constantly spray the bricks to reduce dust.
- Also, if it is difficult to chip away portions of the mortar when raking, the mortar is likely excellent enough to stay.
- Slow down and be patient. The first few bricks of pointing are exciting, but eventually, the task gets tiresome.
- If you are working on a major project, make daily mini-goals. Plan to complete the entire wall over several weeks or months instead of a weekend.
- Avoid chipping or gouging the masonry.
- When mortar becomes very cold, it becomes fragile. When the mortar is too heated, it immediately dries out.