Dicker Construction

Repointing

It is the mortar between the bricks that makes a wall strong and weatherproof but over a period of time the wind and rain take their toll and repointing is necessary.  It is very important that this is done in the correct way.

Brickwork pointing in poor condition allows for the ingress of water causing damp and other damage. The erosion of the pointing on the weather side of a wall can eventually cause a wall to lean making it unstable and dangerous. It is essential that pointing is kept in good condition. The panel of Victorian brickwork shown above is a good example of a lime mortar wall overdue for repointing.

Houses built before 1920 were constructed using a lime mortar and it is important that they are not repointed using sand and cement.  The use of an impervious material for brickwork pointing such as cement is a common cause of damp and other problems that can seriously damage a property reducing its value.

Mixing and applying lime mortar pointing takes skill and experience. Having been working with these materials for over 25 years I have both.

 

Repairs may be needed....

Sometimes when brickwork re-pointing is undertaken hidden problems are discovered, such as the cracked chimney shown in this picture.

Being on the back of the chimney this serious crack extended through 11 courses of bricks. The crack was invisible from the ground and the householder was unaware of its existence until the brickwork needed re-pointing, although damp had been noticed in the room below.

This is the sort of problem I can quickly solve. I rebuilt the damaged section and added an additional chimney pot to sort out a poorly ventilated flue. This extra work was done within two days and added only £360 to my customers bill.