Protecting and Restoring Your Brickwork
Mortar joints form an important part of a masonry wall. Over time, exposure to rain, frost, wind and general weathering can cause mortar to crack, erode or fall away.
Repointing involves carefully removing deteriorated mortar from the joints and replacing it with new mortar suited to the existing masonry.
The correct mortar is important. Modern brickwork may be suitable for a conventional cement-based mortar, while many older and traditionally constructed properties require a more breathable lime mortar that works with softer bricks and historic masonry.
Using a mortar that is too hard for the surrounding brickwork can contribute to trapped moisture and damage to the masonry, which is why the existing materials should be considered before work begins.
Matching the Joint Finish and Colour
In short: good repointing is as much about the finish as the mortar. The shape of the joint and the colour of the mix both affect how well a wall sheds rain and how the repair looks, so we match them to the existing brickwork.
- Bucket handle: a shallow curved recess that compresses the mortar surface and sheds water well.
- Weatherstruck: angled so the top of the joint sits slightly back and the bottom is flush, throwing water off each course.
- Flush: finished level with the brick face, often used with lime mortar on older or worn bricks.
- Recessed: set back for a strong shadow line, but it leaves a ledge for water, so it suits sheltered walls better than exposed ones.
We avoid ribbon or strap pointing, where mortar is built out proud of the brick face, because it traps water against the bricks and tends to crack away. Mortar colour comes mainly from the sand, and new pointing usually looks brighter at first before toning down, so a small trial area helps confirm the match.
When Repointing Is Not the Whole Answer
Repointing only deals with the joints, so we look for signs that something else is affecting the wall:
- Stair-shaped cracks that zigzag along the joints can indicate movement, which needs investigating before it is pointed over.
- Horizontal cracks repeating every few courses in a cavity wall can be a sign of corroded wall ties.
- Saturated brickwork below a leaking gutter or downpipe will keep eroding new mortar until the guttering is put right.
- Lead flashings at roof abutments are wedged into the mortar joints, so pointing along these junctions is often combined with lead flashing repairs.
Repointing a chimney is usually done alongside checks on the flaunching, pots and flashing, covered on our chimney repairs page. Where wider defects come to light, our building works team can assess them.
