Paint or repointing

David_Aston

Does anyone have any experience of using some sort of coating on external brick walls, as an alternative to old style repointing?

societys_child

Not sure what you're hoping to achieve?

Covering brickwork in "some sort of coating" is never a good idea unless the bricks are deteriorating. Pointing/ repointing is still the way it's done today.

External brickworks needs to breath, painting can lead to damp problems or at least efflorescence, salts forming on the surface and lifting any paintwork you've lovingly applied.

David_Aston

I suppose covering the mortar, with a protective, if such a product exists, might be easier, quicker, than repointing? Thanks for your comments society. In fact the brickwork may well be deteriorating. Surely a natural ageing process?

Doozergirl

Mortar detiorioates much, much faster than brick.

Nothing that you can paint on is going to fill great big gaps in the house. Render will but that costs money and then comes with never ending and ongoing costs.

If something needs repointing, it needs repointing.

David_Aston

Thanks Doozer. I thought maybe some sort of mortar stabiliser?
I assume that repointing is amongst the slowest and consequently most expensive items of house maintenance?

societys_child

the slowest and consequently most expensive

Not at all, (I can repoint at DIY level) but I've seen some experts-in-action.

Believe me, I went dizzy just watching. far cheaper and looks so much better than applying render

road2manchester

depending on the age of the bricks and the clay they are made of....

Lime based pointing will breathe with the walls and last of many years. Accrington Engineering bricks don't breathe at all and pointing is usually very fine. Old hand made bricks fail but can be repaired using Heritage Lime products, but this is not a cheap DIY option..

Rendering the whole wall is also an option but +£60 sq mtrs + scaffold etc you get a 'through colour' breathable finish. Brick finsh render £80 mtr: Stonecoat £90 mtr All long term finishes. KERB APPEAL costs.

garrysibbald

You don't say what condition the bricks are in but I suspect that they have spalled. Once bricks have spalled or blown they deteriorate quite rapidly and will require changing.
Often this is when the homeowner will decide that render is the cheaper/preferred option but as any surveyor will tell you, the bricks and mortar joints provide strength to the structure and should be sound before render is applied. Failure to do this is why you often see cracks appearing in render within a relatively short time from being applied.
Often the reason for blown faces on bricks on old properties is due to the use of cement mortar when repointing has been replaced. Unfortunately we still see it being used by most as the preferred method of repointing, so unless you insist on a lime mortar (no cement) you probably won't get it!

As mentioned earlier, applying a treatment would not extend the life of old mortar (which has likely eroded away as well) and if the bricks are spalled a weather seal coating will only have a limited effect.

David_Aston

Thanks for your further comments guys. So lime based mortar repointing quotes should perhaps be my first line of attack. Just been outside to have another look. Maybe not too bad. 60 year old property. Low garden wall certainly well spalled. (What a cracking word!) House walls below the damp course, maybe a few bricks crumbling.