Repointing Brickwork

50Twuncle

We live in a 3 bed semi that was built in about 1950 - the brickwork is tired and is startiing to "crumble" ie odd bricks are delaminating and mortar is starting to fall out in places - hence it looks as if repointing is necessary.

4" deep bricks, 20 feet high walls - length of walls around 90 feet - I have estimated the total length of mortar at a MILE - this seems a massive job, if we have the whole house repointed - alternatively, how do they match mortar to save the house looking blotchy ?

How do they actually repoint nowadays - with a hammer and chisel or is there a "machine / aid" ?

What is this likely to cost ?

EssexExile

They'll cut out the old mortar with a diamond disk on an angle grinder. Can't help with the rest of it but it sounds as though you might need to have some bricks replaced if they are spalling.

stuart45

Cost depends on where you live and the style of pointing you have. Standard half round joints are usually £30-£50 per metre.
If you go for patch pointing they might attempt a colour match for you. Can be done by using different sands and or dyes.
Not easy as if you get a good match the colour does change over the years. 
I've found that getting the mortar a touch darker does not show up as much as a bit lighter. It does also lighten up in time if a dye is used.

FreeBear

EssexExile said: They'll cut out the old mortar with a diamond disk on an angle grinder.

Messy, and all too easy to cut in to the bricks. A plugging chisel used to be the tool of choice, but it is slow work. For lime mortar joints, one can get a mortar rake that is fairly quick. The modern tool is something like the Arbortech Allsaw AS175 -

Don't use one of those carbide mortar rakes that go on the end of an angle grinder or in a drill - All too easy to make a right pig's ear and ruin the bricks.

A 1950s house is on the cusp of when cement mortar became widespread - If your walls are lime, it should be fairly soft and easy to rake out. I'd recommend repointing with lime so that the next time it has to be done, it is just as easy to rake out. If you're thinking of doing the job yourself, get some finger trowels and have a quick look at this vid -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811RvqR-ECw

Acartwright008

Our house is the same age as yours and sounds in similar condition. We had a quote of £3500 and that only included patching the front which he said he would do for free and fully doing the gable end and rear of the house and then sealing, which I think is a bit steep, got another quote on Saturday so will see if that is the same or not.

FreeBear

Acartwright008 said: he said he would do for free and fully doing the gable end and rear of the house and then sealing,

Exterior brickwork should not need "sealing" - It traps moisture within the brick and they will eventually spall as the water freezes during the winter months.

stuart45

If the bricks are spalling, it is a sign that the original mortar may have been too strong. Some repoint specialists use a strong mix of 3/1 or 4/1 for all their work regardless. I know a few who got into pointing because they couldn't hack it on the trowel, so there are some who are not the best tradesmen.

stuart45

FreeBear said:

Acartwright008 said: he said he would do for free and fully doing the gable end and rear of the house and then sealing,

Exterior brickwork should not need "sealing" - It traps moisture within the brick and they will eventually spall as the water freezes during the winter months.

The old saying in the trade was that 'the best sealer for brickwork is to use no sealer'. 
There are siloxane sealers nowadays that are claimed to be breathable, but depends what they count as breathable. 
I've never used them, but some builders splash it everywhere.

50Twuncle

stuart45 said:

Cost depends on where you live and the style of pointing you have. Standard half round joints are usually £30-£50 per metre.
If you go for patch pointing they might attempt a colour match for you. Can be done by using different sands and or dyes.
Not easy as if you get a good match the colour does change over the years. 
I've found that getting the mortar a touch darker does not show up as much as a bit lighter. It does also lighten up in time if a dye is used.

£50 per metre - so for a mile+"approx 1760*50 =£88k, a bargain!!
I'll have two of those... 

stuart45

I should have said a square metre.

FreeBear

Something I should have said in an earlier post - You will find mortar guns for sale on various sites & shops. Save your money and leave them where you found them. They are a pig to work with, rarely work well, and are messy. The time and money spent on one is better used elsewhere.