How do I re-point a brick wall and what equipment / materials will I need?
Question:I'm not exactly brilliant at DIY but I can follow instructions and I guess it's better to try it myself rather than pay someone as it must be fairly simple - there's no putting the bricks together for example! Please let me know:
(a) What tools I need
(b) What materials I need
(c) How to do it
Thanks.
Answers:
Tools, you'll need an angle grinder from a tool hire shop (get a 110v one with a lead and transformer), probably cost you £30 or so. Depending on height you may need scaffolding, as you don't want to be balancing on a chair/stepladder etc whilst holding an angle grinder. You'll also need a small pointing trowel, a spotboard to hold the mortar while you apply it, plus a wire brush is a good idea too.
Materials, you'll need some 25kg bags of sand (there are different colours, so you'll need to decide what colour you want the mortar to be) plus some 25kg bags of cement. The quantities will obviously depend on how many square metres of brickwork you intend to point. Get some mortar bonding agent such as Feb Bond, as this will bond the sand & cement together more effectively.
Use the angle grinder to grind out the old cement, going roughly 12mm deep-much less than that and the new mortar will drop out too easily. When you mix the sand & cement, use a ratio of 4 shovelfuls of sand to 1 of cement. Presumably you'll be mixing it by hand with a shovel, which is hard work but much cheaper than hiring a mixer. You'll need to add enough water to make the mix workable, but not so much that it's so runny that you can't apply it. The actual pointing technique will depend on what type of brickwork you have, ie how wide the joints are. Bucket handle finish is the most common, and is easily achieved using a bucket handle pointing trowel (it isn't LITERALLY a bucket handle, don't worry!). Once you've ground out the required area, give the joints a quick rub with the wire brush, as this will remove any loose/friable bits and prevent the new mortar from adhering to them and dropping out.
Apply the mortar with a small pointing trowel,making sure you press it good & deep into the joint,and scrape off the excess onto your spotboard. Once you've done a good few square metres, follow up by smoothing the new mortar with the bucket handle trowel.
Good luck!
1...angle grinder to remove excess mortar.
2. sand cement mix together to make gobbo.
3 pointing trowel to apply mortar mix.
4 pointing tool to smooth out the joints to desired finishing look.
5 . stiff brush to wipe away any excrement afterwards.
6..pint of budweiser for info..glug glug cheers
you would sand blast it first then re point it
A pointing trowel
B sand + cement
C mix sand + cement 3 sand 1 cement
you can buy it ready mixed if its a small job?
and use the trowel too point the gaps
i use a curved peice of 15mm copper pipe
for the finish good luck
Please please DO NOT use an angle grinder to cut out the pointing it will damage the brick, if the pointing is hard LEAVE IT ALONE, if the pointing is crumbling chase it out manually with a chisel.
Re-pointing is a matter of judgement, some mortar has more lime ie. 6:3:1 Sand/cement/lime
some has none, some is pure lime (normally on older properties)
pointing should allow some slight movement in the brickwork otherwise in time the brick not the mortar bed may break DO NOT MIX 3:1 unless you know the brick can take it.
Once raked out the joint should be brushed clean and the decided mix applied with a pointing trowel, there are several different finishes for pointing, Flush, weather-struck, Tuck pointed,etc tuck pointing should only be left to a professional as it is difficult.
Best of luck but please get further advice if your building would be spoilt by a mismatch on the pointing.
To bricky-local you might not damage a brick but a soft London brick might be ripped apart by an angle grinder.
angle grinder , 1/4 in.diamond blade...your not going to hurt the brick if you take your time. grind out bad mortar, splash down joints with water with a plasterers brush to remove dust and slow the setting of the fresh mud. tuck the mud in with a tucking tool not a pointing trowel. get a 1/4 in. and a 3/8 in. tucking tool, the hardware man will know what they are. after joints are filled strike them with a striking iron and brush them off when crumbly. wash them down the next day with muriatic acid if you want a clean job...
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