The importance of masonry repointing can prevent further damages to existing disintegrating walls in a structure.
While mortar lasts long, it does wear out with time, and then maintenance is necessary to keep the wall of a building sealed. To replace the masonry in a disintegrating wall, the process of repointing must be completed. Unsure what your masonry structure needs? Read on for some notes on the importance of masonry repointing.
Purpose of Masonry Repointing
Masonry repointing is expected if you want to fix up the appearance of your building or there are weakening joints that display damage. Repointing consists of replacing flawed mortar joints damaged, crumbled, or cracked with new mortar to complement the original mortar. Unlike tuckpointing, repointing does not provide the brick masonry a unique look nor makes the joints appear thinner.
With time, age and weather can cause mortar joints to decay, developing gaps between the brick. If the mortar isn’t taken care of as soon as possible, water or other elements can enter the brick itself and lead to significant damage and repairs to the structure. Proper masonry repointing can fix these problems to prevent further damages from occurring.
The Repointing Process
Extreme attention to detail is required to match the existing mortar because mismatching your structure will lead to different strengths throughout the building, further deteriorating the joints. The color, texture, hardness, and vapor permeability must be considered when matching mortar. Choosing mortar softer than your bricks or stone can help your property.
Eliminating the mortar by hand or a grinder is usually standard on buildings with softer mortar joints to avoid damage to the surrounding brick. Rigid mortar is removed carefully by using a grinder or a power masonry blade. After the removal is completed, damp the brick-and-mortar joints with a paint brush or spray bottle full of water. Use new rigid mortar to divide and push it into the brick gap with a trowel. Direct the joint with a trowel once the mortar settles to finish the repointing process.
Upkeeping Masonry
To leave a perfectly matching repair job and create a smooth repair process, record your structure’s mortar type for future reference. Furthermore, complete an annual inspection of your masonry building to check for signs of deterioration. By doing these maintenance tasks, you will know the status of your building and complete the required repairs before your structure is negatively affected.
One repointing tip to note: always make sure to avoid dust and water spray from hitting joints that have already been repointed by working from the top down.
Contact Del Prete Masonry Today!
Whether you are ready to start your next masonry project or are still hesitant and have questions, Del Prete Masonry is here to help. We have the experience and expertise to get it right the first time. Questions? Want to visit some of our residential or commercial projects? Ready to set up a consultation? Feel free to give us a call at 410-683-0650 or visit us online. We are happy to serve Baltimore City and County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. To see examples of our work and to keep up with our new and exciting projects, be sure to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest