Owning a home or building means that there is a lot of necessary maintenance for ensuring that the property lasts for years to come. If the building is made of brick or has a brick façade, brick pointing is an essential task that will help guarantee safety, quality, and beauty.
What is Brick Pointing?
Also referred to as “repointing,” brick pointing means filling in the gaps between bricks of an already existing structure with mortar. The process is used as a final step to building a brick construction or to repair noticeable damage to an older one. Pointing provides an extra layer of defense against the elements as it ensures that there are no gaps between the bricks. This prevents rain, snow, humidity, and even corrosive elements like sand from entering between the bricks and wearing them away.
How to Do It
Attention to a brick structure is required as soon as any failure of the previous mortar is noticed. Cracks, missing chunks of mortar, and indentations are all reasons to begin the repointing process. To begin, mark any cracks or gaps before you begin the process, so you don’t accidentally miss one. Once each site has been marked, any old mortar needs to be removed. This can be done by grinding the brick joints to get rid of the damage. Once the mortar is removed, the site of repair needs to be cleaned and dried so that the new mortar will have a good surface to affix itself to. Next, the mortar is mixed and poured into a bucket that you will carry with you from site to site on the structure. Then, a pointing tool is used to press the mortar into the cracks, scraping the outside to leave an even finish. The mortar then needs a few hours to dry completely.
When to Repoint
It’s never too early to pay attention to the state of your brick structure. Routine observation and inspection will reveal any damage, and the sooner you catch it, the better. After all, even just a tiny break in the existing mortar means that the structure is no longer waterproof and can result in immediate damage to the interior of the structure. The best thing to do is get it fixed as soon as you see any harm to the mortar or bricks.
Bruno Guerriero Construction
While DIY home improvement projects are a great way to approach repairs in a lot of cases, masonry generally takes professional experience to be done correctly. Asking a company like Bruno Guerriero Construction to assist with your brick pointing needs will result in a long-lasting brick repair.
