Does this need re pointing?

[Nath911t]

I've got a bit of spare time on my hands and just been looking around the house for things to do. Yes, a sucker for punishment but while the weather is good....

During a walkaround I've noticed the pointing on the south facing side of the house (well bungalow) looks like it's blown in some areas, is this something that I need to get ideally get done before the cold sets in? Your thoughts will be much appreciated.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

My vote's a borderline yes, if that's representative.

I'd also put some water seal or similar on, after removing the old and washing it all with a hose, before repointing. The yellow one above the alarm box looks quite weather-worn. The useful side effect is that it makes it easier to clean up any slops. Leave the new pointing unsealed.

 

[^woody^]

Yes it needs repointing. Do not apply any water repellent to the walls unless you have a problem that needs to be remedied by it. Definitely not before repointing.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Hehe. It works great! You get a good bit of extra breathability if the pointing's left unsealed. Worked a treat on my house, done lots of years ago and still looks great.

Bricks falling apart is definitely a problem.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I did mine with a fluffy paint roller, so it got blathered onto the faces but not into the joints.

 

[^woody^]

You get a good bit of extra breathability if the pointing's left unsealed

Hmmm, I'm not sure you understand how water repellents work. They are not surface coatings.

And dropping in the "walls" and "breathe" cliche for anything built after Mr Shakespeare put down his pen, gets an automatic -10 on the credibility scale. -30 for cavity walls, and -50 for cavity walls with cement mortar.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I think the stuff I used was acrylic, so more of a surface sealant. The bricks were pitted and weather-beaten, like some of those shown above. I filled a few holes with some tiling grout of a simlar colour before sealing over. It worked great. No efflorescence or other issues, just a nice weatherproof wall.

For an amateur repoint it was definitely helpful to have wipe-clean brick faces.

Yes walls need to breathe. Water inevitably gets in, so let it out.