Repointing Old Brickwork - Best Mix & Tools 

I used to mix for a pointing gang in Germany some 40 years ago (can't believe I just wrote that - where did those years go..!). Over there the brickies on a new build didn't point the wall as they went along. A specialist pointing gang would come in after the brickwork was done and finish off the pointing later. We'd use a much drier mx than shown here - it was just damp, and use a straight trowel the same as shown in the video - not a UK style pointing trowel, which is really slow as Roger says - and a curved hawk - always home made. And man, those German pointers were REALLY fast. thinking back it was about 10 seconds for a linear metre. They'd finish off with a bent piece of 15mm copper pipe bent in the same shape as the pointing trowel (Roger is using a bit of wood here) and a soft brush as suggested. They'd always have a beer on the go too... No, really. Happy days.

A subject close to my heart! Glad you started this video by talking about the importance of matching the mix strength with existing wall. This is so very important. Can't remember if mentioned this already, but we repointed most of our lower ground floor of our house (about 60 sq m of wall) with a lime mortar last year. (NHL3.5) Keep explaining to people the reason we bothered using lime. The idea is that the mortar must be sacrificial to the brick, not the other way around. The walls are 185 years old. Shove cement mortar in them, and they will last another 5 years, continue with lime and they are good for another 150. Once you see a lime mortar wall repointed in cement mortar, you can't unsee it. Then you see it everywhere you go! Everywhere you see it, the faces of bricks have crumbled out and come off. No other reason. Such a shame. The whole process of raking out and repointing took three of us a good week. It was very painful on the hands (not like what you showed here, because the brick was very different and we packed the mortar in very hard). Hundreds of bags of dust came out when we raked out. I have some great before/after pics. The stuff was black and crumbly before we repointed, it fell out when you touched it. We raked back 20mm, partly because stuff was falling out already to that depth before we even raked out. In fact entire bricks were loose and dodgy so we needed to pull some out here and there and re-snap them the correct size to get them back in. Lot of hard work. Now it's amazing, firm, no dust comes off when you brush the bricks, lovely. As we went overseas straight afterwards we asked Anna's mum to come around and water the walls twice a day, which was pretty amusing for all. Walls look gorgeous now, as well - so will be keeping some of them exposed. However we accidentally bought too much NHL3.5, so if you know anyone who needs about 9 bags of the stuff (not cheap) then let me know - I'd rather it go to a good home than go off. We kept it off the floor in a reasonable warm and very well ventilated place

If you are right handed Roger, fill your bed joints from right to left. That way you are always pushing back against what you have just placed so you have no voids. It will be a lot faster. Cheers mate

This is a timely video for me i need to do this to my 1926 laundry/outhouse turned workshops. Thanks for the tip.

That's the best video I've seen for a long time! I've got a lot to do and a lot to learn. I've got 1920's and Victorian needing a LOT of work - a big project for the summer. Your tips about the mix is absolutely fantastic. I can now see where all old repairs (done by professionals apparently!) have failed and pinked the bricks out with them. All the original stuff is lime mortar and its been badly bodged over the years with really nasty grey super hard cement doing more damage. I've got a big job on but you have just inspired me to tackle it and I will enjoy doing it a bit at a time. Thank you so much!

Still a pleasure watching someone take so much pride in every task. Used to enjoy your articles in builder mags years ago

I echo all the other comments - what a great video! Clear,concise and no nonsense, why aren't they all like you? Many thanks for sharing your skills and enthusiasms, much appreciated...

Brilliant advice as always Rodger. A plumber myself I love pointing around pipes, flues etc. Building in missing brick and making good walls. Very satisfying job I find. Keep up the good work!

Roger, you've just made my day. I just came to RU-vid for a video on how to repoint our old garden wall as want to prove to my husband that I can.... After watching 3 other videos I came across yours and not only did o get a proper step by step explanation with added tips and tricks but also thoroughly enjoyed your personal stories, especially about working on the Savoy. I am leaving the video feeling confident enough to try myself and wishing I could one day meet you for a pint 🙏☺️

Hi Roger, another good video, one of the most difficult jobs you ever have to undertake. I struggled with it for years tried all sorts of tricks, one job in Cambridge I got it all raked out and washed off, and because I wanted to use a wet lime mortar (7 soft sand 1 lime 1torment(OPC)) mix which would stain the bricks I decided to use an oil based barrier on the bricks, I use a bottle of Mazola from a local shop!, it worked an absolute treat, got the job done in no time and washed of the snots as soon as it had dried a bit. I was delighted and when back a few months later to admire it, to my everlasting shame and embarrassment all the brickwork had gone almost black as the oil degraded!, I never tried that again!. One of the things II was told was that any attempt to wash fresh pointing with water would just make matters worse but if the brickwork and the muck are too dry it cracks and dries before it can chemically cure, if you are lucky you can brush off the worst a half-hour after you put it in. When I did the front of the house that I'm living in now I decided to wash the wall with the garden hose and apply dryish mortar (old yellow brick with lime mortar) to very wet bricks, again went in a treat, this time I chose to just leave it to dry completely and brush it off the next day - wrong again - I did the job now 15 years ago and the smears of muck are still showing all over the edges!, it is going to stay there for sure!. The next bit I tried was just a little patch, this time as before but I decided to try another tack, this time I cut a very deep chase , wet it thoroughly, pointed it up, struck it off with the trowel, put a bit of a skin on it, left it for twenty minutes then washed over it all with gallons of clean water and a soft sponge - at last - I cracked it!, apart from the mess on the ground!, absolutely perfect, if only I'd known that before. The last big pointing job a few years ago came in at about sixty pounds a square metre which I think is not too bad for a job that should last for as long as the house!. Cheers, Richard.

Thanks for that as I’m just about to re-point my window bay, has given me the confidence, being a amateur 👍

Can't beat an old fella with lots of experience. Best video i have seen on this.

The best advice yet......loved all your tidbits of info!

Just watched this again - it really is an excellent video. Fantastic for the DIYer.

Roger, thank you for this. Excellent instruction and great tips to make the job easier. Glad you didn't fall off the Savoy!

Well done Roger for keeping the videos coming 👍👍

Thanks for the video, very informative and helpful. Great attitude and humility considering the wealth of knowledge you are sharing.

Thank you for this video, I'm now going to copy your technique for my garage wall

"There I was on the Savoy, dangling about!!" Great work Roger

Best repointing vid I've seen by far!

I am going to use this time to Sharpen my chisels, clean the van out and reorganize my power tools and clean them , keep safe everyone regards from Ireland Darren

Great video, thank you. Stay safe and good luck.

Hi Roger, your pulling out every trick in the book to keep the videos coming, thank you its much appreciated! Hopefully your subscribers go through the roof! suppose you can turn a negative into a postive! Stay safe mate your a ledgend

Used this excellent video to redo my pointing. Thanks!

As a novice - and non builder - I first repointed an Edwardian town house. Really good bricklaying on the front. Getting shabbier round the back and the bits that only the neighbours saw was not good at all. Luckily I had an excellent old guy "pointing" me in the right direction. Good lad, our Den. Moved to a Georgian/Victorian hunting lodge with 33 rooms, 29 chimneys, 50 foot tower and on and on. HugeVictorian bricks, tiny Georgian ones, really tight gage lines and a dragon of a listed building enforcer. Fortunately the County's monuments guy was a star and again pointed us in the right direction. We had to use all lime mortar, I found plastering sand worked well at matching the existing finish. Took f..n years. Keep up the good work - and stay safe everyone.

Thank you so much you saved me hundreds of pounds, never did any pointed did the front of my house and I'm so proud that I did it, a big thank you

Love the skill builder videos You now have a new subscriber and I’m a fan also ! I repoint for a living so I’ll look forward to any potential future repointing videos you post Roger

have got some to do first timer so thanks for this it is appreciated

This guy is such an excellent teacher

Nice job, I did mine some years back and used this exact method as it’s so fast. I’m just refreshing my mind as I have some more to do. Before it finally goes off I give it the once over with a soft brush to get rid of any crumbs and dust.

Thanks Roger great video Stay Safe

Spot on video, thanks for uploading 👍

Great work matey , love your sense of humour too , Thank you .

Great vid and ideas. I’m in the process of repointing the whole side wall of my 3 bed semi detached property. There’s a garage on the side so can access from the roof. Considering 3 to 1 sand/cement mix with plasticiser as the wall is exposed to the elements but having seen this, I’m not sure.

A great teacher.

Good vid, thanks. I’m repointing the whole side wall of my house and it’s coming along ok. The bricks are textured though with diagonal ridges which makes it quite difficult.

Another fantastic video...yet again you've provided clear and helpful advice! Will definitely be putting these tips into practice. Thanks!

Great video, love the tips/recap at the end....subscribed 👍

I've just re watched this and realised that you work left to right just the same as I do, I've been advised so many times to work from right to left as to pack the mortar more easily, But I'm good and fast at pointing (probably because I hate doing it so want to get it over with without any call back) Your a wealth of experience and knowledge, thanks.

Great instruction I’ve never been good at this. Now I understand Thank You Sir from Corpus Christi Texas USA

Excellent! Thanks Rodger-YOU THE MAN!!!

Nice one Roger , love a bit of pointing, it’s like having a rest away from the mud and the trench blocks .love the “how not to drop a wall” at the end ..... you muppet 😱😂😂🧱🧱👍🏼

great luck I started on the best video for this topic. thanks!

Brilliant as ever!

20 minutes watching you putting some sand and cement back in a wall and chirp away about this and that... Loved every minute! And what a real world moment at the end - hours of care and attention followed by one slight mishap - story of my life and no doubt many others lol! Great video once again Roger . Nice one.

Thanks for the video, and really nice music!

That felt very much like learning to paint with Bob Foss. Loved it

Brilliant. l watched this wondering why my new pointing gun isn't working and you answered that. l am using a pre-mixed mortor but it wont come out of the gun. The only way to get any movement was to take the nozzle off completely but that was very messy, if slightly effective.

Very nice work.

Great lesson and job. Thanks.

I have my dad's pointing trowel. Completely rounded, short, worn for a right hander. Its one of my favourite possessions.

Thanks

Fascinating tip using that paper scraper on the perps 👍

Cheers Roger, pointing guns are frustrating tools to use, a Marshalltown Tuck Pointer is just what I needed 👍

Brilliant!

Thanks for the video

4:25 being humble, a good character trait!

Great video, what type of lime and mix would you use for Victorian property, can you show a video of you doing that? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information out there, people make it seem really complex.

Superb! I need the back of a terraced house done top to bottom.

Nice video, well having never done pointing before I thought I'd give it a go, how hard could it be right?!! Tried using a mortar gun, wet mix as advised but not sure if I'm being too heavy handed but kept on coming out in clumps then when I go back over it to fill in the gaps the gun gets so messy then before you knows it I've run out of mix, too much faff, as I haven't got a labourer constantly filling it up for me what is supposed to be quicker is actually taking longer so I think I'll try your method with the tuck pointer!

That video was mesmerising. Brilliant ❤️

well done , good job , hey Roger stay safe

Great job I'm surprised you've not mentioned the half round jointer . Most common finish. That also pushes/compresses thr mortar

🤣🤣 Nice move with the wall at the end bet that went down well, Nice job with the pointing 🍺💪

The great Roger Bisby. Class and character.

Great video with some useful tips. Do you think a mix of building sand and sharp sand would be suitable for pointing ? Or best to use just building sand ? Cheers

In America, we grind out as much old mortar as possible before applying the new mortar because it adds more surface area for the new mortar(and more of it) to adhere to and makes it less likely that water will be able to get in between your new mortar and the old mortar and frost heaving your new stuff clean off the chimney/wall. All too often you come to do roof flashing work on a chimney(that the customer claims was "recently repointed") and there's little 1/8" thick rectangular chunks of mortar laying on the roof and hanging out of the mortar beds, and usually(not all the time) that's because they just smeared a paper thin layer on top of the old stuff(that stuck to nothing) and called it a day. If you're not going to be doing any grinding, it's good to at least pressure wash what you're planning on repointing first to remove anything from the surface of the wall/chimney that that might interfere with adhesion of the new mortar to the old mortar whether it be dirt, dust, oil, plant material, or what have you, and also to dislodge any loose pieces of mortar or brick, because obviously you don't want to put your new stuff up against something that's fixin' to fall out. If possible, it's also good to figure out if the bricks you plan to repoint are high suction(capillary suction) bricks, because that will affect how wet your mortar mix will need to be or if you have to wet the brick first before applying the new mortar. Some bricks are thirsty and will drink the water right out of your mortar before it's done doing its thing, and that's no good. The science: canadamasonrydesigncentre.com/download/9th_symposium/MORJTS06.pdf

Love the ending, nice segway to the next video, "how to repair a garden fence" 😂

Given that there are so many types of masonry walls, getting the pointing right is not quite so simple as it might first appear. Generally speaking, joints should be raked out to at least twice their width, mortar pointing is a sacrificial material and should be weaker and more porous than the bricks, and the finished profile should ideally match the original design. Mortar must be compatible with the original materials and this is critical in the case of solid walls built using lime mortar as they need to dry out by evaporation. If you require reliable guidance on repointing, do take the trouble to read the Building Research Establishment publication “Good Repair Guide No 24” (Repointing external brickwork walls) as this provides useful information, including when does worn pointing affect structural integrity. As a general rule, impermeable finishes should not be applied to external walls as this inhibits evapourative during and tends to trap moisture.

We point a lot of houses mainly brick for the council we use a pointing gun 2 lads do about 25sq metre a day 1 lad putting it in gun and 1 lad using a jointing iron . We use 1 lime 3 building sand 1 silver abit of motor plasticiser and abit of dye if needed so new pointing doesn’t look out of place

Believe it or not I used to be plumber years ago then went into bench joinery and manufacturing. I've done all my own pointing. I do it the same way you showed however thanks for the tip with a scraper for the perp's. I have my garage gable to do this summer. Great tip👍

This is good stuff. The algorithm got it right this time.

Brilliant video . Just a little tip, its a little easier if right handed, to start on right and pull the mortar into what you have already squeezed in.

23:32 oops! 😂 Needed a laugh, nice one Roger. Next video, replacing a fence panel?

nice job and advice once again

Hi Rodger, I just found your channel and subscribed, today i tried to binge watch all the plumbing videos. Very infomatve and in real life situations which I think is Better than a "classroom demonstration" . Well done keep up the excellent work

Love the commentary good video!

I have got to re-point my inglenook fire place. Lime mortar of course. Me thinks a Marshaltown purchase could be on the horizon

Could listen to the Biz ramble on about the savoy and so while pointing for hours.

Ive just done an entite wall and need to talk about the mortar gun. I tried it with pre-mix and it just clogged, even though the mix claimed it was for pointing. One phone call to the absolutely excellent customer support line of Roughneck tools and i was advised to not use pre-mix but make sure it was very soft building sand. The type that makes your hands go yellow/orange when you run it on your hands. Mixed about 4 or 5 to 1 with a bit of plasticiser and my god, what a difference! I've pointed a lot in the past, though I'm no builder (sparks and plumbing) This mortar gun comes in my top 5 of time-saving tools. It's awesome. Even my father in law was converted and he's been a brickie for 40+ years. I'll never go back to getting the mortar in with a trowel.

I came across your video as I’m looking to repoint under my bay window. Couldn’t believe it when you said your name at the beginning. I called in a couple of times to ask your advice when you used to be on LBC radio with Steve Allen 20 years ago. You must have been a teenager then!

good you pointed out about not using a strong mix otherwise it can take the face of the bricks off as well as all the other issues you mentioned. The odd occasion I've repointed, and if large enough area I'll use a manual 'caulking style' pointing gun, but to stop bung-ups you need to sieve the sand, sounds a faff but it's still quicker and produces a nice result. Like someone already said, after the soaking I'll use a hand spray to 'top-up' the wall to help stop that suction. Hanging damp sacking over helps keep the sun and wind off to let it go off and not just dry out. My preference is 1x portland, 1x lime, 4x sand, that way you can get the fat up without bother to give a nice waterproof finish. Keep the videos coming!! Best wishes.

Will you be doing a "how to" on replacing broken fence panels? And then the wind catches the fence panel and swings it into the neighbour's greenhouse, leading to a greenhouse repair video.

Nice job 👍

Everyone has their methods, but i normally use a 4:1 mix but knock it up fairly dry and water untill it can keep its shape that way you don’t smear on the brick work, I use a modified tuck pointer as well, spray the brickwork before so the mix doesn’t dry before curing. This method works well for all types of pointing and jointing finishes including bastard tuck pointing with putty.

Great video

Great video, have to de a bit of repointing on the gable end of the house and then put on some stormdry masonry cream which i just watched a video of you using. Hope the damp patch goes👍

Top of my garage wall needs repointing. It seems to look a little damper at the top. The mortar gets wet, freezes and the water expands and pushes the mortar out. Also need a tip for a subsidence crack. The outdoor water tap kept dripping so the corner of the garage started to subside. Caused cracks all along the bottom on the inside walls. I've kept the tap dry and over a year or so the cracks have closed back up a lot. I did also fill all around the garage with cement as I think water settled in the foundation gap. Anyhow, what's the best thing to use to fill the crack gaps at the bottom of the walls? Thanks in advance.

Great video Roger. I’ve got a 100yr old stone garden wall here in Scotland that’s falling apart. What kind of mix would you use for that? The stones are maybe 30-40cm wide and so the gaps are pretty big. Thanks in advance

Good idea to hose the dust out once the raking is done, beats brushing it out. If it’s sunny or windy it stops the wall sucking the life out of the mortar.

Have you covered spalling bricks in a previous video? Especially below DPC..

What width tuckpointer are you using here? I’m about to start repointing a 1920’s red brick house and not sure what’s best. Cheers

Quickpoint is the gun to have.

Hi Rodger, I've searched RU-vid but cannot find anything on why brick on end caps layed level cause an issue with water ingress due to water lodging on brick and freezing. I've just rebuilt garden wall and waiting to confirm if a fall is needed on the brick on end cap. Can you do a video on this as its needed, no videos out there at present. Thanks

As a DIY’er I thought it was taking me hours to repoint brickwork. Whilst I’m nowhere near as quick as you are you have shown that these things do take time to do properly. Thank you for showing that it’s worth taking your time.

Very watchable video. The face that appears in the brickwork for a few seconds about 8 mins in was a bit spooky. Thought I was seeing things at first. 😄

It would be great to see how you point the bottom courses!

Nice one fella.

I'm a fan.

My home was pointed by my grandfather in the 1950s who was a Bricky/pointer and my joints look identical to yours Thanks for sharing