If you happen to’re renovating a home, getting a repointing value on your brick or stonework could be included in your checklist of jobs – significantly if it is a big job that wants tackling by the professionals.
Though pointing is not what holds the bricks or stones absolutely in place and as a substitute refers back to the mortar that sits in between the joints of your bricks or stonework, it is important for filling the open joint created throughout the technique of laying.
Whereas filling the joint naturally connects the edges of every brick or stone to the subsequent one, it is most sensible goal is to forestall water ingress.
However, simply what’s concerned in repointing and the way a lot are you able to anticipate to pay?
Brick vs stone will end in a unique repointing value
In addition to defending your property in opposition to issues reminiscent of damp, repointing brickwork or stonework can invigorate the exterior look of your property leaving it with a contemporary, up to date end.
And though there are a selection of variables concerned in figuring out your repointing value, one of many largest components is whether or not your constructing is constructed from bricks or stone.
Bricks usually tend to be of a uniform dimension and laid in a extra common sample, thereby in principle making most varieties of brick simpler to repoint. Stone alternatively is commonly extra natural in form, resulting in completely different dimension joints and an irregular floor to work on.
Cement mortar vs lime mortar
There are two principal varieties of mortar combine used for repointing. Cement primarily based mortar and lime mortar. Which product you select can be influenced by the age of your constructing. Phil Brown, managing director of Cornish Lime explains why.
“Within the UK, conventional masonry buildings constructed previous to 1920 with stone, brick, or cob had been typically constructed with lime mortar. In contrast to cavity wall development, which options an outer layer and air hole designed to maintain out moisture, solid-walled buildings require breathable supplies to handle the moisture within the constructing cloth.
“This idea is commonly simplified to ‘letting the partitions breathe’,” says Phil. “By utilizing lime mortar to permit the moisture to maneuver out and in, it may assist forestall frequent points reminiscent of damp, mould, or decay, which come up when partitions turn out to be saturated by trapped moisture.”
Variations in value
In the case of the variations in value, each varieties of mortar may be combined by hand or bought pre-made. Mixing by hand for each choices would be the less expensive selection, however comes at a danger.
“Essentially the most conventional strategy to buying lime mortar,” says Phil, “is figuring out the lime and sand required on your venture and mixing it onsite. This methodology is extra budget-friendly and provides you essentially the most management over the lime and sand used.
“Nevertheless, this additionally implies that the efficiency, workability, and consistency of mortar will rely upon the chosen supplies and your ability in mixing them. The choice, albeit much less conventional, could be to make use of premixed mortar particularly engineered for pointing and designed to assist cut back inconsistencies in efficiency and color variation.”
If you happen to select to combine by hand, recommendation on the B&Q web site suggests utilizing a bucket, relatively than shovel as your measuring instrument with the intention to guarantee consistency in color. Their prime tip?
“Draw a line on the within of a bucket with a felt-tip marker indicating one unit of the combination. Shovel the components in flip into the bucket, ensuring every measure is stage with the road.”
To estimate how a lot lime mortar you may want, there is a useful calculator out there on the Conserv web site.
| Pre-mix mortar | Value | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| Lime mortar | From £11.80 for a 20kg tub | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| Concrete mortar | From £12 for a 20kg bag | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
Must you selected to combine by and, prices for particular person parts may also be priced by weight, with lime, sand and white cement all out there from £0.45p per kg.
Phil Brown is the founder and Managing Director of Cornish Lime, with over 40 years of expertise throughout the development trade and the manufacture and use of lime-based supplies.
Raking out
Whether or not you are repointing value pertains to bricks or stone, the primary stage of the method can be raking out the joints to take away any residual broken mortar. This may be carried out in one among two methods – by hand utilizing a chisel and hammer, or different acceptable instruments.
Enterprise this by hand is of course a extra time intensive process however is prone to be the one possibility if you’re repointing an older or listed constructing as additional care will have to be taken to forestall additional injury.
In new houses, utilizing energy instruments such the finest angle grinder could also be an possibility. This may additionally help in ensuring the joint is raked out to a uniform depth. As soon as the method is full, the joints will then have to be brushed out to make sure all particles is eliminated previous to repointing.
Nevertheless, if you’re renovating a constructing the place cement mortar was beforehand used and also you need to substitute this with lime mortar, Phil Brown recommends taking additional care.
“Sometimes, we propose eradicating any beforehand used cement mortars and avoiding the addition of cement into the lime mortar you plan to level with,” says Phil.
“Cement mortars are onerous and impervious, which suggests moisture, which is inevitably throughout the constructing cloth, will both keep trapped or attempt to pressure its method out.
“With no permeable mortar throughout the joint, the water will transfer by means of the softer stone or brick, accelerating masonry decay,” he warns. “For moisture that stays trapped, the partitions can turn out to be saturated and trigger additional damp and decay.”
“For raking out, it’s probably that you simply’ll pay between £25 and £45 per hour in labour prices, relying on the place you reside,” says Thomas Goodman, property and development knowledgeable at MyJobQuote.
Thomas Goodman has labored as a property and development knowledgeable for MyJobQuote for six years and has labored within the development trade for over twenty years. Thomas continues to work on constructing initiatives, whereas additionally offering knowledgeable development and property recommendation to trade professionals and DIY fans.
Labour prices
No matter mortar selection, “essentially the most important component that can outline the price range and quantity of fabric required,” says Phil, “would be the dimension of the realm and the joint width that wants repointing.”
Nonetheless, with brickwork basically having a extra uniform construction, labour prices for repointing are usually decrease than stonework.
Further delays also can occur with stonework, “as a result of there may be deeper recesses which usually want filling with bits of stone in addition to mortar,” explains Thomas Goodman. “When it comes to curing occasions, cement mortar is quickest at round 28 days whereas lime mortar can take round 90 days.”
It is one thing I’ve first hand data of getting employed stonemasons to repoint a listed constructing. The unique lime mortar had additionally been patched up with cement mortar previous to the constructing being listed that means we needed to take away the cement after which substitute it with lime mortar. The entire course of took round 10 months to finish.
Prices for repointing
“You may anticipate to pay between £20 and £50 per sq. metre for repointing your brickwork or stonework with cement mortar,” says Thomas Goodman. “Repointing with lime mortar tends to value between £60 and £80 per sq. metre however for trickier stonework that requires a specialist builder, you may pay nearer £100 per sq. metre.”
Checkatrade additionally suggests the next labour prices for repointing, together with clear up:
| Repointing brickwork | £55 per m2 |
| Repointing stonework | £80 per m2 |
| Repointing a chimney | £750 |
Different prices
In addition to the labour and supplies wanted to repoint your property, there are different issues to remember.
Scaffolding
Based on Mybuilder.com, prices can vary from £500 for scaffolding to entry your chimney to £2,500 for a full home wrap. Nevertheless, chances are you’ll discover your native scaffolding firm cost a day or week fee or one primarily based on meterage.
Both method, it is also essential to ascertain if you’ll need any permits out of your native council to erect the scaffolding as these may also have to be included in your last prices.
Hessian wrap or polythene
In case you are utilizing lime mortar for repointing, you may additionally must cowl it with hessian or polythene whereas it dries.
Through the winter you may apply dry hessian, whereas in the summertime chances are you’ll must spray it with water previous to making use of it. It will assist forestall the mortar from drying out too rapidly. Polythene ought to solely be utilized within the winter to forestall frost cracking.
Enable £46.80 incl vat per 146m roll of hessian wrap.
FAQs
Who ought to I rent to do the work?
“Whenever you’re getting any brickwork repointed, you actually need to rent somebody with a recognised qualification in bricklaying, such because the Stage 3 Superior Technical Diploma in Bricklaying,” says Thomas Goodman.
“That method you recognize they’ve the suitable abilities to do the job correctly. This doesn’t imply you want a bricklayer particularly, as a basic builder can also be prone to have comparable abilities and {qualifications}.
“A stonemason is often the popular possibility for repointing stone partitions,” says Thomas, “nevertheless a builder with the suitable abilities and expertise also needs to be capable of do it. In areas the place homes are historically product of stone, it’s extra probably that native builders will know tips on how to do the sort of repointing, however do all the time test first.”
How can I lower your expenses?
“For repointing partitions close to the bottom, you could possibly lower your expenses by doing the prep work your self and rake out the unfastened mortar,” suggests Thomas Goodman.
“Your builder or stonemason might be able to prepare the scaffolding, but it surely could be price getting separate quotes for this and see if it’s cheaper so that you can organise your self.
“As for quotes, it’s a good suggestion to get at the least three or 4,” recommends Thomas, “so that you may be positive you’re getting one of the best deal.”
Though the general expense could mount up and have an effect in your price range’ backside line, it is nonetheless a job that is price doing properly first time to keep away from a repeat efficiency says Phil Brown.
“Whereas reducing corners in your price range could be tempting, investing in high quality supplies which might be sympathetic to the present constructing cloth is the sensible strategy to keep away from time-consuming, costly or troublesome repairs later down the road.”
“Repointing with acceptable supplies the primary time is way extra cost-efficient than digging out inappropriate supplies later,” says Phil, “or, even worse, changing broken stone or brick.”
In case you are contemplating enterprise the work your self, you will discover knowledgeable recommendation in our information to repointing a chimney Or if the issue is solely one which’s at floor stage, discover out all that you must know for pointing patios.