Professional Repointing

Protect and improve the appearance of your property with our repointing service

From chimneys and walls to roofs, it’s important to protect the integrity of your property, and repointing might be needed. There are many parts of a property and reasons why repointing might be required.

What is repointing?

Renewing the pointing, or repointing is the replacement and renewing of the outer portion of mortar joints in brickwork or stonework - which is known as the pointing. The task of repointing should be done by proven experts who have experience working on brickwork and other areas such as the roofing of a property.

Traditionally, the first mortar was made with lime and sand, which would make lime putty but in the early 20th century this was replaced by Portland cement which is much stronger and fast drying. Masonry cement, which is a combination of Portland cement and ground limestone was adopted in the 1930s.

Why should you repoint?

Over time, and with the various changes in the seasonal climate, brickwork and pointing can become damaged. This can cause various structural issues including leaking roofs and ingress of other elements such as snow and ice. Repointing can also help to reduce the risk of damp and possible further decay to a property.

Here’s an overview of where repointing might need to be done on your property:

Repointing Chimneys and Walls

Repointing is usually carried out on external walls of properties or chimneys because over time the weather can cause decay of the mortar between the brickwork or stonework. The decay of mortar creates gaps between the masonry units which are usually bricks or stone, depending on the age of your property. This is where rain, snow, ice and hail and any other undesirable types of weather can enter the property, causing damage.

It’s crucial to the stability and weather-proofing of a roof or wall to ensure the pointing is always in good condition. If you are in any doubt about the condition of your walls or chimney, call DK Roofing and we will visit your property to assess what, if anything, is required.

Leaky roof or chimney

If you are having problems with a leaky roof, and you have a chimney, it may be that repointing the chimney is the solution. Repointing the chimney area will remove gaps where water is coming in, however, without seeing the problem first hand it’s difficult to say if repointing is needed.

What is used to repoint a chimney or wall?

Before repointing it’s always important to examine the structure and areas concerned, whether it’s the area surrounding a leak or where there is some form of visible decay of a wall or roof.

With many years’ experience in repointing, DK Roofing offers site visits to establish if repointing of your brickwork joints is required. We will also discuss the type of mortar your external or internal walls will require to enable the very best repointing.

Vertical joints or thin joints are repointed by hand, or with small power chisels. If a power saw is required it will only be used on wide and uniform horizontal joints and in the middle of the joint. A hammer and chisel are then used for the rest of the mortar.

Mortar Pointing

Well-built clay brickwork is virtually maintenance-free. If you have this in your property, then the brick colour will not fade and the only obvious repairs may be needed after many years when the mortar joint faces may require re-pointing. However, if the correct mix proportions are used appropriate to the exposure factor, this will not be for many years.

Chimney repointing repair costs

Chimneys are always in the most exposed location on a property and therefore they experience considerable weathering. This can include wind-driven rain, hail, ice and snow in the winter to extreme heat from sunlight in the summer (or heavy rainfall – after all, this is the UK).

These weather conditions are why mortar on chimneys between the bricks often fail earlier than any other part of the home.

Once the chimney mortar has become damaged, call DK Roofing immediately. Damaged chimney mortar can lead to water leaking into your loft and bricks, cowls and aerials may come loose.

Chimney repointing is a process whereby the original failed mortar is raked out and replaced with new mortar.

But how much does it cost to repoint a chimney and how long does it take to repoint a chimney?

The cost of chimney repairs and time allowance really depends on how big the chimney is, and how damaged the original pointing is.

In addition, you may need additional work done such as cutting out and replacing damaged bricks or stonework, replacing leadwork or nearby roof tiles. So it’s best to ask us to come and have a look at the chimney, and if you know where the leaks are in the roof, let us know.

As experienced roofers, we will be able to advise you on the best solutions for your roof, chimney or walls or repointing and repair.

Get in touch today

For a FREE site visit and quotation, contact our repointing experts today by filling in the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you.