Ali
Member
- Messages
- 1,917
- Location
- Cheshire
Hi All,
I’m in the midst of adding an extension to the rear of our semi. Some of the existing (lime?) mortar is coming out in chunks in places, and there are repairs here and there that have been pointed with different mortar, not to mention the chimneys, which I imagine are always the worst, have a few blown bricks and although they were patched not long ago are a bit of an eyesore, and I’d really like to do them properly.
To add into the mix the gable end wall is leaning (only the outer leaf and about 12 courses), so this needs rebuilding. The remedial wall tie installer I used many years ago basically didn’t install enough ties / installed them incorrectly and while it’s only shown here the whole house needs doing. Structural eng. was involved and I got my money back, at least. But now none of the installers want to touch it as someone has already been at it and it’s failed - so as a result I’ll be doing it myself. I did a lot of research on wall ties and their correct installation / testing along with help from the SE, so I’m confident doing this myself even though I won’t get a guarantee certificate.
I lintel has also failed above a window, structural eng. has recommended one but there will be brickwork involved, obviously.
I will have a bricklayer back at some point and may decide to delegate the re-pointing, but I’ll give it a try first and I’m hoping to save some money by at least raking out the mortar myself. I had a bit of a practice earlier with a grinder using a diamond disc.
I’m keen to use the same mortar so it matches the adjoining property, and I’ve also read that lime mortar allows the walls to breathe.
Some of the brickwork also needs cleaning - paint / mortar splashes etc.
So my questions:
1. I was OK with the grinder and I see it done this way quite a bit, but you do need to be careful not to damage the bricks and the verticals need going over with a chisel later, so it’s actually quite time consuming (although I would probably get a wider disc). Are the rake type attachments for grinders worth the bother? The pointing varies between around 8-12mm. If using the grinder I planned to buy one of these, whatever I do use I need some means of effective dust capture as I don’t want to annoy the neighbours any more than the noise is already likely to.
2. The order of things - I’m inclined to do wall ties, cleaning, then pointing. Would you do it any differently?
3. What to use for cleaning? Is decent brick acid still available, or has it been outlawed along with all the other good stuff? Safety precautions? Other techniques?
4. Any lime mortar tips? What mix ratio is appropriate, and will the colour be similar or will I need to mess about?
Thank you in advance for any advice.
I’m in the midst of adding an extension to the rear of our semi. Some of the existing (lime?) mortar is coming out in chunks in places, and there are repairs here and there that have been pointed with different mortar, not to mention the chimneys, which I imagine are always the worst, have a few blown bricks and although they were patched not long ago are a bit of an eyesore, and I’d really like to do them properly.
To add into the mix the gable end wall is leaning (only the outer leaf and about 12 courses), so this needs rebuilding. The remedial wall tie installer I used many years ago basically didn’t install enough ties / installed them incorrectly and while it’s only shown here the whole house needs doing. Structural eng. was involved and I got my money back, at least. But now none of the installers want to touch it as someone has already been at it and it’s failed - so as a result I’ll be doing it myself. I did a lot of research on wall ties and their correct installation / testing along with help from the SE, so I’m confident doing this myself even though I won’t get a guarantee certificate.
I lintel has also failed above a window, structural eng. has recommended one but there will be brickwork involved, obviously.
I will have a bricklayer back at some point and may decide to delegate the re-pointing, but I’ll give it a try first and I’m hoping to save some money by at least raking out the mortar myself. I had a bit of a practice earlier with a grinder using a diamond disc.
I’m keen to use the same mortar so it matches the adjoining property, and I’ve also read that lime mortar allows the walls to breathe.
Some of the brickwork also needs cleaning - paint / mortar splashes etc.
So my questions:
1. I was OK with the grinder and I see it done this way quite a bit, but you do need to be careful not to damage the bricks and the verticals need going over with a chisel later, so it’s actually quite time consuming (although I would probably get a wider disc). Are the rake type attachments for grinders worth the bother? The pointing varies between around 8-12mm. If using the grinder I planned to buy one of these, whatever I do use I need some means of effective dust capture as I don’t want to annoy the neighbours any more than the noise is already likely to.
2. The order of things - I’m inclined to do wall ties, cleaning, then pointing. Would you do it any differently?
3. What to use for cleaning? Is decent brick acid still available, or has it been outlawed along with all the other good stuff? Safety precautions? Other techniques?
4. Any lime mortar tips? What mix ratio is appropriate, and will the colour be similar or will I need to mess about?
Thank you in advance for any advice.
