Lime repointing
When dealing with period properties and listed buildings, it is vital to find someone with an understanding of traditional building methods and materials. A keen eye for detail and an understanding of materials are required to carry out repointing work properly.
Traditional masonry is repaired differently
Traditional masonry is repaired and built differently from modern masonry. Solid walls work in a completely different way to modern cavity walls: they are living, breathing things that allow for movement and fight damp and mould.
Most modern tradespeople have no understanding of how these buildings work and will recommend solutions that will do more harm than good.
Problems it solves
- Spalling bricks where the mortar is harder than the brick
- Moisture trapped in the wall by cement-based mortar
- Damp walls that are colder, unsightly and prone to mould
Breathability
Your walls need to be able to let moisture pass freely through them. Sealing them will trap the moisture in the walls and exaggerate the damp issues. If your walls are working perfectly there should be minimal need for ventilation.
Why cement fails
Cement-based mortar is a death sentence for soft bricks: it allows no movement and traps moisture in the wall. Spalling occurs when the mortar is harder than the bricks; the bricks lose their face and allow an increase of water ingress.
Solid walls
Using the wrong materials reduces your wall's ability to evaporate moisture correctly, trapping it in the walls. Damp walls are colder, unsightly and prone to mould. Be cautious when dealing with damp specialists and look into the products they are trying to sell you: it might be possible to cover a problem up, but there is no guarantee that it won't return, and it could magnify the costs involved with putting it right later down the line.
Materials
Cement-based mortar is a death sentence for soft bricks: it allows no movement and traps moisture in the wall. We repoint in non-hydraulic lime, using lime putty or hot-lime mortars.
Avoid on solid walls
- Cement / gypsum products
- Plastic / resin products
- Tanking
- Sealants
- Injection DPC
- Damp-proof paints
Questions we get asked
Can you match the original mortar?
When working on listed buildings, it's important to match the original mortar in strength, structure and colour. The best way to achieve a perfect match is to send a sample off for analysis. The choice of aggregate massively impacts how a mortar performs and looks.
Why not use a cement mortar with lime in it?
Most modern-day bricklayers and builders will only recommend a cement-based mortar with hydrated lime in it. This is in no way a lime mortar; the hydrated lime purely acts as a plasticiser. Cement-based mortars should always be avoided when it comes to rebuilding and repointing traditional lime-built masonry.
Is NHL 3.5 the right lime for my house?
If your property has soft bricks and is of traditional solid-wall construction, you should probably be using a non-hydraulic mortar. A lot of so-called professionals will only recommend a lime mortar using NHL 3.5 as the binder; this is usually completely unsuitable.
Customers on this service
“Really pleased with the work for repointing and brick repairs/replacement across the whole front and side of my house. Lachlan explained things really well, and has been easy to work with, especially important over a long project. He's been thorough, knowledgeable and skilled, as unobtrusive as he can be on a big project. I look forward to working with him again and definitely recommend to others.”
“I was very happy with the repointing work done by Paige Contracting - not only was the work of superior quality but the clearing up afterwards was carried out diligently, too.”
“We had a few quotes to replace the lime mortar on the house and repair or replace some of the damaged brickwork. Lachlan wasn’t the cheapest and had only recently been trading under his own name but he had knowledgeable answers to all our questions so we opted to award him the contract. We are very glad we did. Home renovations mean you invite someone into your space and over the lengthy process of fixing the house, we have enjoyed seeing Lachlan at work. It’s craftsmanship and attention to detail which stands him apart from his competition. We have a second job on the house to be done in the future and will certainly be asking Lachlan back”
“Lachlan and his team not only removed inappropriate materials and repointed the front of our tired 19th-century home, but also repaired brickwork after some new windows had left no shortage of damage to the reveals. He also rebuilt some arches that took a huge amount of skill – and did it perfectly. The standard of the work was superb, just like the professionalism of the whole team. You won't find a more hard-working bunch. Suffice to say, highly recommended!”
Tell us about the property and upload some photographs.
You will get a straight answer on whether it is our kind of job, and a written quotation if it is.