A very poor example of how NOT to do pointing this brickwork! A lime mortar mix should be used

A poor example of pointing.
Wrong material - sand and cement when lime mortar should of been used. Always wet your bricks before pointing and don't point in full sun.

[@timrains5011]

It doesn't always follow that the poor workmanship is cheaper - can be expensive for a poor job

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Yes 100% When people say they are getting 3 quotes I always say look at there workmanship and quote together, do your research As a quote doesn't tell you anything about the standard of workmanship

[@billysanford9799]

Just found your channel. Great video. Question - How long will lime mortar last if allowed to dry properly?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Hi good question If lime pointing is carried our properly It should last about 80 to100 years before it starts to breaks down But The lime has to be correct for the building correct depth Correct mix And so on

[@tommyb5244]

What lime do you use and what sand for lime pointing. I need to do this but unsure of the ratios. My house was built in 1903 and has no cavity so guessing lime mortar was used originally werent it?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

I use lafarge NHL 3.5 or Saint astier I also use quicklime Depends where you live Depends how bad the weather is Use a washed sharp sand NOT building sand

[@barbara733]

Thanks for sharing this video. I'm repointing a small area of brick myself with a premixed lime mortar we've already used to repoint stone. You said that whoever repointed this didn't go deep enough - is it bc it's for exterior that it should go deeper? I'm trying to figure out much to rake out for my interior area. Is it all the same because it's lime mortar?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Minimum you go is twice the width of the joint If limes to shallow it will dry out too quick

[@mohammedatif9560]

Hi. These lime mortor. I'm doing my property in Manchester a typical two bed terrace built in 1902 or so. I don't know what sort of mortor they used and render back then. My render is shot inside the house. Would it be best to use sand cement render inside the property or best to use lime.

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

That age of property you should only use lime

[@radusguru2196]

I’ve got a sandstone house that’s springing leaks all over. The chimney was repointed and haunching done. View was to do the ridge tiles (Slate roof) after we saved up a bit of cash. The builder repointed with ready mixed lime and it was falling out a few weeks later. What’s happened? I really need some advice to do this myself I can do a bit of plastering and handy. I just need to make sure I have the right mix to do the skews and chimney again. I’m a fussy worker and want to do the best possible job

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Where was it falling out the ridges or chimney Did the builder cover it with hessian and keep it damp

[@YouSillyLittleBoy]

Any tips on finding a good pointer? as a home owner you have to trust they know their job but there are so many bad trades people around it's very difficult to find good ones.

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Trading standards approved list Buy with confidence Guild of master craftsman These are good because if you have any problems they act as mediation You will have to wait for a good pointing company as we have long waiting lists Make sure you get a contract and do your research

[@leecarbines6767]

Hi mate hope your good. I came across a firm the other day and I couldn't get my head around the set up. I think it was a petrol motor firing the nhl into the wall under pressure, like icing a cake. They had a five gallon tub of febmix presumably to make it flow through the pipe. Goes against everything I know. But in your experience what does febmix do to an nhl mix? Thanks

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

The Feb mix will put salts into the mix They just use it to help it through the gun But if they mixed it the day before it would fatten up and be more easy to get through the gun It might be an air compressor gun called pnu point I only point by hand I don't like any guns

[@leecarbines6767]

What would the Feb do to the longevity of the mortar? Surely the mortar needs to be compressed?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@leecarbines6767 yes 100% needs compressed They put it in with a gun because it's quicker It needs knocking back with a churn brush and covering with hessian And keeping damp for a week in this temperature The febmix will compromise the longevity of the mortar Sharp sand Lime Water 3 ingredients is all you should use

[@grahamsmall1250]

Hi glen what would you do with a 150 year old wall that has a problem with spalled bricks ,probably about 50% have eroded an inch ,should I treat it like stone work and just follow the contour of the brick

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Is it on the house or a garden wall

[@grahamsmall1250]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd its a garden wall the customer is quite happy keeping the spalled bricks in place so what's the best way to approach the repointing

[@grahamsmall1250]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd it’s a garden wall

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@grahamsmall1250 if you have time see if the bricks can be turned round if they can take it down and rebuild If you can't take a few bricks out at a time and rebuild it that way

[@grahamsmall1250]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd yes I’m thinking the same a rebuild rather than a repoint I’ll speak to the customer again today thanks for your reply

[@nickllewellyn1987]

What is best mix for London bricks that are whiteish please.?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

It depends on what condition there in If its a protected area from the weather you can use a putty/ hot lime Or you can use a good quality Nhl 2 or 3.5 Don't use cement

[@airborne652]

Just started knocking off cement out of the joints on my Victorian terraced house. I’d love to find out who decided cement was a good idea.

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

I know most of my work is taking cement mortar out How are you removing it

[@Southpoint2019]

Looks like they didn’t even damp it down first either And the pointing doesn’t even look old

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Pointing was 8 months old they were kicked of the job

[@Southpoint2019]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd Jesus What’s wrong with grinding it out for these people ?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@@Southpoint2019 lazy no skill no pride now adays

[@andrewcarey2674]

How deep do you rake the joints out

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Normally twice the width so 20 25 mm on 10 mm wide joints

[@andrewcarey2674]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd I've been to see a repointing job today they have had the wall repointed not long ago and it's a new house all the mortar is soft I noticed the bricks are the type that really sucks the moisture out of the mortar they absorb so much water it's insane would you really soak the wall with a hose pipe I've laid these bricks before and are much better to lay wet or joint every course they dry so fast it takes all the life out of the mortar

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@andrewcarey2674 yeah you soak the bricks every couple of minutes If you mix is to wet the bricks can absorb the moisture out the pointing and cause it to crack and fail If I was doing it I'd do it before the summer or at the end of the summer when the bricks are at there coldest I've worked on bricks where you soak the wall and you can see the bricks absorbing the moisture in straight away

[@andrewcarey2674]

Would you use semi dry or inbetween semi dry and wet. In the summer when I was laying similar bricks i had to hold a hose pipe on the bricks for around 20 minutes but in the winter couldn't get them to dry for days before laying them the weight difference between a wet and dry brick was unbelievable

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@andrewcarey2674 yeah it's difficult to say in the summer I work in the shade or find a way to put sheeting up to shade me and my work

[@limemortarpointinguk6451]

You pay peanuts you get monkeys Glen, holy cow is that a 1-5 mix LOL

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Yes it was supposed to be repointed and built in a 2:1:9 mix terrible workmanship I'm trying to show property owners not to just go off the price to do there research

[@JT-si6bl]

You can bet there was only fine sand and 'hydrated lime' pointed over.

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

There was cement in it aswell the sun dried it out to quick

[@maxg9999]

I’m a pointer in Philadelphia and we call that style of pointing the south Philly skim coat. Definitely not the way to go. Good video and your absolutely right the people price it way to low and then quality craftsmen have to compete with these prices which is impossible if you doing the job correctly.

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

What do you call historic lime mortar over in Philly We have NHL or putty hot lime

[@maxg9999]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd we use the st astier nhl for historic lime mortar over here. We also sometimes get specked batches that use a small part of Portland, lime and sand. But I 100 percent agree you need to remove the old mortar and use a batch that is softer than the units so the wall doesn’t deteriorate.

[@maxg9999]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd also I watched some of your videos. You do great work. I love pointing it’s definitely my favorite type of work In the masonry trade

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

@@maxg9999 yeah you have to have passion for it Saint astier or lafarge NHL is high quality that I use over here What's the highest and lowest temperatures you get over there

[@prozachblinded-butterflies5530]

You can always slate your own line I feel that lime that's been made and sat around for awhile has lost its properties because carbon has been absorbed into the blind mortar dust I wonder if I'm mortar it does have a shelf life because carbon does infantry paper bags and that's what lime muddy is seeking to do is to gain its carbon atom to create limestone again@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd

[@tickyul]

I am going to assume that whoever did that job knew very well that the proper way to do it was to grind-out all of the very old, loose mortar. Maybe the owner was given a choice, and selected the least expensive option?

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

No the barn was a year old The bricklayer repointed it as the client wasn't happy with the finished brickwork so the bricklayers repointed it then walked of the job so they called me to fix it

[@tickyul]

@@GMTpointingspecialistsltd Thanks for the info. A year old and already having failing mortar, that is who I would be most ticked-off at, whoever did that. As for a newly built structure, using old bricks and lime-mortar, yuck, I would not have made that mistake either.

[@proboytracker]

Jeeze, that's some piss poor pointing

[@prozachblinded-butterflies5530]

You can tell they didn't even Brush it twice the **** boogers are still hanging there shallow joints and boogers what joke Why waste the time grinding and hitting the bricks if you're not **** go deep enough to make a difference I live in the state and they love their cement mortar and it's just so sprawlingly good LOL

[@2_shoes]

Jesus christ, I've seen better DIY jobs than that! Post another video when you've finished, a before and after, so people can see the difference between a good and bad job 👍🛠

[@GMTpointingspecialistsltd]

Yeah will do