Repointing Historic Masonry

A vid that shows the steps I'm taking to repoint the mortar in a 145 year old brick wall.
Update: A lot of the comments suggest that I'm not a mason... and I never said I was. I'm a home owner, saving a lot of money by doing some very labour intensive work myself. The materials are dirt cheap, but time costs money when you are hiring someone to do it.
My process has evolved some since the video: I now wet down the wall prior to extraction with the chisel and in between scraping out the joints in order to reduce dust. I avoid a grinder because I think it would be too easy to mark the soft brick with one second of inattention, given that most joints are different sizes.

[@timmyrea214]

I am a union pcc journeyman with 20 yrs of experience. I am also lime mortar certified. This video is maybe the second best I have seen. Good solid technique. Anyone who says to grind out joints is crazy as one careless move destroys brick. I would change the mix a bit and use a little dryer mortar though. All in all, very nice. I notice some refer to this as tuckpointing...it is repointing.

[@jamiewatkinson1184]

A good solid complement. Nice 2 hear positive opinions from some1 with experience. I agree with u a grinder is faster but 1 far less move, how about a pneumatic chisel, you can still use that instead of grinder right?

[@MMGJ10]

I'd grind them!! Unless it's really a historic building and they were paying me out the ass. Ain't nobody got no time fo dat chiseling shit.

[@lina-zz9kk]

@@MMGJ10 i am sure you have pride in your work nevertheless

[@joshtargo6834]

We have a house from 1860, very soft bricks and mortar. Our current technique to remove the old mortar is to use a grinder with a very thin blade to slice through the center of the joint. It's easy to keep away from the bricks because the blade is thin (we actually use a diamond grit metal cutting blade, works great). Then we use carbide tooth blades on oscillating multi tools to clear the joints. no chance of harming bricks and it works very fast. no chisels, no air tools.

[@joshtargo6834]

oh, and I agree with using a dryer mix, especially for the bed joints. We add a little water for head joints to make it sticky enough for a 3/8 trowel to hold the mix vertically.

[@Chucktender69]

In the States you call it "historic pointing" in England we just call it repointing

[@MrC1066]

Good work. I like your attention to detail and quality of finish. I have been a bricklayer for many years and have worked as a specialist in construction. I appreciate that some have said the work is slow but quality comes at a price and I cannot fault the quality of your work, those who are working more quickly may be willing to compromise a little on quality.

[@user-qu2hh9he4s]

Great training video.with in-depth demonstration and explantation of repointing historic masonry.👍

[@josephjamesconstruction6796]

Like the idea of using pneumatic chisel to remove the old mortar. Must take a lot of time but your attention to detail is outstanding.

[@sunoveristambul]

No WAY would I allow anyone to use a drill to remove mortar on my SO soft bricks. No way!

[@HomeServiceProCalgary]

Very fine detailed work. You should be proud of yourself! Amazing work!

[@Alloptionsonthetable]

One of the best videos on this...and I watched many before I did some 100 y/o repointing on my house. Learned some good tips here!

[@GaryThompson-sushiguru]

This is actually a great video for anyone needing to point or repair old buildings. My own house is sandstone, built in 1867, and we're also renovating it and having to do the same, though raking out joints of a random rubble stone wall takes even longer! You're lucky it's brick you have. For anyone who thinks otherwise, portland cement should *never* be used on historic brickwork, and should never come within a country mile of stone. Good job, well done.

[@wellingtonsanissimo8703]

No

[@finefollyglassworks]

EXCELLENT video, thank you SO much for it!

[@markpriest5945]

Brilliant advice. Just what I was looking for. Thank you.

[@niceteapots]

Lefty - thanks for uploading your video. It's very useful. I agree with your low psi air chisel for the job - especially following the non-parallel brick lines. You did a great job. I'm sure there are "faster methods" especially for larger walls, but you did yours nice, clean and thorough.

[@oldhouse8765]

you have done a pretty good job. I encourage all homeowners to learn the right way. Of course there are special tools for the trade in Historic Masonry but you did it just fine and its a good job

[@waynemartable]

Great tutorial!! Very well done.

[@sixmagpies]

Good video. Just love the way a 150 year old building is considered 'historic'.

[@windsormasonry7381]

If the building is over 100 years old, it's probably built with a lime mortar. This means that the closest mix we have today that emulates the mortar of the time period in question, is a Natural Hydraulic Lime mortar (NHL) NHL 3.5 is normally used for re-pointing. Under no circumstances should you use a Portland cement based mortar on top of old lime mortar. They are chemically incompatible. You would normally use a 2.5:1 mix of aggregate to lime. Choice of aggregate will also affect end result

[@metallitech]

True except why are you suggesting NHL? This is fake lime which is used by jobbing builders (hacks). Use a hot lime mix made using quicklime, the real stuff.

[@bigdilly24]

good work! a couple suggestions, use a dust capture process vs. blowing the joint out, such as a shop vac. Also, cut your slickers down to help compression of the mortar ( I like mine 4-1/2"). you won't need to 'hit it' with the churn brush, causing over pointing and blushing. once again, great job.

[@helenpapazyan]

Dan Alm

[@HoldFastCC]

Hitting the wall with a brush is called Tamping... Tamping compacts the mortar, prevents shrinkage & removes the skin (laitance) that forms on the surface and slows hardening. Tamping also exposes the colour and texture of the sand grains.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Nice job. Careful and gentle.

[@martyjansing2675]

Very Good Job!!! One point ....depth of joint is determined by the height of joint, D = 2 X H. Also it is a good idea to spray joint with water to moisten brick or splash with a brush. If you don't brick will suck moisture from mortar and cause shrinkage resulting in early failure. A good point job should be good for 100 years. Although there are examples of 5,500-year-old hydrated lime work at Caral, Peru and a main cause of the MAYAN Classic Collapse.

[@marktristan]

Thank you very much for this helpful video. The pace is just right and you take us through all the steps. Just one Q: what mortar mix are you using? How did you choose & prepare it?

[@marcoddy]

I agree. There is absolutely nothing wrong with how this has been done. In fact as you say, it's probably a better job than most 'professionals' would have made. I'm doing a very similar job at the moment. I'm not a tradesman but have been very diligent to make sure all of the joints are raked out cleanly, squarely and to the right depth. I'll be as careful when filling the joints back up. In the end, it'll look fantastic. Sure it'll be very slow, but who cares... it's my house!

[@robsonger1]

very good, interesting and informative. Keep up the good work

[@super66craig]

if using lime mortar it should be no thinner than brown sugar and pushed directly into the wall, not slicked horizontally. Wet mortar is weaker as the volume of water evaporates and lends itself to cracking. Not a good idea to brush too early either as it leaves a film on all the bricks for some time, a churn brush works better and "stippling". this vid is better than most!

[@DavidJones-ie1qp]

Fantastic information my friend! You are a professional-better than the real deal. Having a qualification don't mean shit! It's all about personal standards-that's where the problem is... many people are qualified and wanting to critique, but their standards and amount of time prepared to spend on a square meter of wall is small. Not saying people's work could not be better, but they are time restricted by the very nature of their work. Brilliant work man... you should be very proud! As with many jobs, it's all about the prep work and attention to detail. Who cares if it's a good job with regards to putting the mortar back in place, if half the bricks have been scuffed from using a diamond disc to save time. Thanks man.

[@zhichen2463]

Very professional!!! Well done!?

[@improvdesigns5914]

Came here for the comments. Wasn’t disappointed.

[@LeftyFarrell]

Hahahaa, right!?

[@holybritches]

Very informative video...thank you. What mortar mixture do you use on brick of that age? I suppose it needs to be softer than mortar we use today?

[@kenrieman]

I'd like to know what kind of air hammer and chisel heads are best suited for re-pointing. I'm gearing up to tackle my 1945 brick chimney.

[@Tayuss79]

Very useful info thanks. Need to repoint an 1850s cottage in southwest England it’s a big job but worth doing and I don’t have the budget for someone else to do it. I’ll start on the back and hopefully by the front be a pro like yourself. Good to know the tools and time involved thanks.

[@jimcronin3740]

How did you get on with this job Tahuss79? I have an 1880s victorian house in the South East and am looking to do it myself. People on hear saying use a grinder, I wouldn't dream of it 🙄.

[@deepchilledmusic7548]

Great video 👍🏼

[@prettyboy53214]

good job, thanks for the intuitive video ;)

[@shawnlion4778]

Good work , bro

[@glennrightsell1]

Hi yes to answer you r question about grinding joints out.I run a 3/8's diamond masonry wheell on angle grinder and feel like I am milling bricks at times when it varies that much.

[@dismaldog]

Nice to watch,bugger the time factor-these buildings have been around a long time due to doing things the right way-lets not wreck them with cement based mortars and hurried practices.Good job!

[@JNG4600]

great video it really helped

[@knotknown5222]

Troy, I see your joint prep is immaculate. Curious as to why you choose air chisel over diamond wheel, if you are doing this professionally, why not take advantage of high rpm sintered wheel to break the face of the mortar? The time saving is incredible, even if dust is a hassle. Also, thought I would pass a little research on to you, apparently (based on the high geekdom of some historic architects I have talked to) historic lime based mortars were mixed for a very long time with very little moisture. ("Add only the sweat of your brow while mixing" has been attributed to Tom Jefferson i.e. My experience has been in general thus: regardless of binder type (lime, portland, natural cements, clay, etc.) as long as the ratio is within 2:1 to 5:1 or there abouts you can mix the stuff and apply it "crumbly dry", assuming two basic things. 1: the material is packed solid, and 2: you hydrate during the cure (unless conditions are naturally damp and cool) according to conditions for an hour or three. Obviously you have to incorporate finishing the joints more often into your work rhythm but I have found this particular trick has saved me countless hours of clean-up work and onerous scrubbing over the years. Cheers, happy restoring!

[@nikkikiska]

It is almost impossible to grind out the mortar close to the brick without eventually cutting into a brick, especially on old, non-uniform brick like in this video where the sides aren't straight. And even if you do get close, there's still some mortar left on the brick. The pressure from the chisel is more likely to break the bond of the mortar from the brick leaving cleaner joints and less work scraping or acid washing leftover mortar.

[@westside98]

if the mortar is hard an air chisel is going to pop and spall the face of the brick since they are so old and weathered , should you a grinder with a guard with a dustless vac either fiem or bosch i like the most, for cutting out leaves a clean brick joint for new mortar to adhere to . , also a hawk and SS joiners with correct sizing.

[@adolfrothchild3795]

what could you recommend for a cheap electric powered compressed air machine?

[@mattmc687]

I like the air hammer as opposed to using a grinder. What should I look for in an air hammer as far as CFM, stroke, etc? Type of chisel? Do you have any you can recommend?

[@sbennet1447]

hello. very detailed video. question: why does the back of the joint need to be square?

[@mongojr5382]

This must have taken a 100 yrs man.....hope it was a government project they have the money!

[@deepchilledmusic7548]

🤣

[@MRBLACK33366]

Day rate 😂😂

[@mandogarcia7905]

Lmfao using a trowl instead of a pointing hawk to tuckpoint and with the wettest mortar I've ever seen.

[@jamiewatkinson5427]

Who gives a fuck hes making money and did a great job

[@JoshuaSHogg]

Very nice. Is it ok to use a grout bag to point? What do you use to mix mortar?

[@OriginalJoseyWales]

I bought a house that was built in 1892 in the UK. Today I peeled off part of the plasterboard on an inside wall. I noticed a draft was coming through the wall and so I stuck a clothes hanger into the opening in the wall. To my shock most of the clothes hanger was able to fit through this crevice and it must have come out on the other side of the wall (haven't checked yet as it is night now). What's the implication of this? I guess the mortar is falling out or weakening because the house is old. How could I fix this?

[@tzsteve33]

Just wondering why you pulled out that mortar? It looked sound enough. And if you needed a grinder to get it out it hadn't failed in the first place?

[@jbowenking]

Historic mix is a must when repointing heritage. Also, let your brick and mortar joints dry before you start pointing again. You won't make a mess and the first thing you're taught in school is... don't lay a wet brick you tool.

[@RoberTastic]

great vid.. the air chisel seems a lot better than an angle grinder.. probably a lot less dust as well

[@tkjazzer]

What is your mortar mix? What type of lime? What type of sand?

[@sunoveristambul]

So the new mortar is/will be too strong if it's not the old type of soft mortar. SO? What's your plan?

[@benjohnsondo]

What is the brand and model of the pneumatic chisel your using?

[@MMGJ10]

Nice work. I'm a mason but haven't ever worked with lime mortar. I'd have to say I'd use a grinder though. Lol. I've nicked a few brick doing it but if you're really careful you won't. So much faster.

[@metallitech]

If you get into lime mortar, then skip the bullshit and go straight to quicklime.

[@Graber353]

LeftyFarrell, you are like a dentist, because it is the same technique!!! )))

[@Ellenw1122]

One problem, You didn' say what type of morter to use. There are many types out there. And some should never be used for tuckpointing,but store clerks don't have a clue when asked the question. Please tell me the best morter to use so I don't have to repeat this process every 5yrs.

[@mikew.6784]

I personally do tuckpointing on 140yr old historic buildings in STL. Theres a reason we do-not use air chisels. This will loosen and shake the entire wall effecting the structure and integrity of the building. Try using a grinder w/vacume setup and youll keep the bricks straight and have less damage to the second course of bricks.

[@mastersamurai7683]

Nice video

[@superjim85]

Grout bag?

[@paulmcdonough9319]

great video, what was the mix that was used? thanks

[@LeftyFarrell]

2.5 parts sand to 1 lime

[@PaddleDogC5]

Small pointing hawk is faster, better, and more comfortable to use than a trowel. Joints should be replaced in layers to avoid shrinkage.

[@jonsabourin5804]

What type of mortar is used

[@dtruth6422]

Does chisel create less dust?

[@luross2057]

What was the mixture?

[@sunshinesunshine8560]

Hi , Do you have an info on how to make your traditional lime mortar? Also thanks so much for the video this is great- I have a 150 year old house and was quoted $5000 for one small wall - I would go broke at this rate. so thanks so much for the video help me immensely!

[@glenviewjeff]

2cycle2gether.com/2010/09/reviving-lime-mortar/#.V7Sy_PkrLRZ

[@knightridernina]

Would this be the proper mixture to use for a 1914 American Foursquare: brick columns and foundation wall? I have a lot of tuckpointing that needs to be done on the columns, and at various areas of the basement foundation walls.

[@MATTNATTMATT]

Why did you decide to repoint it?

[@phoenixrisen1970]

I'm a little confused Lefty. If the mortar is so strong as to need to be removed by an air chisel, why does it need to be removed? I'm not trying to be a smart arse, I have a 135 y/o house where the mortar is literally falling out of the joint. I could only dream of mortar this strong. Peace

[@tanyaroyredcar]

Looking at the comments, there's a lot of wannabe lime repointers having a winge. Cant see any videos from them. Armchair brickies. Nice technique to preparation. Slightly overfilling with slightly too soft a mix but a very informative video. Congratulations and thank you.

[@gary24752]

You missed the most important part. What is the mortar mix?

[@LeftyFarrell]

We've been using roughly 2.5 or 2.75 parts sand to 1 part lime

[@Yaddahay]

I think I have the same respirators. So many masonry vidoes on youtube show some guy cutting rock, bricks or mortar kicking up a storm of dust and not wearing respirators. Sounds like you did your homework on using appropriate techniques for repointing your walls. I take forever doing my walls too.

[@minnesotasalamander5913]

Thanks

[@GinkoproductionsCa]

Loved your video. I'm about to repoint an interior brick wall in a 100yr old home. It has what appears to be, with some research, very soft mortar but finding matching stuff today is nearly impossible. As for the comments from the self proclaimed "experts", maybe no one asks you because you have such bad, condescending, ignorant comments and offer nothing helpful. Stop giving your trade a bad name and be more helpful, then maybe we wouldn't be looking online for people offering to help. Went to a specialty shop for brick, stone and marble works and was assured I would need 4 x 50lb bags of mortar to repoint a 6 x 10 wall - not very good advice as I only need 1 bag for the whole job. So much for experts.

[@robsonger1]

very good, interesting and informative. But surely that's Hydraulic lime? Hydrated lime with sand will never go off and is used only as a plasticer and mortar softener, Lime Putty is semi Hydraulic and requires brick or stone dust to initiate hardening..with Hydraulic lime being water is normally used for restoration of older buildings. Keep up the good work

[@metallitech]

What a bunch of garbage information.

[@mickydub3]

" GOOD JOB "

[@user-cn6rg1bq7b]

What is ratio of mortar ?

[@LeftyFarrell]

We used around 2.5 parts sand to 1 part lime

[@user-cn6rg1bq7b]

@@LeftyFarrell thanks for reply love from India

[@Smeller7]

You did a nice job of cleaning out the joints. However, your mortar is too wet and your jointer or "slicker" as you call it is too narrow. You want to use something like a 3/4" jointer, which may seem too big but it's not. Also put some mortar on that trowel!!!! The two classic rookie tuck pointing mistakes are - mortar too wet and jointer too small.. The right size jointer will make the job go much quicker. Good luck.

[@michaelbaker9746]

making do with what you got good video

[@MrTherber2]

I second that. Unions shouldn't exist.

[@paulcarter1036]

why do u beat the shit out of the joints with ur brush at the end never heard of anything like that

[@joshstevens1327]

+Paul Carter to bring out the aggregate and blend it properly.

[@wendaworkman8065]

He said that in the video.

[@damiandavies4632]

Cool video, but it seems silly to remove perfectly good mortar.

[@InPoorTaste]

At 7:38 his hat looks like a happy face...

[@TheStandoff10]

Daniel Negreanu lookalike

[@corsaconstructioninc.6365]

Good job. i use a similar technique.

[@maynardcat]

The bricks look better with the mortar removed. I though on historic brick walls and especially historic brick houses that the mortar was recessed back further to give the bricks a much better look, sorry this doesn't look good at all with the mortar thick and even with the bricks, it needs to be recessed at least 1/4 of an inch or so not even with the bricks.

[@metallitech]

That would give a nice shelf for water to sit on. It's done like in the video.

[@freebow.goosecreature3547]

Next video. "how to clean smeared brickwork because of slapdash pointing"

[@davidreid1404]

Brilliant ! I thought that .

[@marcoddy]

Daniel Negreanu takes up DIY...

[@Krisp717]

Dude this takes ages! Someone should make a machine for this...

[@tribsat100]

What a faff on! Use a 115 mm angle grinder and a twisted knot wire wheel ,, loosens and removes very clean in one very swift action. 👍

[@curtkautsch]

too bad no one is willing to pay for detailed labor like this...at least in Texas anyway.

[@gazzathegreat7820]

Do it old school ' no power tools ......hawk and a pointing key

[@cswanson417]

i agree withyou Lefftyfarrell.. you couldent use a grinder or you would deface the brick. and if your talking historic that ant no good

[@senoahsin7290]

sip

[@ThisIsSolution]

you missed a large area

[@SFConifer]

Better be a screwdriver from Harbor Freight and not my Klein

[@jackdauphan2703]

I know this is historical so you are at the mercy of whoever is in charge... but no one points like this.... I grind out the joints, horse hair brush brick & joints & you never put your hawk against the brick & push in the mortar... Hawk angled, slicker free hand & you better be pulling 1/2 a brick to 3/4 of the whole brick on each pull or you are off the job.... Otherwise, you'll be doing 1 job a month & starving to death b/c you'll never make any money.... The avg brick home is about 1200 sq ft, front back & side.... 2 skilled experienced brick pointers should have that done in 2 days, 3 tops.... Unskilled labor grinds the joints & the brickies come behind them & blow that out.... Materials are cheap, the client is paying for the labor.....

[@jackdauphan2703]

***** that's standard in this area.... no one is trained in the local to put your hawk against a wall, it's all free hand and that is not fast, that is two experienced mechanics moving at an even pace. I'm not criticizing this guy, he is doing Historical, that's a whole different ball game, you have to do the job how they want it done... but a residential brick row house, 2 experienced union pointers finish the house on a weekend, I've been doing it for 25 years... I'm not sure what you are objecting to, the speed? or the technique? I've never seen any professional brick pointer put the hawk against the wall & push the mortar into the joint. Some of the old guys in the union pull a brick w/ each stroke, it looks like they are barely moving and they are lapping the guy next to them who is 30 years younger...... For a novice, it's def better to push it in like that b/c it takes about 3 years of pointing every day to master the free hand technique but that's how it's done

[@exus2sky]

Thomas Donnelly when filling the bed you may use ya hawk to get an even lined pack, but I free hand the perps...

[@crookedriver2079]

Thomas Donnelly If you bothered to read everything you would have found that he is restoring his own. He's not a mechanic ("can't see it from my house"), charging as much as possible - getting done and moving on as fast as possible. Most of us watching so we can do it ourselves and keep the money IN our pockets AND OUT OF YOURS!

[@wendaworkman8065]

Um, Jack, this video is about HISTORIC work. I know a guy here in Vermont that does painting on historic homes. He does MAYBE three in a year. People pay dearly for his work. He isn't off the job. And he's booked out for two years. So... what's your point?

[@mandogarcia7905]

Lmfao tapping the mortar with a brush...union tuckpointers and bricklayers show this video to our apprentices for a good laugh in our training center.

[@willowlynnhowiesmom]

your fired!

[@Invictus2091]

Ahahaha... funny

[@EdmundIsTheBrand]

this is crazy, using a chisel to do that would be time consuming.....just use an angle grinder and to fill the joints use a mortar bag

[@oldhouse8765]

there is a machine, I use it a lot

[@fpreston9527]

I didn't know there was any brick buildings in america? 145years is quite old for you lot

[@alanvt1]

145 years old? that historic? mmm, I'n English, 'nuff said!

[@stevetaylor6191]

You don't do alll that lol

[@MrJGrande21]

jesus christ how long did that take to cut fuckin 8 years? get a grinder and a vac system

[@oldmanfromyork]

far far too slow. here in England top price Is 40 pounds per square meter to dig out and point. You would be bankrupt in a week...

[@cheshstyles]

Y'all don't get paid enough.

[@jamesobrien3346]

I’d rather pay more money to someone who is willing to take their time