Possibly the Worst Repointing I’ve Ever Seen.
I post periodically about repointing but usually focus on the mortar mix as the wrong mortar will destroy your house. This poor house makes clear that the right mortar is not the only concern.
The arrows on the close-up detail at right show bits of the original mortar missed by the incredibly sloppy repointing. You can see that the original mortar was kept in the joint and was not smeared on the face of the brick. The new work is a mess!
All masonry walls need repointing every 50 to 100 years. Historic brick should never be repointed with standard modern pre-mix bags of mortar. And the repointing should match the joint width and tooling of the historic mortar! No mortar should remain on the face of the bricks!
Building materials and construction technology have evolved over time and knowledge about historic methods and materials has not been passed on to most contractors working today. It is important for a homeowner to have enough knowledge about these things to choose a contractor who understands how to work with, and not against, a historic house.
This topic (and how to select experienced old house contractors) is covered in detail in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” Chapter 12 explains how to appropriately repoint historic brick walls so they will be preserved for the long-term.
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
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© Scott T. Hanson 2025.
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