I’ve Spent 35 Years Repointing Brick Homes. I’ve Never Built One.

Repointing is the process of raking out deteriorated mortar from the joints between bricks and replacing it with new mortar. The bricks themselves stay in place — it is the joints that are renewed. Done properly, the new mortar is matched to the original in colour, texture and joint profile so the wall looks the way it always has, only sound again.

Look closely at the joints rather than the bricks. Mortar that has weathered back behind the face of the brick, joints with gaps or missing sections, mortar that crumbles or leaves powder on your fingers when rubbed, and fine cracks running along the joint lines are all signs the mortar has reached the end of its service life. Other clues appear indoors: damp patches on internal walls, salt staining (efflorescence) on the outside, or mortar dust and grit collecting at the base of the wall. An inspection is the reliable way to confirm it, because a wall can look tired from the footpath and be sound, or look acceptable and be badly worn up close.

Mortar is softer than brick by design — it is meant to be the sacrificial element that absorbs movement. It cracks from ordinary causes: thermal expansion and contraction through Sydney's hot summers and cool nights, moisture cycles, minor settlement of the building, vibration, corroding steel lintels or wall ties expanding within the wall, and simple age. Cement-rich mortar used on an older home built for soft lime mortar is another common cause, because the hard mortar cannot flex and the stress transfers into the brick instead.

Usually it is a maintenance issue rather than a safety issue. Most mortar cracking is surface weathering and wear that lets water in over time. It matters because water entry accelerates damage, not because the wall is about to fail. Cracking becomes more serious when it is wide, stepped through both brick and mortar, growing over time, or accompanied by bulging, leaning or doors and windows that no longer sit square. Those patterns point to movement rather than weathering, and the wall should be inspected before any cosmetic repair is done.

In most cases a close match is achievable. Mortar colour comes from the sand, the binder and any oxide added, so matching means selecting sand of the right colour and grain, choosing the right binder, and testing sample mixes against the existing joint once dry — wet mortar is always darker than the cured result. Existing mortar has also weathered for decades, so the honest goal is a close, sympathetic match rather than an exact copy. New work typically settles in visually over the first year or two.

Well-executed repointing using a mortar suited to the brick and the exposure is a long-term repair — commonly measured in decades rather than years. Its life depends on the mortar mix, how deeply the old joints were raked out (a shallow smear over failed mortar will not last), the exposure of the wall, and whether the underlying cause of the deterioration was addressed. Sheltered walls outlast weather-facing and coastal walls. Repointing with an over-hard cement mortar on soft old brick is the usual reason a repair fails early.

There is dust and debris — raking out old mortar creates both. A careful contractor manages it with dust extraction or wet cutting where suitable, drop sheets, protection of windows, paths, gardens and outdoor furniture, and daily clean-up rather than one clean-up at the end. Expect some fine dust settling nearby while the work is underway; expect the site to be swept and washed down before the job is called finished.

No. A brick with a hairline crack that is still sound and well bedded is usually left alone. Replacement is warranted when the brick is broken through, when the face has fretted away, when it has become loose or is crumbling, or when the crack is part of a movement pattern that is being repaired anyway. Over-replacing bricks on an older home has a cost of its own — every new brick is a visual break in a wall that has weathered evenly for a century.

No. We specialise in repairing and restoring existing brick homes. We do not carry out new-home bricklaying or general new construction.