Tuckpointing Stone Wall

Tuckpointing is the process of repairing or refilling mortar joints in brick.

Tuckpointing stone wall.

Once the old mortar is removed the task of replacing it is relatively. Tuck pointing a stone foundation wall is a job that requires time patience and a few specialty tools. Tuckpointing in general refers to the process of repairing mortar joints in stone or brick masonry walls by grinding or raking out the old mortar to a certain depth and then filling in with new mortar. The steps we show here will work on any brick walls chimneys and retaining walls.

The name comes from the action of tucking or packing mortar into the damaged joint with a tool called a tuck pointer mortar joints play a critical role in the structural integrity of a brick wall. Older mortar made with lime and sand gives way rather nicely with a hammer and chisel. Tuckpointing won t fix cracking or crumbling bricks or cracks in walls caused by a shifting foundation. Newer mortar made of portland cement often has to be ground out with power tools.

See below for a shopping list and tools subscribe to this old. Tuckpointing is labor intensive and a good masonry contractor can determine the scope of the work that needs to be done. To replace large stones that have fallen from the wall lay down a thick bed of mortar and set the stone in place. Remove any vegetation that may be growing between the.

Tuckpointing isn t difficult or expensive the only real investment is your time. Then lightly mist the mortar with water and use a soft bristle brush to smooth the mortar flush against each stone. A two step process to re pointing stone walls. After filling all the joints let the mortar set up for about an hour.

But you can pick away at it in your free time area by area. Pack more mortar around the stone. Professional tuckpointing usually runs around 9 to 15 per square foot depending on the height of the wall and the standard rate for mason services in your area. Builder and tv presenter craig phillips shows you how to clean prepare and point old block stone work.

Then he packs the first 1 1 2 to 2 inches with mortar and a tamper. Ian s approach involves two separate steps tamp pointing and then finish pointing.