Repointing Longbenton Tyne and Wear (NE12): All homes and buildings in Longbenton will at some point in time require a little maintenance and repair. If you've spotted that the cement or mortar between the brickwork on your Longbenton house is cracking or crumbling, you need expert help to prevent the problem from deteriorating further. You'll find that a competent brick repointing contractor in Longbenton can provide a cost effective solution, if repairs need to be done to restore your compromised brickwork.
A property is only as sturdy and strong the mortar and bricks that keep it together, and you should always remember this. If the mortar is in a bad condition with holes, gaps or crumbling areas, then damp or draughts can enter your property and cause many problems to the structure's integrity. But how do you determine whether or not your brickwork needs to be repointed?
You basically need to take a close look at the condition of the mortar and bricks on your dwelling. You've got an issue if you can spot an issue! In places such as under eaves or on chimney stacks it might be necessary to use a professional to check, but in most cases you ought to be able to see for yourself the physical warning signs of deterioration.
When your property in Longbenton needs repointing, it is not simply the building's appearance that needs to be considered, the safety issues need to be looked at as well. The structural strength of your Longbenton property depends on the condition of the mortar, and badly damaged areas can negatively have an impact on this. Any weaknesses in the structural integrity can make a dwelling unstable with serious consequences and maybe even a risk to the life of inhabitants.
There may be any number of reasons why your mortar is eroding or missing, but damaged or weakened brickwork could be among the causes. In order to renovate the brickwork whilst doing the repointing, a trustworthy brick repointing service in Longbenton will be able to determine any sections that need to be replaced or repaired.
Numerous Longbenton properties in past times had their exterior brick walls rendered with plaster or painted to help shield the brickwork. If you discover any signs of peeling, flaking or other damage to painted or rendered brickwork, it could suggest problems with the bricks or mortar permitting damp into the walls. It's a good idea to seek assistance from an experienced repointing specialist who can investigate the main cause of the issue, and prevent the damage from spreading and leading to more serious problems down the road. A decent repointing company in Longbenton will easily achieve this and help to keep your property in the best condition possible.
WHAT STEPS ARE REQUIRED FOR REPOINTING BRICKWORK IN LONGBENTON?
Repointing takes quite a bit of time to accomplish successfully and will entail working at considerable height in the majority of cases. The very first thing a repointing specialist will do is an eyes-on survey to evaluate the severity of the damage to your property. A thorough inspection is the best way by which a repointing contractor can offer you a quotation for the amount of work required on your unsound brickwork. You should not automatically assume that the best estimate is the cheapest estimate, and be sure you get at least three or four quotations before make up your mind.
If the surveyor who carried out the first survey was unable to view and inspect some of the more hard to reach parts of your property, a ladder or even a scaffold might be necessary to do an even more thorough investigation. If further problems are uncovered by this more detailed survey, a revised (higher) quote might result. The older the building, the more chance that it is going to need repointing, and this is especially true for those houses in Longbenton which are more than 60 years old.
When all of the problems with your brickwork have been found, a good repointing specialist in Longbenton will go over the most effective methods of restorative action. It's quite possible that your repointing team will need a scaffold in order to have a sturdy platform while doing the work on your property. The outside of the scaffold can then have a protective shielding fitted to it. This helps to prevent any dust or debris falling and damaging your property or that of your neighbours.
Any drainpipes will need to be adjusted or removed to allow easy access to the wall surfaces behind, as will all external wires, for example satellite or TV. On completion of the project all of these will be placed back into their appropriate locations.
If the brickwork on your property in Longbenton is painted, rendered or pebble-dashed, these types of coverings must be removed to allow access to the bare brick surfaces. The exposed brick surfaces will then need to be cleaned and sanded, so that your exterior walls have an even and neat finish.
An experienced Longbenton repointing company will be able to knock up a test panel on your home in order to help you to settle on the various mortar finishes that are available, (Flush, Recessed, Weather Struck or Tuck pointing). This should help you get an idea of the finished result and make sure you're satisfied with the finished product with regard to style and colour.
The brick joints are now raked out to remove the old, crumbling mortar and clear the gaps between the bricks. This painstaking process can be quite time consuming because the joints need to be cleaned of any dust, debris and old mortar so as to establish a sound bonding surface for the application of new mortar. Any door and window openings will be given extra attention by the repointing team to avoid any distortions of the frames or having excess mortar applied which could cause issues with their opening and closing.
Before fresh mortar is administered, the walls will be damped down to stop it from setting too quickly. The delayed drying time helps to stop the mortar from becoming inflexible and cracking, which creates a weakened joint. Any smears and excess mortar that is left on the brickwork can be cleaned off as soon as the mortar is properly dry. The walls will be split into areas, and each will be repointed, allowed to dry, and then cleaned before the repointers move along to a new section of brickwork.
During this stage the need for any chimney repairs, lead flashing replacement or brick replacement will be completed by the contractor.
Once the whole of the house has been repointed and cleaned, and if you wish to re-apply the walls with rendering or repaint the bricks, now will be the time to accomplish this. After the pipes and TV and satellite cables are placed back into place the scaffolding will be removed and all waste and debris disposed of.
Your brick repointing should last up to 50 to 60 years as long as it is accomplished by a certified and reputable repointing company in Longbenton. Guarantees should be offered for the reparation work and they should be affiliated with with providers and manufacturers from the building industry covering defective materials.
Accreditation could take many forms, but those that stand out in connection with this type of work are: the National House Building Council (NHBC), the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the National Federation of Building Contractors (NFBC), with qualifications and certifications from industry forerunners like the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). The Construction Skills Certification Scheme is now a requirement for all workers in the construction industry and they should be willing to produce their CSCS card at any time to confirm their aptitude be working on site.
Repointing work can be done in Longbenton and also nearby in: Holystone, Heaton, South Gosforth, Grange Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, High Heaton, West Moor, Jesmond, Melton Park, Benton, Backworth, Forest Hall, Camperdown, together with these postcodes NE12 8XF, NE12 8WE, NE12 8TZ, NE12 8LZ, NE12, NE12 8SJ, NE12 8XX, NE12 8JP, NE12 8SS, NE12 8YA. It is more than likely that any repointing specialists from the Longbenton area will have the telephone dialling code 0191 and the postcode NE12.
Ridge Tile Repointing Longbenton
Ridge tiles and mortar joints should be checked every other year at a minimum. Repointing simple mortar cracks can prevent leaking roofs and expensive re-roofing jobs in Longbenton. Pay close attention to ridge tiles since they are exposed to the extremes of the weather from all sides and may develop cracks in the mortar joints before other tiles on the roof. If cracks are discovered in the mortar between ridge tiles, the options are repoint the joints or rebed the ridge tile.
If the cracks are minor and the tile seems firmly bedded, repointing is an appropriate option. If the cracks in the mortar are as wide as the mortar joint itself and the ridge tile seems to have some movement, it would be better to rebed the whole tile rather than repointing. If you repoint a tile that is no longer strongly bedded, the repair isn't going to last very long and the crack will quickly reoccur.
Of course, from time to time a ridge tile has to be rebedded instead of repointed which requires a little more work. Again, ensure that you use all safety precautions while working at height. Use a chisel and hammer to remove the mortar as well as the ridge tile. Use the hammer and chisel to remove the mortar from the bed on the roof, and mortar from the bottom of the ridge tile. As soon as the ridge tile is off, replacing the ridge iron is a good idea, especially if there's any evidence of rust. Remove any organic matter such as algae and moss and apply a fungicide to make sure the area is protected in the future. Then soak the area in water while mixing mortar. Mix a stiff mortar in a ratio of 3:1 (sharp sand: cement). Dampen the roof and tile as you work. Apply mortar to both sides of the ridge tile and use a trowel to lay a bed of mortar on the roof. Position on the mortar bed and press down firmly. Remove any mortar that spills out between joints. Make sure the joint gaps are filled, and smooth joints with pointing trowel.
Chimney Repointing Longbenton
Chimneys are frequently overlooked with regards to property maintenance, but a chimney which is showing signs of decay can be a costly issue. During a preliminary assessment of your chimney in Longbenton, a specialist could recommend repointing or perhaps a complete rebuild of your chimney, according to the size of the affected and damaged area. Professional chimney repointing will restore the integrity of your chimney by replacing the old, crumbling mortar with fresh, new material. This should prevent the requirement for a full chimney rebuild and give you peace of mind for many more years. Having your chimney repointed also helps prevent damage to the inside surfaces of your chimney stack, by preventing moisture from seeping through the gaps and cracks in the mortar. Most modern chimneys are lined with steel and if this liner comes into contact with moisture, it can seriously reduce its lifespan. When the repointing has been done, an exterior sealant is used which repels water and allows any internal moisture to be released.
Coming Next:
Spalling brickwork repairs - article 321.
Longbenton Repointing Tasks
Just Some of the Work That a Repointing Specialist Can Do
There are a wide range of tasks that can be undertaken by your local Longbenton repointing specialist including gable end repointing Longbenton, stone strengthening, repointing paving, porch repointing Longbenton, brick joint repointing, mortar rake grinding, tuck pointing in Longbenton, the restoration of damaged brickwork, slab repointing Longbenton, dry verge installation, the lime pointing of brickwork and stonework, brick conservation, brick and masonry decorating Longbenton, brick step repointing Longbenton, ribbon pointing, damaged brickwork repairs, stone wall repointing Longbenton, the repointing of stone walls Longbenton, fireplace restoration Longbenton, damaged brickwork replacement, facade restoration Longbenton, chimney stack repointing Longbenton, bed joint reinforcement, brickwork joint raking, pointing and repointing crazy paving, brickwork repointing, brickwork crack stitching, lime mortar pointing, the repointing of chimneys, bucket handle pointing and repointing in Longbenton, lintel replacement Longbenton, stone pointing, fireplace repointing Longbenton, the repointing of brickwork joints in Longbenton, brick paint removal, and scaffolding hire. These are just some of the tasks that are carried out by those specialising in brick repointing. Longbenton professionals will inform you of their entire range of services.
Repointing Specialists Near Longbenton
Also find: High Heaton repointing, Newcastle upon Tyne repointing, Heaton repointing, Backworth repointing, Camperdown repointing, Holystone repointing, Grange Park repointing, Melton Park repointing, West Moor repointing, Jesmond repointing, South Gosforth repointing, Forest Hall repointing, Benton repointing services and more. The majority of these places are covered by specialists in repointing. Longbenton home and property owners can get repointing estimates by clicking here.
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