Repointing St Helens

Repointing St Helens Merseyside (WA11): All homes in St Helens require a little maintenance from time to time. If the brickwork on your St Helens property looks decidedly shabby with mortar crumbling or missing, you'll need to act fast to stop the condition from deteriorating. A reputable brick repointing company in St Helens will provide an efficient solution to repair your brickwork and make sure that it remains watertight.

It must always be remembered that any house is only as sturdy as the bricks and mortar which hold it together. To keep a structure dry and warm the mortar must be in sufficiently good condition to stop any moisture or draughts from forcing their way in through holes or gaps. But how do you know precisely when you need to repoint your house in St Helens?

It's simply a matter of visually checking your brickwork. If you are able to see a problem then you've got a problem. It might be better to consult an expert to examine hard to reach areas like chimney stacks or under eaves, however in most buildings you should be able to see any indications of damage relatively easily.

It's not only the visual appearance that is at risk if your home in St Helens needs to be repointed, there are safety issues to also consider. The mortar is the basis of strength in your St Helens house and is the "glue" that holds the shape and structure together. In properties with chimneys and taller structures, any weakness in the integrity of the dwelling can have severe consequences with regards to property damages and risk of harm.

It might be that missing or crumbling mortar has been caused by damaged brickwork. Any damaged brickwork found during the survey by the specialist will be replaced or repaired before any mortar repointing is attempted.

It might be a situation where in the past your St Helens property's external brick walls were painted or plastered over. Any peeling, cracks or bubbling of plaster or paint could signify a deterioration of either mortar or bricks beneath the surface. The only reliable way to figure out a problem of this kind is by employing a professional brickwork and repointing company who will find the main cause of the damage. Any respected repointing business in St Helens will be able to perform this service and make sure that your property is safe, sound and looking great.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR REPOINTING BRICKWORK IN ST HELENS?

Repointing can be a lengthy process and may entail working at considerable height, subject to your property type. A visual inspection is the very first step in this process and will assess the scope of remedial work required on your home. A survey is the only way in which a repointing specialist can give you an itemised quote for the amount of work needed on your unsound brickwork. Never assume that all repointing companies in St Helens offer the same standard of service and the lowest price quote might not necessarily be the best option.

If you've got hard to reach areas of your property that couldn't be inspected in the initial on-site survey, a further inspection with long ladders and possibly scaffolding may be required. It could be that this more comprehensive survey may expose more problems that may cause the initial quotation to increase. The older the building is, the more likely it is to need repointing, and this is especially true for those houses in St Helens over 60 years old.

As soon as the problems have been detected then repointing work can begin. It's likely your repointing team will require the erection of scaffolding so as to have a safe working platform while doing the work on your property. A form of protective sheeting or shielding will then be secured to the exterior of the scaffolding. This is to avoid any damage to property and reduce the injury risk to anyone in the vicinity of the work.

Any external wires, such as satellite or TV cables, will be detached from the walls and pipes will be adjusted or removed to allow easier access to the brickwork behind. This is only temporary and they'll be put back in their original position when all work has been accomplished.

Any paint, pebble-dash, rendering or other covering will now have to be carefully removed to allow the repointers to gain access to the bare walls and press ahead with their reparation work. After removal of any coverings all of the brickwork will be sanded and cleaned to give the repointers a uniform wall surface to work on.

If you've not yet chosen a finishing style (Tuck, Recessed, Weather Struck or Flush pointing), or you would like to see how the various different pointing options look on your home, a reputable St Helens repointing specialist will be able to produce a test panel on your property. This pointing test panel will allow you to visualise how each technique compares to each other and also which one suits your style of home best.

The next phase is to take out the mortar by raking and cleaning out the joints in the brickwork. This is an incredibly time consuming process and involves the grinding or chipping away of old mortar and brushing out all the dust and loose debris to provide a good platform for the application of new mortar. Any doors and windows will be given extra attention by the repointing team to prevent any excess applications of mortar or disturbances of the frames which could lead to problems with their closing and opening.

To avoid the fresh mortar drying out too rapidly, the brickwork will be dampened before the new pointing begins. The delayed drying time stops the mortar from becoming inflexible and cracking, which creates a weaker joint. Any excess mortar and smears that are left on the brickwork can be cleaned away as soon as the mortar has dried out thoroughly. The repointers will work on the brickwork in small sections, pointing and cleaning each one as they go before starting on a new patch.

It's possible that as the repointing team are doing their work they could find cracked bricks that need replacing, or perhaps issues with faulty lead flashing or a damaged chimney, and a professional company will be able to perform such repairs as they progress.

Any render, paint or other wall coverings that you need will be re-applied as soon as all repointing work has been finished. The pipes and cables will be re-positioned and the final stage of the repointing project will be to disassemble the scaffold and dispose of all building waste and debris.

Your brickwork repointing should be good for fifty to sixty years provided that it's applied by a qualified and reputable repointing company in St Helens. They should also offer you a guarantee to their work and be backed by professional qualifications in the construction industry.

Suitable accreditations can take various forms, however those that stand out in connection with repointing are: the National Federation of Building Contractors, the Federation of Master Builders and the National House Building Council, with qualifications from building industry leaders such as the Chartered Institute of Building. In addition to that, each person on the repointing team who carries out work on your house should be a member of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme to prove they have the appropriate training and skills to be working on the project.

St Helens Repointing Tasks

There is a variety of work that can be completed by your local St Helens repointing specialist including damaged brickwork replacement, house repointing, renovations to damaged brickwork, domestic repointing in St Helens, brickwork crack repairs St Helens, repairs to cracked brickwork, stone pointing, repointing services, mortar raking, the lime pointing of stonework and brickwork, stone wall repointing St Helens, the repointing of patios, weather struck re-pointing, mortar rake grinding, brick joint repointing, the repointing and pointing of brickwork, brickwork joint raking St Helens, bucket handle repointing, brick gable end repointing, and lots more.

Repointing Specialists Near St Helens

Also find: Sutton Heath repointing, Windle Island repointing, Windlehurst repointing, Haresfinch repointing, Peasley Cross repointing, Merton Bank repointing, Dentons Green repointing, Sutton Leach repointing, Thatto Heath repointing, West Park repointing and more.

Repointing Specialist Services St Helens

Find a Repointing Specialist in St Helens Here

• St Helens Brick Repointing
• St Helens Mortar Repointing
• St Helens Repointing Services
• St Helens Cheap Repointing
• St Helens Lime Mortar Repointing
• St Helens Roof Repointing
• St Helens Residential Repointing
• St Helens Repointing
• St Helens Brick Wall Repointing
• St Helens Brick Joint Raking
• St Helens Chimney Repointing
• St Helens Patio Repointing
• St Helens Repointing Quotations
• St Helens Brickwork Repointing

More Merseyside repointing specialists: Billinge, Maghull, Haydock, Southport, Prescot, Wallasey, St Helens, Hoylake, Whiston, Formby, Crosby, Newton-le-Willows, Birkenhead, Knowsley, Garswood, Liverpool, Bootle, Rainhill, Litherland, Bromborough, Huyton, Bebington, Kirkby, West Kirby, Halewood, Heswall, Greasby, Pensby.

To find out local info relating to St Helens, Merseyside take a look here

Repointing in WA11 area, telephone code 01744.