Repointing Ware Hertfordshire (SG11): All properties in Ware need a little maintenance every so often. If you have come to realise that the cement or mortar between the brickwork on your Ware home is eroding or cracking, you will need professional help to prevent the problem from worsening. The most cost effective solution would be to hire a brick repointing specialist in Ware, to keep your property properly watertight and get your tatty brickwork back into pristine shape.
A building is only as strong as the bricks and mortar that hold it all together, and you should never forget this. To prevent any moisture or draughts from forcing their way in through holes or gaps, and thus to keep your home warm and moisture-free, the mortar needs to be in a sufficiently good state. But how are you to know whether or not your home needs to be professionally repointed?
You basically need to take a close look at the mortar and bricks of your house. You have a problem if you can see a problem! In most buildings you should not have too much of a problem spotting signs of deterioration, although it might be necessary to bring in a professional to inspect hard to reach and remote places such as on chimneys or under eaves.
The safety issues that cracked and damaged mortar can cause should also be taken into consideration, along with the appearance of your property. Mortar is the "glue" that holds the shape and structure together in any Ware property, and when badly in poor condition can affect the integrity of a building. Any weaknesses in the structural integrity can render a building unstable with serious implications and perhaps even a risk to life.
If bricks have been damaged or weakened over the years and are the root cause of the problems with your mortar joints they may have to be removed and replaced. A reliable Ware brick repointing specialist will replace any damaged bricks before continuing with the mortar repointing to achieve a perfect finish to your home.
To help in preserving the brickwork, many homes in Ware had their external walls plasterered over or painted. If you see any signs of bubbling, flaking or other degradation to painted or rendered brickwork, it might suggest issues with the mortar or bricks permitting dampness to seep into the walls. An inspection of this problem, by a repointing specialist is the only practical way to ensure the damage doesn't spread more widely and lead to structural issues as time goes on. Any decent repointing business in Ware will be capable of performing a service like this and keep your property safe and looking good.
WHAT STEPS ARE REQUIRED FOR REPOINTING BRICKWORK IN WARE?
Working at height is generally necessary when repointing a house in Ware, and the overall process can take a fair amount of time. The very first thing that a repointing specialist will do is a visual inspection to ascertain the severity of the damage to your house. A thorough inspection is the only way in which a repointing specialist can offer you a quotation for the level of work that is needed on your brickwork. You should get more than one estimate and don't automatically assume cheapest is best.
The use of ladders, or even some form of scaffolding might be needed to gain access to more inaccessible areas of your property, and a second site survey might be essential to assess this, after you've agreed to a specific quotation. If more serious issues are revealed by this more in depth survey, a revised (higher) estimate may result. Extra work will likely be needed if your home in Ware is more than sixty years old and has never previously been repointed.
Repointing work can commence once the trouble spots have been uncovered and discussed with the property owner. So as to have a stable platform while refurbishing your house, it is likely that the repointing team will need to have some type of scaffolding built. As soon as the scaffolding is in place a protective sheet will be attached to the outside of it. The purpose of this is to reduce the risk of harm to people in the immediate area, and prevent damage to property from falling dust or debris.
To enable ease of access to all wall surfaces, any pipes, cables and conduits that are fixed to the wall may need to be adjusted or removed. When the project has been completed and all repointing work carried out these these will be put back in place.
If the brickwork on your property in Ware is pebble-dashed, painted or rendered, these kinds of coverings must be stripped off so that the bare brick surfaces can be accessed. A thorough cleaning and sanding of the bricks behind these coverings will be essential, to make sure that your finished walls are neat and uniform upon completion.
To help you pick out the ideal type of pointing for your walls, a decent Ware repointing company will be willing to display the different pointing styles (Tuck, Weather Struck, Flush or Recessed), by the creation of a test section on your brickwork. This will help you get a good idea of the finished result and make sure you're satisfied with the finished product with regard to style and colour.
Now the messy work begins as the old, crumbling mortar is taken out by raking and cleaning out the brick joints. This painstaking process can be pretty time consuming as the joints need to be cleaned of any debris, old mortar and dust so as to finish up with a sound bonding surface for the new mortar to be applied to. Any windows and doors will be paid extra care by the repointers to avoid any disturbances of the frames or having excess mortar applied which can cause issues with their opening and closing.
When the joints are clean, the brickwork should be dampened to help stop the new mortar from drying out too quickly and ultimately cracking. This makes sure that the mortar stays flexible and allows it to dry at a gentler pace to prevent cracking and creating a weak joint. Any smears and excess mortar that is left on the brickwork can be cleaned away as soon as the mortar is thoroughly dry. The team will work on the brickwork in sections, pointing and cleaning each one as they go before starting on a new area.
At this point the need for any lead flashing work, brick replacement or chimney repairs will be completed by your contractor.
After the walls have been cleaned for a final time, to achieve a uniform appearance over the whole area, any rendering, painting or pebble-dashing of the completed wall surfaces can be done. The pipes and cables will be re-attached and the final stage of the repointing project will be to take down the scaffold and dispose of all building waste and debris.
A reputable Ware repointing and brick repair specialist will provide a service that should be good for another 60 years. They should also offer you a warranty to their work and be supported by professional qualifications in the building and construction industry.
Such accreditation might include: the NFBC (National Federation of Building Contractors), the NHBC (National House-Building Council) and the FMB (Federation of Master Builders), whilst qualifications may range from NVQ's, City & Guilds and Diplomas from building industry specialists like the Chartered Institute of Building. Additionally, each and every one of the repointing team who works on your property should be a member of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme to confirm they have the relevant skills and training for their respective role in the project.
Repointing specialists can be located in the Ware area, together with: Rush Green, Easnye, Chapmore End, Wareside, Bengeo, Stanstead Abbotts, Wadesmill, Bramfield, Amwell Hill, High Cross, Thundridge, Hertford Heath, Great Amwell, Little Amwell, Hunsdon, in addition to these postcode areas: SG12 4BX, SG12 0YN, SG12 0EF, SG12 0AY, SG12 0QD, SG12 0EB, SG12 0RF, SG12 0AT, SG12 0AB, SG12 0QW. If they have the postcode SG11 and the phone code 01920, it's most likely that they come from Ware or somewhere close by.
Tuckpointing Ware
With old and battered brick or stonework where the mortar is unstable and crumbling, tuckpointing is a useful restoration process. It's purpose is to accentuate the aesthetic look of walls, giving the illusion that they are in perfect condition and in better shape than they really are.
A portion of the crumbling, old mortar is raked out and this is replaced with a coloured mortar which is identical to the colour of the stone or brick out of which the wall is constructed. Then to make it look like the joints are neat and tidy, where in fact the joints may be irregular in width, a narrow contrasting line of mortar is inserted.
Avoiding the requirement for any major refurbishments, tuck-pointing can dramatically improve the visual appearance of a wall, and can be quite effective, in particular when viewed from a distance.
Ridge Tile Repointing Ware
Ridge tiles and mortar joints should be examined every other year at least. Repointing cracks in mortar joints can prevent leaking roofs and costly re-roofing work in Ware. Pay close attention to ridge tiles since they're exposed to the extremes of the weather from all sides and may exhibit cracks in the mortar joints before other tiles on the roof. If you discover cracks in the mortar between ridge tiles, the options are repoint the joints or rebed the ridge tile.
Unfortunately, occasionally a ridge tile needs to be rebedded instead of repointed which requires a touch more work. Again, ensure that you take 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 underside of the ridge tile. As soon as the ridge tile is off, replacing the ridge iron is recommended, especially if there is any evidence of rust. Remove any organic matter such as moss or mould and apply a fungicide to make certain the area is protected in the future. Then soak the area in water whilst mixing mortar. Mix a stiff mortar in a ratio of 3:1 (sharp sand: cement). Dampen the roof and tile as you proceed. Apply mortar to either side of the ridge tile and use a trowel to lay a bed of mortar on the roof. Place the tile on the mortar bed and press down firmly. Remove any mortar that squishes out between joints. Make sure the joint gaps are filled, and smooth joints with pointing trowel.
Coming Next:
Spalling brickwork repairs - article 321.
Ware Repointing Tasks
Just Some of the Jobs That a Repointing Specialist Can Do
There are a whole host of tasks that can be conducted by your local Ware repointing specialist including brick joint renovation in Ware, brick step repointing Ware, ridge tile repointing Ware, the replacement of damaged brickwork, residential repointing, roof verge repointing Ware, brick & mortar tinting in Ware, crack injection, stone repointing, gable end repointing Ware, brickwork joint raking, bed joint reinforcement, chimney repairs Ware, repointing services, strap re-pointing, cheap re-pointing, stone cleaning, valley repointing Ware, repairs to stone walls, cracked brickwork repairs, the lime pointing of brick joints in Ware, pebble-dash removal, brickwork restoration Ware, the repair and repointing of mortar joints, tuck pointing, brick conservation, weather struck pointing and repointing Ware, mortar raking, garden wall repointing, brickwork repointing, lime mortar repointing Ware, rubble masonry, repointing rates Ware, pointing and repointing crazy paving in Ware, chimney repointing Ware, and repointing scaffolding. Listed are just a few of the activities that are conducted by those specialising in brick repointing. Ware professionals will tell you about their entire range of services.
Repointing Specialists Near Ware
Also find: Thundridge repointing, High Cross repointing, Hunsdon repointing, Chapmore End repointing, Rush Green repointing, Bengeo repointing, Hertford Heath repointing, Wareside repointing, Bramfield repointing, Easnye repointing, Little Amwell repointing, Stanstead Abbotts repointing, Great Amwell repointing, Wadesmill repointing, Amwell Hill repointing services and more. All these places are served by experts in repointing. Ware householders can get price quotes by going here.
Other Tradespeople in Ware: Home improvements in Ware will often require the skills of various different tradesmen, and pressure washing in Ware, a roofer in Ware, a bricklayer in Ware, a conversion specialist in Ware, SKIP HIRE in Ware, window installation in Ware, brick cleaning in Ware, a plasterer in Ware, a tiler in Ware, a scaffolder in Ware, a stonemason in Ware, a renderer in Ware, a handyman in Ware, groundwork in Ware, an electrician in Ware, a building contractor in Ware, waste removal in Ware may be required despite the fact that you're currently in search of repointing services in Ware, Hertfordshire. Follow the links to get free quotes for all sorts of home improvement project.
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