Repointing West Wickham

Repointing West Wickham Greater London (BR4): No matter what age your home is in West Wickham, there comes a point when a bit of maintenance and repair is necessary. You're going to need professional assistance to prevent it from getting worse, if you've discovered that the mortar or cement between the bricks on your West Wickham property are cracking and eroding. It is essential to keep your brickwork in excellent shape to keep your property watertight, and the most cost effective solution is to engage a brick repointing specialist in West Wickham.

The bricks and mortar are what make a building sound enough to withstand the weather. To prevent any damp or draughts from forcing their way in through holes or gaps, and therefore keeping a property dry and warm, the mortar must be in sufficiently good condition. But precisely how can can you be certain whether your brickwork needs repointing or not?

You basically need to have a good look at the brickwork on your house. If you can see a problem then you've got a problem. In most buildings you should not have too much of a problem spotting evidence of degradation, although in some scenarios it might be a good idea to bring in a specialist to inspect those hard to reach areas like under eaves or on chimney stacks.

Defective mortar doesn't merely look terrible, it can lead to safety issues as well. Mortar is the binding agent that holds the shape and structure together in any West Wickham home, and if it is in a poor state of repair it can impact on the integrity of a building. If this is weakened, the structure can become unstable, which when it comes to chimney stacks or higher buildings, can cause significant damage and be a danger to life.

If sections of brickwork have been weakened or damaged over the years and are the reason for the problems with your mortar joints they might need to be replaced. To accomplish a perfect finish to your home, a respectable West Wickham brick repointing company will replace any defective bricks before completing the mortar repointing.

In buildings where the exterior walls were plasterered over or painted in days past, you might notice spots that are discoloured or prone to damp, which could be an indication of problems underneath. If you begin to detect flaking, bubbling or cracks of the paint or render it could all point to more substantial damage underneath. The only effective way to guarantee the deterioration does not spread further and trigger structural challenges down the line, is to get an experienced contractor to carry out a survey. You can then be secure in the knowledge that your external walls are in the best condition possible, and that the work has been completed by an expert.

WHAT STEPS ARE REQUIRED IN REPOINTING BRICKWORK IN WEST WICKHAM?

Depending on the kind of property you've got, repointing will frequently entail working at height, and it can be a fairly long process. A visual inspection is the first step in the process and will determine the extent of remedial work required on your property. A survey is the best way by which a repointing contractor can offer you an itemised quotation for the level of work required on your brickwork. Remember to always obtain two or three estimates and don't always assume the cheapest is the best option.

The use of ladders, or even scaffolding might be required to get to some out-of-reach areas of your premises, and an additional site survey might be essential to assess this, after you have accepted a particular quotation. Supplemental charges may be added to the initial estimate, if this more comprehensive examination reveals further, more serious issues. If you have an older home in West Wickham that's more than 60 years old, it is far more likely to need repair work on repointing than a more modern structure.

Work can start once any trouble spots have been confirmed and agreed with the owner of the property. So that a secure working platform is available for the repointing contractors, some form of scaffolding will almost certainly need to be erected on most West Wickham properties. A protective shielding will be fitted to the exterior of the scaffolding, when it's been set up. This might be polythene sheeting to trap any debris and dirt that's created during the process.

Any external wiring, such as TV or satellite cables, will be unfastened from the walls and any pipes may be removed or adjusted to enable access to the brickwork behind. These fixtures can all be put back into their original positions at the end of the project.

If your brickwork is painted, rendered or pebble-dashed, these coverings will now need to be removed to allow the repointing contractors to begin the restoration work. The brickwork that's hiding behind such outer coverings will be cleaned and sanded to make sure that the finish on your brickwork is consistent.

A dependable West Wickham repointing company should be able to mock up a test panel on your brickwork in order to allow you to picture the different mortar finishes that are available, (Recessed, Tuck, Weather Struck or Flush pointing). This pointing test panel will enable you to visualise how each method compares to each other and also which suits your style of home best.

Now the dusty work will begin as the old mortar is removed by raking and scraping out the brick joints. This is a time consuming process and involves the chipping or grinding away of old mortar and brushing away any dust and loose debris to provide a good platform onto which to apply the new mortar. The repointing team will be especially careful around windows, doors and other openings where the movement of brickwork or a surplus of mortar can result in difficulty in opening and closing them.

To avoid the fresh mortar drying out too quickly, the brickwork will be dampened before the new pointing is started. This makes sure that the mortar stays flexible and allows it to dry at a gentler pace to avoid cracking and generating a weaker joint. When it has dried sufficiently the time has come to clean up any excess mortar and smears from the surrounding brickwork. The walls are divided into areas, and each will be pointed, allowed to dry, and then cleaned off before the team move on to the next section of brickwork.

It's possible that as the repointing team are working they may find damaged bricks that need replacing, or maybe problems with faulty lead flashing or a damaged chimney, and an experienced repointer will be ideally placed to perform such repair work as they progress.

Any render, paint or other wall covering that you need will be applied once all of the remedial work has been concluded. The final stage of the repointing project will entail all cables, pipes and other fittings put back in their rightful positions, scaffold taken down and all waste materials removed and disposed of.

The repointing of your house by a skilled West Wickham specialist will mean you won't need to worry about your external brickwork for another 50 years or more. They should also provide a warranty to their work and be backed by professional qualifications in the building industry.

If a company has qualifications or accreditations from associations such as the NHBC (National House-Building Council), the FMB (Federation of Master Builders) and the NFBC (National Federation of Building Contractors), you can be certain you are dealing with an experienced and trustworthy provider. The Construction Skills Certification Scheme is now compulsory for anybody working in the construction industry and they should be willing to show you their CSCS card on request to prove their ability to work on site.

Ridge Tile Repointing West Wickham

Ridge tiles and mortar joints should be examined every other year at least. Repointing simple mortar cracks can prevent leaking roofs and costly re-roofing work in West Wickham. Be extra vigilant with ridge tiles as they are exposed to the extremes of the weather from all sides and may exhibit mortar cracks before other tiles on the roof. If cracks are discovered in the mortar between ridge tiles, the options are rebed the ridge tile or repoint the joints.

If the cracks are minor and the tile seems securely bedded, repointing the mortar is a suitable 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 entire tile rather than repointing. If you repoint a tile that's no longer snugly bedded, the repair will not last very long and the crack will quickly reoccur.

The most important thing to remember when repointing in West Wickham is safety. When working on the roof, be sure to tie off ladders to a sturdy structure. Together with considering your own safety on the roof, it's also advisable to set up a roped-off area on the ground, wherever falling objects may land. Repointing ridge tiles is the same process as repointing brick or block work. Once you're secured, use a metal spike to rake out mortar in joints you determine need repointing. Dampen the joint, apply mortar, and use a pointing trowel to smooth the joints between the ridge tiles.

The integrity of the roof protects your largest investment from weather damage in West Wickham. Checking and repointing your roof before cracks allow water to penetrate into the house, are simple ways to save cash and inconvenience.

Colour Matching Mortar

The aesthetics and integrity of masonry structures in West Wickham, especially historical or older ones, rely heavily on the fine details. Among these details, mortar colour matching is particularly crucial. Mortar colour matching is an important element of any brick restoration project, however it's often only appreciated by purists and professionals. Mortar acts as a binding agent for bricks, stones, or other masonry products in the context of masonry. The structure is structurally sound and visually appealing thanks to it. The mortar and bricks work together to create a strong and durable wall. The overall look of a building can be massively affected by a incongruity in mortar colour, as a result. (25609)

Repointing Specialists Near West Wickham

Also find: Elmers End repointing, Park Langley repointing, Forestdale repointing, Addington repointing, Leaves Green repointing, Keston repointing, Coney Hall repointing, Shirley Oaks repointing, Bromley Common repointing, Monks Orchard repointing, Upper Elmers End repointing, Locksbottom repointing, Downe repointing and more.

West Wickham Repointing Tasks

Just Some of the Tasks That a Repointing Specialist Can Do

There is a variety of work that can be completed by your local West Wickham repointing specialist including brickwork cleaning, brick step repointing, brickwork conservation, lime mortar repointing West Wickham, ridge tile repointing West Wickham, tuck pointing West Wickham, commercial repointing, re-pointing paving, cheap repointing, repairs to cracked brickwork, ridge tiles rebedded or repointed in West Wickham, repointing crazy paving, masonry repairs West Wickham, patio repointing West Wickham, bed joint reinforcement, repointing services, lead valleys renewed or repaired in West Wickham, slab repointing, fireplace repointing West Wickham, weather struck pointing West Wickham, mortar rake grinding, crack repairs to brickwork, pointing and repointing mortar joints, brick gable end repointing West Wickham, brick and masonry decorating West Wickham, lime mortar pointing, residential repointing in West Wickham, repointing estimates in West Wickham, lintel replacement West Wickham, roof repointing West Wickham, mortar raking, ribbon re-pointing West Wickham, stone wall repointing, strap re-pointing, the lime pointing of brick joints West Wickham, and repointing scaffolds. Listed are just a few of the activities that are accomplished by experts in repointing. West Wickham specialists will inform you of their entire range of services.

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