11 Comments
The tuckpointing in your brick building is starting to decay. Cracks are forming and small chunks of mortar are beginning to fall out. Sounds like you’re due to take on the “not too difficult” but time consuming task of tuckpointing. Time to head on down to the nearest Home Depot or Lowes at stock up on tuckpointing supplies and ready mix mortar. Right? If you are tuckpointng an older building like those found through most of St. Louis City and much of St. Louis County, you just made a mistake.
The mortar found at most big box stores are mixes designed specifically to be used with modern brick. Modern brick is much harder than the brick found in most older homes. For various structural reasons, the harder the brick in use the harder the mortar should be. If you use a mortar that is harder than your brick, the bricks could begin to crack and break apart. With the two earthquakes and pair of accompanying aftershocks that recently struck the area, I hope these kind of issues get your attention.
The mortar you need cannot be found at Lowes or Home Depot. You need to head to a specialist. The only supplier I have ever used is F W Clemens at 3357 Gravois in South St. Louis. Its at the northwest corner of the Cherokee and Gravois. They have ready mix mortar on hand specifically designed to be used with older brick. This mortar, which runs about $6 a bag, has a higher content of lime than the more cement laden mortars commonly used today. It won’t cause your brick to prematurely break down and will improve the structural integrity and shock absorption capabilities of your brick building. Make the right move and play it safe.
Loading ...
I’m a 3rd generation stone/brick mason with over 19+ years as a mason./restoration specialist .the older homes use a mix that has white portland, lime and sand.If u have a older home that dates back to the early 1900 or older than the bricks will be softer than the mortar and will cause damage to the bricks.If someone has a question about a historical home they can e-mail me the question. We have been restoring stone & brick masterpieces for over 19+ years I also have a name of a company that u can send a sample of the mortar to get it tested so that u can put the correct mortar back in to the joints.thank you all and have a wonderful day.mike
Hi Mike,what is the name of the company that analyzes the mortar,also any where a guy can get info on tuckpointing brick,there is a house I`m considering repairing,I`ve layed many a brick but never have repaired any house this old(approx. 100 years old).Thanks Pat
I love hearing from experts on any subject and certainly don’t mind subtle solicitation, but please don’t post phone numbers. I just deleted it myself, but next time please don’t post you number.
I also lay bricks for a liveing. But i am getting ready to start tuckpointing a 100 year old hotel and I not very knowledgeable about mortar mix. If you could lead me the right way. also any helpful knowledge would be very appreciated. thanks andy
Andy,
I would talk to the guys at Clemens, as mentioned in the posted above. If you tell them what you are doing and the age of the building I am sure they will know what kind or mortar mix you need. Best of luck with the project.
I would like to know the name of a company, and contact information, where I could send a sample of my 1865 mortar for analysis.
I have tried to find a company that does this testing and have had no luck. That being said, you can contact your local supplier (Clemens if you are in St. Louis) and they might be able to help. That being said, I have to think that it is unnecessary. Any good supplier should be able to help you figure out the mortar type by the age, style and location of house. Also, if you think about it, it goes without saying that a 100+ year old building has been repointed at least once in it’s lifespan. If you just test the outer layer of the mortar, you are only pinpointing the makeup of the previous mortar mix, not the original. I would simply contact my supplier and ask them. I really think this might be overkill.
we are haveing a problem with some of are bricks chiping and falling it is a four story building.
I would recommend talking to a professional tuckpointer about that. And soon. Not only will delay end up costing you more, but someone could get hurt if a brick hit them.
Hello,
I have someone getting ready to tuck point my older building. He says it’s important to soak any loose brick in water so that the brick doesn’t pull all the moisture from mortar. Any truth to this? Plus, he buys current mortar from the store and adds lime. Does this work?
I am certainly no masonry expert, but when tuckpointing bricks, I know you want to wet the surface of the bricks at a minimum. The thought of soaking a brick in water makes sense as it might otherwise cause the mortar to cure to quickly. I am sure a lot of guys don’t do that, but it makes sense. As for mortar, I believe their is lime in most historic mortar mixes, but I have no idea if mixing lime with modern mortar works well. Whenever I need mortar I just go to a concrete supplier and tell them what I am doing. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help on that.