Safety tips :- Take care when working at height, especially on ladders, if possible only use a hand grinder at height working from a scaffold tower, wear a face mask that covers both your mouth and nose, wear safety goggles. Use an extension lead fitted with an RCCD plug top, (see – Safe DIY practice).

Over a period of time, mortar in brickwork seams can become loose and break up due to inclement weather, when this occurs it should be repaired to avoid water penetrating the brickwork, which could result in possible damp problems within the property. 

Re-pointing brickwork is a very time consuming job, but can be carried out with only a few tools. Small areas of brickwork can be repaired using a ladder to reach the work area, but if as an example, most or all of the wall requires attention, I would recommend hiring a scaffold tower to work off, as you will be spending a lot of time working from it and you will be working with power tools at height, therefore you need to be comfortable, be safe and have both hands free. (see- Tool hire)

You should start re-pointing at the top of the wall and work your way across the whole wall, therefore I would re-point only three or four courses at each pass. Re-pointing from the top down will ensure any dust and bits of dropped mortar can be cleaned off as you move down and it won’t spoil the brickwork you have already re-pointed.

You can remove mortar from small areas of brickwork with a lump hammer and bolster chisel, working off a ladder. To remove the mortar in larger areas I would use a hand grinder with a diamond tipped disc working off a scaffold tower (don’t forget the face mask and safety goggles). Remove the mortar to a depth of around 3/4″ (20mm) and brush away any debris and dust from the seams, take care when using the grinder that you don’t damage the brick faces as you make the cuts.

Damp down the seams with water using a paint brush or water spray bottle before pointing the seam with the new mortar. The mortar mix should be stiff enough for you to ‘slice’ it and push it into the seam with the finger trowel, if it is too wet it will just end up everywhere bar the seam. Dont mix too much mortar at any one time, otherwise it will ‘go off’ before you get a chance to use it. Try to mix the mortar each time using as near as, the same quantities of sand and cement, so the mortar is of a uniformed colour (see – Mixing concrete or mortar by hand). When the new mortar has started to set, strike / point the seam with your trowel or piece of pipe to give the brickwork seam a professional finish.

Bricklaying usually requires a bit of practice in order to ‘gain the knack’ (Most DIYers, myself included usually ‘ jump in with both feet’ and start the project straight away), if you have never laid bricks before it is good practice to build a sample wall first, e.g.  a four brick course, three bricks high, the bricks can always be cleaned and re-used later. When you are happy with your ‘practice’ wall finish, you can start your DIY project with more confidence and know how.

Have a ready supply of bricks near the work area, mix the mortar (see post), using four parts sand to one of cement (4 : 1), add a plasticiser to the mix, this makes the mortar easier to trowel and it adheres better to the bricks. Don’t make the mortar too ‘wet’ as the weight of the bricks will push it out of the seam when you start bricklaying and only mix sufficient for say one hours bricklaying (even less if the weather is hot), as it will dry out before you can use it. Don’t add water to a mortar mix if it becomes too dry / stiff to use, throw it away and mix again. Place the mortar as near to the work area as possible.

Safety tip :- Use gloves when mixing / using cement as it can irritate and burn skin, use gloves / safety goggles when handling / cutting bricks.

Always lay bricks so the vertical joints are staggered, this gives the brickwork added strength and support. If the bricks you are using don’t have holes through them but have an indentation (known as a frog), lay the bricks with the ‘frog’ at the top. The last course of bricks can be laid with the ‘frog’ at the bottom to give the brickwork a smooth finish on the top.

Lay one brick at each end of the course with a string line stretched between them along the top edge, this will give you a guide as you lay each course of bricks. See fig 1.

fig 1

When you place the mortar on the foundation or next course of bricks make a V shaped trough along the mortar with your trowel, this allows the bricks to be tapped into position / level more easily, spread (butter) mortar onto the end of each brick as you lay them for the vertical joint. Once you have laid the first course of bricks check the level along the top of the course and along the face or outside edge (it isn’t necessary to check each brick as you lay them). With your spirit level in position on the brickwork, tap each brick level, either using the edge of your trowel or by hand. Remember most bricks aren’t always square when manufactured so they may not line up perfectly level with each other, use your judgement as minor discrepancies won’t be noticeable when you ‘step back’ and look at the finished brickwork.

You will no doubt have to cut some bricks to size (e.g. half bricks to obtain the staggered vertical joints), to do this mark the cut on the brick (allowing for the mortar seam) and place it on firm ground or a solid base, align the cutting edge of your bolster chisel with the mark and give it a sharp blow with your lump hammer, any rough edges can be chipped off  using the bolster and lump hammer. Don’t forget the safety goggles.

Lay each course of bricks using the string line as a guide and check the levels as each course is completed. Don’t forget to strike / point the seams on each course before the mortar sets, fill any holes in the seams then strike / point them with either the piece of pipe or the trowel to give your brickwork a professional finish, brush the brickwork down with a soft hand brush to remove any excess mortar from the brickwork face.

Remember you can always add a colouring agent to the mortar mix if you think it would improve the finished look of your brickwork. Colouring agents are simple to add, just make sure you note the quantities of sand, cement and agent that go into each mix. Use the same sand for each mix as different ones can produce variations in the shade of colour. The agents come in various colours. (See post)