Affordable Tools in Midland Texas wants to help you learn the tools and techniques you will need to fix mortar joints.

The job may take a bit of time depending on the amount of mortar joints needing repaired, but with our help you can easily do it yourself to save money.

Overview:

Brick homes are very popular due to easy maintenance, although over time, the weather changes will take its toll on your brick home by wearing the mortar joints.

Fixing eroding mortar joints is called pointing, repointing or tuck-pointing. Affordable tools will show you all the tools needed for the job and how to properly use them.

Repointing brick is a timely job that requires patience. Rushing this repair will be very noticeable and if you don’t have any experience with tools or pointing, consider hiring a pro.

The list of tools and supplies you may need:

• Cleaning out old mortar: Angle grinder, hammer, flat utility chisel, safety glasses, dust mask and whisk broom.

• Filling the cleaned-out joints: brick trowel, 3/8-in. pointing trowel, a special tool for contouring the joints and waterproof gloves, mortar mix, cement Boat (mixing pan)

Job 1:
Use an angle grinder for bigger and harder jobs.

Cut your grooves to about 1 in. deep where cracked mortar is present. Use a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a diamond blade to do the cutting. Push your blade into the joint until it contacts the brick and then you can make a single pass in the center of the joints.

Affordable Tools carries all the tools needed for pointing brick. A list of other tools needed is listed at the end of this article for easy reference.

Job 2:
Break Out Old Mortar

Use a flat chisel on the edge of a brick and force it toward the cut to fracture and remove the unwanted mortar. Use a hammer and chisel that’s narrow enough to fit inside the joints. Always wear safety equipment while doing this job. If your mortar is so soft that bricks become loose, you will have to remove the bricks and reset them. Once the joints are ready for new mortar, be sure to do a final dusting before applying new mortar.

Job 3:
Make Sure the Mortar is Right

Using a cement boat, dump in the mortar mix and gradually add the required amount of water while continuing to mix with a trowel. Allow the mortar to sit for a few minutes before using. To know if your mortar is properly mixed, mortar will stick to your trowel when it’s overturned.


 

Job 4: 
Filling the Joints

Using the trowel, hold the horizontally to the brick, then use a 3/8 inch pointing trowel to fill the joints in. Avoid getting mortar on the face of the bricks.

Finally, let the staff at Affordable Tools help you choose the right mortar finishing tool you need to match the contour and depth of your existing mortar joints.