Sloppy pointing

[ash1]

Having some brickwork done at the mo. and the bricks are called Autumn (something or other) they`re a very roughed surfaced brick and the guy doing the job seems to have got mortar in the grooves? on the brick. Is there anyway in which I could suggest to him (not trying to tell him his trade) how to lay them without such mess. BTW the mortar is level with the brick (its to match the rest off the house) so he seems to be putting on more than is needed, if that makes any sense. Many thanks

 

[kevplumb]

Having some brickwork done at the mo. and the bricks are called Autumn (something or other) they`re a very roughed surfaced brick and the gut doing

brill idea slag the trade off then ask for help

 

[jbonding]

tell him when hes finished

 

[brumylad]

tell him if he can't lay the bricks to your satisfaction you'll have to get someone more expert and that he can remove the shoddy work he's already done and pay for replacement bricks.

That should do it.

 

[ash1]

brill idea slag the trade off then ask for help

What part of my post am I slagging the trade off, i`m paying out my well earned readies and want the job done properly. The main reason for my post was to try and get others opinions without (like i`ve already said "not trying to tell him his trade") think i`d best keep me mouth shut and let him carry on with his sloppy brickwork, plus this blokes from Tollesby so he might take offence like you`ve done

 

[Thermo]

if your not happy, have a word with him and politley tell him your concerns. your paying the money and youve got to live with it. until you talk to him you wont know why hes doing what hes doing

 

[JDLDIY]

Here's an idea, why not say to him "that mortar that's on the bricks there, you'll clean that off afterwards will you?" I'd bet that from then on you'll see a marked improvement!

He may not realise that it looks bad, I've been in exactly your situation and it's never easy. If the above doesn't work, you'll have to risk offending him - you're paying after all.

 

[TexMex]

I'm sorry, but from my experience, what you get from a bricklayer is what you see. If he's making a mess of the faces of bricks, that's the way HE lays bricks. Since bricklaying is such a repetative procedure, whatever method is used on one brick is used on them all.

Even if I'm laying bricks down a trench to be backfilled, I still keep the faces clean. Not because I want to, It's just force of habit. It costs no exta time so there's no point getting them dirty, just for the hell of it.

One job I did, was to replace all the sleeper walls in a house. The customer was so happy with the result that he fitted a trap door in the floor and some lighting, so that he could show off the brickwork to his mates. (weirdo eh?)

When you have rough faced bricks, it's inevitable that you'll get the odd
rags on the edges. These should be removed with a stiff broom as the work progresses.

Check to see if your chap has a broom in his toolbag. If he hasn't you may have to accept that he's gone over to the dark side and is beyond redemtion.

He may not realise that it looks bad

Bricklayers are more accutely aware of what the brickwork looks like than the casual passer by. Believe me, he knows.