Just how bad is this pointing?

jonacers · 16 Sep 2008

I have some builders working on the front of my house at the moment, mainly decorating which is going fine.

But they have done some pointing which I think looks terrible. Is any of this work competent? They have tried three times with three different people. They admit that the first and second attempts were not very good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30569366@N04/tags/pointing/

Work is on hold. Should I allow the third person to continue?

Richard C · 16 Sep 2008

It don’t think it could get much worse my friend, it’s a joke.

Stop them now, all they are doing is creating an even more work; ask them how they going to clean all that cement off the brick face!

mattylad · 16 Sep 2008

OMG!

Even I could not do a job as bad as that, its bricks FCS!
Bricks are easy to point & they made a mess like that?

Dont pay them a penny!
The whole thing will need lots of work cleaning it off.

jonacers · 16 Sep 2008

Richard, Matty, many thanks for comments.

libby lou lou · 16 Sep 2008

Those bricks look damaged, they owe you money!

gregers · 16 Sep 2008

i take it thats the base for the render coat?

Thermo · 16 Sep 2008

its crap, doesnt match the existing pointing, and is very poorly done. did they use a paintbrush to do it with? DO NOT PAY THEM ANYTHING. Get a decent brickie in to do it.

Alison556 · 16 Sep 2008

Flippin heck! I did my first ever bit of pointing in the spring and I did a better job than that!!!!! I'd be mortally embarrassed to have done that to anybody's wall!

chappers · 17 Sep 2008

Stevie Wonder could have done a better job, basically its ****ed

mattylad · 17 Sep 2008

I think jonacers gets the point now lol

The problem is how to go about it if the person that did it is still doing other work.
And what to do about the wall now, it might mean a slippery slope to having to have it rendered over forever more now & that wont look as nice.

Perhaps render it & make a marble mural in it

jonacers · 18 Sep 2008

Thanks very much for the all the feedback. They wanted to put the last guy back in again. But I have persuaded them to get an external (they say 'agency') person in. I'll let you know what happens.

Pinnacle · 2 Oct 2008

just seen this. Looks like they used more cement than sand in that mix. What did they use point ?. A wallpaper stripper ?

jonacers · 9 Oct 2008

Thanks for the latest comments. Pinnacle, there is lime in the mix.

The painting is complete, the scaffolding is down and the builders have gone. I think the last (fourth!) pointer did a reasonable job and cleaning up the previous work and weather pointing the areas either side of the small first floor window and to the upper right side of the entrance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonacers/2926978646/sizes/l/

But there is a kind of cement haze over some of the brickwork. I did try scrubbing it off before the scaffolding came down but it didn't seem to work. It's particularly bad on the left hand side of the small first floor window (all 4 pointers worked in this area).

Is this haze likely to get washed off in the rain in the next 2 or 3 years?

Will it darken anyway with pollution?

We haven't paid the bill yet. Any thoughts would be welcome.

Matt08 · 9 Oct 2008

I think you would be best of holding onto the bill and maybe even try to get them to come and clean it up, if you threten them with not paying until they clean it up it might make them up their game a bit! Reporting them to Watchdog might not be a bad idea either??

Richard C · 9 Oct 2008

jonacers said:
But there is a kind of cement haze over some of the brickwork. I did try scrubbing it off before the scaffolding came down but it didn't seem to work. It's particularly bad on the left hand side of the small first floor window (all 4 pointers worked in this area).
Is this haze likely to get washed off in the rain in the next 2 or 3 years?

Will it darken anyway with pollution?

We haven't paid the bill yet. Any thoughts would be welcome.

You’ll wait 20 years & more for any appreciable weathering effect & then it probably still won’t match. A pressure/chemical wash over the whole wall may help blend it in so it’s less noticeable. Suggest it, I can't see how it can make it any worse (but it certainly looks better than it did

) but make sure it’s done by someone familiar with this type of work & not “Fred” the general labourer.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Just how bad is this pointing?

Similar threads