Repointing a solid brick wall

[subzero]

As a completed novice to this area of building, how would I go about repointing the brickwork on a house of solid brick construction? The walls are solid brick, the house was built in 1925 approx.
Or should I leave this to a professional, in which case what would be the rough cost per m2 for this work?

 

[Crystalclear]

Well I'd say it depends on the area you are going to be working with, more so the height, than the length too.

I had a front, gable end, and side grinder out and pointed for £1800.00 all inclusive, including his own grinding discs, mortar etc.

Looking back at it, if I had the patience and time, I could have completed it myself.
They guys came on site with pointing guns; whilst they used one, another was being filled up with pointing mortar.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roughneck-32100-Brick-Mortar-Gun/dp/B003CT4D22

Get the ratio right with sand and cement, and make a creamy pointing mix. Too much water and it'll come out like melting ice cream, and not enough water and it'll sit inside the gun and hardly move as you move along the joints.

Personally I'd say give it a go, preferably in a corner of the wall, and see how you go with the pointing gun.
Also don't rush to use a Brick Jointer; let it partially dry before you run it along the joints.

Good luck.

 

[^woody^]

You could make a right mess of it, if the joints are tight and the bricks easy to stain and with sharp edges.

Pointing guns could make things a lot worse, not easier.

 

[ree]

Possibly, your front elevation is in stock brick with tight beds - if so then leave the stock brick alone unless you have water penetration.

Air powered pointing guns work best but operatives and DIY'ers still use a too sloppy pointing mix - because it flows best - but when the pointing dries it will tend to shrink and crack.

Traditional hand pointing is neatest and safest for a DIY'er - or use a professional pointing gang who do nothing but pointing.

You could always practice raking out and pointing on an obscure patch or a garden wall etc.

 

[loply]

The thing about pointing is, you don't know if you've cocked it up until two days later when the mortar dries.

All of a sudden you realise you've smeared it absolutely everywhere, it's the wrong colour, etc etc.

If I was going to do it, I wouldn't use a pointing gun, too risky. Lot safer by hand. You can use a plasterers float, prepare a 'pad' of mortar on the float the same depth as your joints are, and get a thin repointing trowel of the same size (it's like a finger on a stick).

Do a small area first as a practice/test run.