Brick or masonry walls are always nice to look at. They can last for over a hundred years and looks timeless. However, these walls may require tuckpointing. Tuckpointing is the process of removing and replacing old mortar.
Tuckpointing basically is the repair of wall joints. The importance of tuckpointing is crucial, as you may face serious consequences if you fail to do tuckpointing soon enough. The cost of tuckpointing may not be too much and contractors can do a quick and fine job of brick or masonry wall restoration.
However, failing to realize the importance of tuckpointing could have you spending more than you should. Tuckpointing is needed so the walls don’t deteriorate. Repairs may be labor intensive, but are required in tuckpoint masonry so the walls can last even longer.
Importance of Tuckpointing
Tuckpointing is crucial to any brick or masonry wall. Not doing tuckpointing soon enough can lead you to a wall that is beyond repair. When you’ve reached that point, there’s not much else you can do. The best solution would be to bring the wall down and redo it from the ground up. The importance of tuckpointing should be realized before it is too late.
Steps on How to Tuckpoint Masonry
Tuckpointing requires skills and tools for it to be done more efficiently. Contractors can greatly help with tuckpointing. Steps on how to perform tuckpoint masonry includes preparation of tools, grinding and chiseling of the mortar, brushing out the joints, mixing and applying the mortar, smoothing out the mortar and final cleaning.
Those are the steps on how to perform tuckpoint masonry. This may sound basic, but masonry tuckpointing requires skills and tools you might be lacking. For quality tuckpointing, hire contractors to do the repair.
When Tuckpointing Will Be Needed
It is very easy to determine when a masonry wall needs tuckpoint masonry. The stone may be historic and can still be in great condition but it is the mortar that gives it away. Rub a key to the mortar and if it crumbles easily, that’s when tuckpointing is needed. If it doesn’t, then the mortar of the wall is still okay.
A brick or masonry wall may last, but you’ll still need to mix and apply new mortar to every joint of the wall when its mortar is weak. The hazard of not being able to do tuckpointing to the wall is moisture problem. Tuckpointing should provide waterproofing. Do a mortar repair when you feel the strength of the wall has greatly been degraded.
If you are too late with tuckpointing, the foundation of the wall will already be useless. The best remedy to it then would be to demolish and rebuild it again. Repair the mortar fast when tuckpointing is needed.
Tuckpointing is the repair of the mortar of brick or masonry walls. Not knowing the importance of tuckpointing can have you facing serious consequences. The importance of tuckpoint masonry should be realized so you’ll know when to do tuckpointing.
Having it too late can mean losing the wall. It is easy to know when tuckpointing is needed and contractors can be called to do the service fast and excellently.
