Reasons To Have Your Brick Walls Tuckpointed
If you want to restore the brickwork on your home's external walls, a chimney, or a brick feature wall, you might consider tuckpointing. Here are several reasons to hire a contractor to undertake this upgrade.
Restore Your Brickwork's Integrity
A prime cause for concern is if you notice crumbling mortar that's falling out from between the bricks on a wall. This weakens the entire structure as the bolstering joints deteriorate. If left untreated, you could end up with an unstable structure that collapses. Tuckpointing involves a process whereby the old mortar is pulled out from between the bricks, a few centimetres deep or so. It's then replaced with new mortar to steady the structure and restore its integrity.
Create A Beautiful Aesthetic
Tuckpointing, though, does more than recovering a wall's soundness; it creates an attractive and beautiful finish also. If contractors replace the old mortar with new mortar in a contrasting colour to the brickwork, this can highlight imperfections in the brick edges, which may be wavy to some degree. While this is charming, to create the impression of perfectly straight-edged bricks with fine joins, tuckpointing involves different steps. It consists of filling the joins with new mortar that's pigmented to match the brick colour. This matching disguises imperfections in the brick edges. Then, a narrow line of light-hued lime putty is applied along the joins, giving the overall impression that the joins themselves are narrow. Thus, your wall will have a gorgeous finish that will bring its appeal back to life.
Stop Water Damage
As well as bolstering the strength and aesthetic of your walls, tuckpointing helps to eliminate a common scourge of buildings — water damage. Crumbling mortar allows moisture to seep into the brickwork. Sealing the surface with new mortar will halt water in its tracks, thus impeding the growth of ruining mould and mildew.
Add Value To Your Home
With your brickwork displaying a crisp new look, the entire facade will be enhanced. This will help if you're considering selling your home. As well as appreciating the beauty of the exterior, buyers can relax knowing the walls have been worked on and will last for many years to come.
Thus, such a brick restoration process will restore the integrity of the structure by replacing old crumbly mortar with a new mixture — this will also stop moisture from wreaking havoc. Tuckpointing additionally creates a smart and striking look.
To learn more, contact a local brick restoration service.