For a professional service all over Ireland

Specialists in all aspects of Restortation , Brick,& Stone, Walls,Chimmeys,Ect Repointing,Repair and Cleaning,Sandblasting

All Traditional Techniques & Materials used

we are currently seeking new contracts,if you have a requirements for a Trustworthy Competitiive and Experiened Restoration Firm in The Near Future
We would appreciate your consideraion in Contacting us at Details Below

Since the 1950 the use of lime in buildings has virtually ceased, there are several differences in what we refer to as historic buildings and new buildings.

REPOINTING HISTORIC LIME BUILDINGS

Traditional Re-Pointing Contractors specialize in Lime Mortar Building, there is nothing better than seeing an aged old building being reformed to its natural appearance.

Historic houses should be pointed in a flush profile.

A builder may say you do not need to use lime, this is not true you must use preferable 3:1 ratio of sharp sand: hydraulic lime or a minimum 6:1:1 ratio of cement:sand:lime this is due to the way the building behaves.

The house was designed to allow a certain amount of movement and it is flexible letting moisture come in and then allowing it to be evaporated out naturally. The movement occurs with temperature and moisture changes in the environment. Lime mortar acts like a protection pad in the core of the wall.

If you allow someone to use only cement and sand on a historic house there are several things that will go wrong .

Firstly the moisture which is allowed in through bricks or stone naturally will not be allowed to escape through the mortar because it is too rigid. So the moisture will have to escape through the brick or stone. This will cause great damage to the brick or stone and with the frost, wind and rain the deterioration will happen a lot quicker. It is significantly harder and more expensive to repair and subsequently repoint again.

Secondly if the repointing has been done without the use of lime and the pointing is harder than the bricks or stone it will create stress in the wall and damage to the edge and faces of the bricks or stone again due to the movement which it was designed to have, it will cause the mortar to crack and sometimes if serious these are referred to as death cracks .

REPOINTING NEW BUILDINGS

By the 1950’s most builders had given up using lime in buildings, they decided cement was quicker to use and more affordable.

New buildings are made to be strong and rigid this however does not allow natural movement which makes the cement erode over time, they also have damp-proof courses, water resistant paint or cavity walls which acts like a barrier for a while against the elements.

These materials do not help when a small crack appears and then damp comes inside as it will not allow natural evaporation, which in turn creates more damp. Therefore repointing is needed to restore the structure and appearance of the building this would be done using a 4:1 ratio of sand and cement.
Weather struck profile Flush profile

Barrel Profile Tuck profile

Lime aggregate repointing




THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION - A PROPER RAKE OUT

A repointer must rake out old mortar this is preparing the bed for the new mortar we always rake out at a depth of 20mm-30mm as standard practice this ensures the mortar will last and the building is safe from damp and is structurally secure as well as looking as good as new. We use an angle grinder unless this is prohibited or not suitable for the job in which case we would use hand tools.

Sometimes we hear of companies repointing over existing damaged mortar, what will occur if someone does use this method is the new mortar will crack and “pop off” in the frost and the structure will need repointing again so it may incur 2 costs from the house owner rather than using a reputable pointer to start with.

No reputable repointer would ever advise a client to use this method the only thing it does is save time for the person raking out there and then. It will not help the structure of a building, be cost effective or enhance the appearance which is what reputable repointers and us at Traditional Repointing Contractors aim to achieve.


Due to great intrest we would like to extend our new years special till 01 may 12 ,for all new contracts we will pay to have the scaffold needed erected & dismantled (you just pay hire & carraige of the scaffolding by truck)





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