Repointing in Newcastle
Rain is the main enemy of older brick walls in the North East. When the mortar joints fail, water enters through the outer face and reaches the inside of the building. Newcastle Barrier Damp Proofing provides repointing services across Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and County Durham.
The survey is free. If your pointing has failed and repointing is the correct fix, you get a written report with photos and a fixed-price quote. If the damp has a different cause, we say so instead. You pay nothing if no work is needed.
Book your free survey and we aim to call you back the same day.
How Failed Pointing Lets Rain Through Your Walls
Brick walls rely on mortar joints for weather resistance. In older Newcastle terraces and across Tyne & Wear, most properties have solid walls. There is no cavity to interrupt water travelling inward.
Signs to look for
Rain driven into open mortar joints passes straight through to the internal plaster. Damp patches on an internal wall after heavy rain are one sign. Tide marks that dry out in warm weather and staining on plasterwork near window reveals are others.
Penetrating damp from pointing failure
These patterns all point to penetrating damp from failed mortar joints. Many homeowners assume they need an injection damp-proof course. Repointing the external wall would solve the problem at a fraction of the cost.
Correct diagnosis first
An injection DPC addresses rising damp, not water travelling horizontally through masonry. We identify the correct cause before recommending any treatment.
The Financial Case for Acting Early
Mortar deteriorates gradually.
First stage: surface erosion
The first stage is surface erosion, where the joint face has worn back but mortar at depth is still intact. This stage is straightforward and relatively inexpensive to address.
Open joints spread damage
Leave it longer and the joint becomes open all the way through. Water enters the wall freely with every rain event.
Saturated masonry causes internal plaster to fail. Timber lintels above windows absorb moisture and begin to decay. Frost action in waterlogged joints cracks the brick faces themselves.
Early action saves costs
What started as routine maintenance becomes a much larger and more costly repair.
Get your free damp survey
A clear written report and honest advice, with no sales pressure.
What Repointing Involves
Repointing means cutting out the failed mortar to a minimum depth of around 15 to 20 millimetres and replacing it with fresh mortar.
Correct depth
The depth matters. Shallow repointing leaves the new mortar sitting on a degraded surface and fails within a few years.
Right mortar for older walls
The mortar mix matters even more on older properties. Newcastle and the wider North East have a large stock of brick buildings built with lime mortar. Using a hard cement mix on a lime-built wall traps moisture inside the masonry.
Cement is also harder than the brick itself. Over time it causes the brick faces to crack and spall. Our surveyor identifies the existing mortar type and the condition of the brick faces before choosing a mix.
Methodical execution
Raking out old mortar, cleaning the joints and pressing in new mortar correctly takes time. Rushed work or shallow raking-out are the two most common reasons a repointing job fails prematurely.
You receive a fixed-price quotation before any work begins. Our damp proofing service covers situations where repointing alone is not sufficient. A single survey can assess both the pointing and the wider damp picture.
Not sure what is causing your damp?
Book your free damp survey. We aim to call you back the same day.
Chimney Repointing
Chimney stacks sit at the most exposed point of the building. They face the full force of North East weather without the shelter that surrounding structures provide to walls lower down.
Signs of chimney damp
Failed chimney pointing is one of the most common causes of damp on chimney breast walls inside the house. The signs are tide marks on the chimney breast and peeling wallpaper in the corner of a bedroom. Damp patches appear after prolonged rain.
Flashings vs pointing
Flashings where the chimney meets the roof slope are a separate issue. Flashing failure and pointing failure produce different damp patterns internally. Our survey separates the two and confirms the correct repair.
Access and fixed costs
Chimney repointing requires scaffolding or a working tower at most properties. Access costs are included in the fixed-price quotation at survey stage.
Newcastle Barrier Damp Proofing surveys for pointing failure and penetrating damp across Newcastle upon Tyne and the wider North East. We identify the moisture source before recommending any treatment. Book your free survey and we aim to call you back the same day.
Repointing FAQs
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