WHo lnows about tuck pointing?

[PhineasJWhoopee]

Because this is anandtech, not bricktrovel. Its a tech geared forum, theres a high chance people on here are good DIYers but I doubt anyone here is a master mason.

Besides I know nothing about bricklaying and even I can tell that looks like shit, hell I probably could have done a better job.

I think it's possible to be a mason and also have an interest in computers.

Do you diasagree?

 

[ussfletcher]

Ahem, I have worked for a masonry company for about 5 years during the summer (owned by my father who has been doing it nearly 40 years).. thus I have some experience in saying that tuckpointing will not fix that problem (atleast not from what I see here) I believe you should hire/find an experienced contractor in your area, they will give you a free estimate.

IMO that entire section needs to be taken down and re-laid at best, at worst there are some major structural issues.

If you are looking to just doctor it up, you can go to Lowes or Home Depot and purchase a bag of quikrete mortar (type S should work http://www.lowes.com/pd_10391-286-11...ar$identifier=) mix it according to their directions. You will probably need to purchase a couple pointing tools to accomplish this, you will two tools something slightly smaller in diameter than the bed joint (horizontal) and the head joint (vertical). Basically you just hold something flat up to the brick, put mortar on it and push it in the crack until it is even with the surrounding area. You can let it sit for ~20 minutes, at that point you will rake it by dragging the handle of the pointing tool over the joint to knock off the excess. Let it dry a bit, maybe a few hours and hit the brick with a wet sponge to get rid of the discolored spots.
I recommend that before this, you take the time to scrape/brush out the empty joints to assure proper bonding.

To fix any mortar that has the wrong color: it must be cut out with a 6" grinder with a diamond blade to re-point. To match the existing color you can purchase a mortar color.

Honestly though, most masonry tasks like this are way out of the do-it-yourself league and require a skilled tradesman.

Take any advice here at your own risk.

 

[ussfletcher]

I think it's possible to be a mason and also have an interest in computers.

Do you diasagree?

TBH I have never met a mason that knows how to check their email, let alone be into technology.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

Ahem, I have worked for a masonry company for about 5 years during the summer (owned by my father who has been doing it nearly 40 years).. thus I have some experience in saying that tuckpointing will not fix that problem (atleast not from what I see here) I believe you should hire/find an experienced contractor in your area, they will give you a free estimate.

IMO that entire section needs to be taken down and re-laid at best, at worst there are some major structural issues.

If you are looking to just doctor it up, you can go to Lowes or Home Depot and purchase a bag of quikrete mortar (type S should work http://www.lowes.com/pd_10391-286-11...ar$identifier=) mix it according to their directions. You will probably need to purchase a couple pointing tools to accomplish this, you will two tools something slightly smaller in diameter than the bed joint (horizontal) and the head joint (vertical). Basically you just hold something flat up to the brick, put mortar on it and push it in the crack until it is even with the surrounding area. You can let it sit for ~20 minutes, at that point you will rake it by dragging the handle of the pointing tool over the joint to knock off the excess. Let it dry a bit, maybe a few hours and hit the brick with a wet sponge to get rid of the discolored spots.
I recommend that before this, you take the time to scrape/brush out the empty joints to assure proper bonding.

To fix any mortar that has the wrong color: it must be cut out with a 6" grinder with a diamond blade to re-point. To match the existing color you can purchase a mortar color.

Honestly though, most masonry tasks like this are way out of the do-it-yourself league and require a skilled tradesman.

Take any advice here at your own risk.

My engineer didn't find any structural issues but it's possible that he was wrong.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

My engineer didn't find any structural issues but it's possible that he was wrong.

You can tell that thing is majorly fucked up by just looking at it, whose you're engineer? lol

 

[Sa7aN]

My engineer didn't find any structural issues but it's possible that he was wrong.

well something happened to cause that brick to end up looking like that... go around that side of your house with a level and see if the floors dont match up

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You can tell that thing is majorly fucked up by just looking at it, whose you're engineer? lol

I think he meant the support structure of the house as opposed to the structure of the brick. IMHO you can't separate the 'skin' of the structure from the structure itself. How long will it last with the outer covering compromised? Not to mention, it looks really bad.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

I think he meant the support structure of the house as opposed to the structure of the brick. IMHO you can't separate the 'skin' of the structure from the structure itself. How long will it last with the outer covering compromised? Not to mention, it looks really bad.

It was just done today. Hopefully it will look better when the mortar dries and they clean the brick.

The only thing that concerns me is that they may have damaged the surface of the brick a little when they were removing the old mortar.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

well something happened to cause that brick to end up looking like that... go around that side of your house with a level and see if the floors dont match up

It's a 90 yr old house, so I don't expect that it's perfect.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It was just done today. Hopefully it will look better when the mortar dries and they clean the brick.

The only thing that concerns me is that they may have damaged the surface of the brick a little when they were removing the old mortar.

No amount of brick cleaning is going to help that job. If you haven't paid them in full, get someone else. Stop the work NOW! They are incompetent.

 

[jmagg]

The white on the brick is dust from grinding out the joints. That will clean up. They tried to match the mortar color, it looks darker than the original, but it will lighten up when it cures. As for the sagging condition, you'll need to inspect what is below the problem. Does the wall go to the ground, or are the brick laid on the roof? At any rate, the repair looks fine for what it is, a tuck pointing job. A proper job would require a take down, clean up the existing brick and reinstall, which would be much more expensive than what you had done, and may require engineering. Look for water infiltration around the upper window and seal. Keep an eye on the area for continued sagging, which wouldn't be the fault of the repair, but would require consideration for a rebuild. I'm a 25 yr working mason and these are only my opinions from the picture

 

[Mike Gayner]

I'm no mason but I can tell by looking at those pictures that as the mortar dries and the dust is cleaned up the oddness will be a lot less noticeable. I'm also no engineer, but I would be more inclined to believe your trained engineer who has actually inspected the house than any of these internet engineers who have looked at a single picture.

 

[brainhulk]

delete

 

[lurk3r]

No, localhost is an awesome website, check it out! :awe:

Ack, that porn's horrible, and there's so much of it.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

I'm no mason but I can tell by looking at those pictures that as the mortar dries and the dust is cleaned up the oddness will be a lot less noticeable. I'm also no engineer, but I would be more inclined to believe your trained engineer who has actually inspected the house than any of these internet engineers who have looked at a single picture.

I had it inspected 1 yr ago, and the previous owner in 2005 and I'm sure she had it inspected to.

I cleaned the surrounding brick with a nylon brush and water and it looks much better.

 

[Miramonti]

I've briefly worked as a tuckpointer. You have wait until it dries to make an assessment, which that looks like it hasn't. If it's that color when it's dry, I'd say they used the wrong color mortar or the wrong color die in the mortar. The white can be cleaned off with a stiff brush and some muriatic acid diluted in a bucket of water.

 

[PhineasJWhoopee]

I've briefly worked as a tuckpointer. You have wait until it dries to make an assessment, which that looks like it hasn't. If it's that color when it's dry, I'd say they used the wrong color mortar or the wrong color die in the mortar. The white can be cleaned off with a stiff brush and some muriatic acid diluted in a bucket of water.

Yes, the "white" was just dust from the old mortar. It easily cleaned off. I'm guessing that there's less structural support under the windows, but there's no structural unsoundness to the foundation.