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How to Repoint Bricks in a Wall

It takes only a few tools and some mortar to make an old brick wall look like new.

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Brick hammer Chisel Gloves Hand mister Hawk Mortar Safety goggles Stiff wire brush Trowel Vacuum

Clip Transcript For:

How to Repoint Bricks in a Wall

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Old mortar can deteriorate over time. Here's how to repair a mortar joint quickly. Wearing your safety glasses, work gloves, and work clothes, remove the old mortar using a brick hammer and chisel. Rake back the mortar joints until you either reach solid mortar or the mortar strong, but at least three quarters of an inch to 1 inch so that the new mortar can"

" consistency of peanut butter. Thoroughly wet the openings with clean water. For a small job, a hand mister works quite well for this purpose. Load a flat board or hawk with a batch of mortar and holding the mortar next to the crack, pack it into the joints with a small hand trowel. There is a professional tool called a jointer that's made specifically for this purpose, but for small jobs, the trowel works just fine. When the mortar is fingerprint hard, sculpt the joints to match the surrounding mortar. Masons run a jointer over the joints to shape a slight inward curve into the mortar, but if you don't have a jointer, your gloved finger will work fine for small repair. When you're done, thoroughly wire brush all the loose mortar off the bricks and wipe the face of the bricks clean before the mortar sets. Keep the joints slightly moist while you mortar dries so that the mortar doesn't crack at it sets and your repointing job is complete."

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