How much does repointing cost? What you can expect to pay

If you're renovating a house, getting a repointing cost for your brick or stonework may well be included on your list of jobs - particularly if it's a large job that needs tackling by the professionals.

Although pointing isn't what holds the bricks or stones fully in place and instead refers to the mortar that sits in between the joints of your bricks or stonework, it's essential for filling the open joint created during the process of laying.

While filling the joint naturally connects the sides of each brick or stone to the next one, it's most practical purpose is to prevent water ingress.

But, just what's involved in repointing and how much can you expect to pay?

Brick vs stone will result in a different repointing cost 

As well as protecting your home against problems such as damp, repointing brickwork or stonework can invigorate the external appearance of your home leaving it with a fresh, updated finish.

And although there are a number of variables involved in determining your repointing cost, one of the biggest factors is whether your building is constructed from bricks or stone.

Bricks are more likely to be of a uniform size and laid in a more regular pattern, thereby in theory making most types of brick easier to repoint. Stone on the other hand is often more organic in shape, leading to different size joints and an irregular surface to work on. 

Cement mortar vs lime mortar

There are two main types of mortar mix used for repointing. Cement based mortar and lime mortar. Which product you choose will be influenced by the age of your building. Phil Brown, managing director of Cornish Lime explains why.

"In the UK, traditional masonry buildings constructed prior to 1920 with stone, brick, or cob were often built with lime mortar. Unlike cavity wall construction, which features an outer layer and air gap designed to keep out moisture, solid-walled buildings require breathable materials to manage the moisture in the building fabric. 

"This concept is often simplified to 'letting the walls breathe'," says Phil. "By using lime mortar to allow the moisture to move in and out, it can help prevent common issues such as damp, mould, or decay, which arise when walls become saturated by trapped moisture."

Differences in cost

When it comes to the differences in cost, both types of mortar can be mixed by hand or purchased pre-made. Mixing by hand for both options will be the more cost-effective choice, but comes at a risk.

"The most traditional approach to purchasing lime mortar," says Phil, "is determining the lime and sand required for your project and mixing it onsite. This method is more budget-friendly and gives you the most control over the lime and sand used. 

"However, this also means that the performance, workability, and consistency of mortar will depend on the chosen materials and your skill in mixing them. The alternative, albeit less traditional, would be to use premixed mortar specifically engineered for pointing and designed to help reduce inconsistencies in performance and colour variation."

If you choose to mix by hand, advice on the B&Q website suggests using a bucket, rather than shovel as your measuring tool in order to ensure consistency in colour. Their top tip?

"Draw a line on the inside of a bucket with a felt-tip marker indicating one unit of the mix. Shovel the ingredients in turn into the bucket, making sure each measure is level with the line."

To estimate how much lime mortar you might need, there's a handy calculator available on the Conserv website.

Should you chose to mix by and, costs for individual elements will also be priced by weight, with lime, sand and white cement all available from £0.45p per kg.

Phil Brown

Phil Brown is the founder and Managing Director of Cornish Lime, with over 40 years of experience within the construction industry and the manufacture and use of lime-based materials.

Raking out

Whether you're repointing cost relates to bricks or stone, the first stage of the process will be raking out the joints to remove any residual damaged mortar. This can be carried out in one of two ways - by hand using a chisel and hammer, or other appropriate tools. 

Undertaking this by hand is naturally a more time intensive task but is likely to be the only option if you are repointing an older or listed building as extra care will need to be taken to prevent further damage.

In new homes, using power tools such the best angle grinder may be an option. This can also assist in making sure the joint is raked out to a uniform depth. Once the process is complete, the joints will then need to be brushed out to ensure all debris is removed prior to repointing.

However, if you are renovating a building where cement mortar was previously used and you want to replace this with lime mortar, Phil Brown recommends taking extra care.

"Typically, we suggest removing any previously used cement mortars and avoiding the addition of cement into the lime mortar you intend to point with," says Phil.

"Cement mortars are hard and impervious, which means moisture, which is inevitably within the building fabric, will either stay trapped or try to force its way out. 

"Without a permeable mortar within the joint, the water will move through the softer stone or brick, accelerating masonry decay," he warns. "For moisture that stays trapped, the walls can become saturated and cause further damp and decay."

"For raking out, it’s likely that you’ll pay between £25 and £45 per hour in labour costs, depending on where you live," says Thomas Goodman, property and construction expert at MyJobQuote.

Thomas Goodman

Thomas Goodman has worked as a property and construction expert for MyJobQuote for six years and has worked in the construction industry for over twenty years. Thomas continues to work on building projects, while also providing expert construction and property advice to industry professionals and DIY enthusiasts.

Labour costs

Regardless of mortar choice, "the most significant element that will define the budget and amount of material required," says Phil, "will be the size of the area and the joint width that needs repointing."

Nonetheless, with brickwork in general having a more uniform structure, labour costs for repointing tend to be lower than stonework. 

Extra delays can also happen with stonework, "because there can be deeper recesses which typically need filling with bits of stone as well as mortar," explains Thomas Goodman. "In terms of curing times, cement mortar is quickest at around 28 days while lime mortar can take around 90 days."

It's something I have first hand knowledge of having employed stonemasons to repoint a listed building. The original lime mortar had also been patched up with cement mortar prior to the building being listed meaning we had to remove the cement and then replace it with lime mortar. The whole process took around 10 months to complete.

Costs for repointing

"You can expect to pay between £20 and £50 per square metre for repointing your brickwork or stonework with cement mortar," says Thomas Goodman. "Repointing with lime mortar tends to cost between £60 and £80 per square metre but for trickier stonework that requires a specialist builder, you might pay nearer £100 per square metre."

Checkatrade also suggests the following labour costs for repointing, including clean up:

Other costs

As well as the labour and materials needed to repoint your home, there are other considerations to bear in mind.

Scaffolding

According to Mybuilder.com, costs can range from £500 for scaffolding to access your chimney to £2,500 for a full house wrap. However, you may find your local scaffolding company charge a day or week rate or one based on meterage. 

Either way, it's also important to establish if you will need any permits from your local council to erect the scaffolding as these will also need to be included in your final costs.

Hessian wrap or polythene

If you are using lime mortar for repointing, you may also need to cover it with hessian or polythene while it dries.

During the winter you can apply dry hessian, while in the summer you may need to spray it with water prior to applying it. This will help prevent the mortar from drying out too quickly. Polythene should only be applied in the winter to prevent frost cracking.

Allow £46.80 incl vat per 146m roll of hessian wrap. 

FAQs

Who should I hire to do the work?

"When you’re getting any brickwork repointed, you really want to hire someone with a recognised qualification in bricklaying, such as the Level 3 Advanced Technical Diploma in Bricklaying," says Thomas Goodman. 

"That way you know they have the right skills to do the job properly. This doesn’t mean you need a bricklayer specifically, as a general builder is also likely to have similar skills and qualifications. 

"A stonemason is usually the preferred option for repointing stone walls," says Thomas, "however a builder with the right skills and experience should also be able to do it. In areas where houses are traditionally made of stone, it’s more likely that local builders will know how to do this type of repointing, but do always check first."

How can I save money?

"For repointing walls near the ground, you could save money by doing the prep work yourself and rake out the loose mortar," suggests Thomas Goodman.

"Your builder or stonemason may be able to arrange the scaffolding, but it might be worth getting separate quotes for this and see if it’s cheaper for you to organise yourself.

"As for quotes, it’s a good idea to get at least three or four," recommends Thomas, "so you can be sure you’re getting the best deal."

Although the overall expense may mount up and have an impact on your budget' bottom line, it's still a job that's worth doing well first time to avoid a repeat performance says Phil Brown.

"While cutting corners on your budget might be tempting, investing in quality materials that are sympathetic to the existing building fabric is the smart way to avoid time-consuming, expensive or difficult repairs later down the line." 

"Repointing with appropriate materials the first time is far more cost-efficient than digging out inappropriate materials later," says Phil, "or, even worse, replacing damaged stone or brick."

If you are considering undertaking the work yourself, you can find expert advice in our guide to repointing a chimney Or if the problem is simply one that's at ground level, find out all you need to know for pointing patios.