Today we’re looking at a particular wall where we have been called to do small limited repairs before. The wall happens to be very large and an institutional or commercial type of property. The wall is so large that it’s difficult to implement full scale restoration all at once without breaking the work into stages.
At a particular section of the property, the wall has been partially repointed, many years ago, by someone who did the work incorrectly and improperly in an attempt to save a few dollars. Historic brick restoration and pointing or repointing requires removal of the mortar at the outer face of the wall to a depth of 3/4 of an inch to 1 and 1/4 of an inch. In this case the previous contractor just smeared mortar on top of the old mortar where the old mortar had been slightly recessed through natural deterioration.
Here in picture below, you can see the mortar that was applied in a low quality type of restoration work has delaminated from the substrate and is loose and falling out. This mortar isn’t original, the original mortar still remains behind this applied small amount of new mortar at the outer edge. Even though that mortar is old today, it was actually repointed in more recent years, way after the original construction of the historic wall.
The process of removing mortar properly is called raking. Raking of the joint is required because you have to get back into the joint of the wall to a depth which can both bond to the substrate mortar, where it remains in decent condition and can also bond sufficiently to the sides of the brick.
In the next picture below, we have zoomed in pretty closely to a chunk of mortar that was delaminated and loose inside of the mortar joint. This particular chunk of mortar was applied in more recent years and you can see that the total thickness of this piece of mortar is only about 3/8 of an inch.
Here, at another angle, you can see a portion of scam pointed mortar in place where it was thinly smeared on in the joint area between the historic bricks right on top of the face of the old mortar. The newer mortar is still largely intact but you can see a shadow between the underside or rear side of that newer mortar where it is delaminating from the substrate older or original mortar. Of all the pictures in today’s article, this particular picture below might be the one that shows the mortar joint and the problem the best, here you can clearly see the difference and the overlay between the original mortar and the improperly applied mortar.
We will often refer to this type of improper repointing as scam pointing because here in DC, the rare and few contractors you are properly trained in historic masonry restoration and who really appreciate the historic fabric of these DC buildings, have gotten so frustrated with finding other contractors cutting corners to save money at the expense of the client’s property and the expense of future building owners, they have begun to call this questionable practice “scam-pointing”.
The name makes sense because some cheap developers or real estate flippers or speculators are doing this to save money and then resell the property under the guise of having properly repointed the facade at the exterior of the building. Here you can see another example of the same wall where it was repointed without proper raking and the restoration work only included the application of a thin smeared on layer of mortar instead of a proper raking of the mortar joint. The particular step of raking out the joint is extremely tedious and it would save a ton of time to do it improperly as it was done here, but it’s just not right and it will not hold up over time.
Our company, Dupont Tuckpointing and Masonry, specializes in masonry restoration, historic brick repointing, and tuckpointing services in the Washington D.C. area. These buildings are uniquely historic, and their preservation requires skilled masons who are technically trained in the best practices and knowledge of proper restoration techniques.
We understand the significance of maintaining the architectural integrity of these historic structures, and our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to delivering exceptional craftsmanship. Whether you require masonry restoration, tuckpointing, or brick repointing services, we are here to help.
At Dupont Tuckpointing and Masonry, we take pride in our work and strive to ensure that every project is executed with the utmost care and attention to detail. We are committed to preserving the rich heritage of Washington D.C.’s built environment for generations to come.
If you have any questions or needs regarding masonry restoration, historic brick repointing, or tuckpointing services, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be delighted to assist you and provide you with the expertise and quality workmanship that your historic property deserves.
You can reach us by telephone at (202) 796-7644 and you can reach us by email from the contact form on our website at https://duponttuckpointingmasonrydc.com/contact-us/.
