While you might not think that your home's exterior walls need much work, there are times when you need to do some maintenance or repair jobs. For example, you might have to repoint a brick wall to replace old mortar. 

What are the signs that you need to repoint your home's walls? 

1. You Have Mortar Damage

The mortar between bricks doesn't last forever. As it gets old, it might start to crack, crumble, break, or fall out of place. Look at your brickwork and its mortar. Look for areas where the mortar looks cracked or crumbly. Check for gaps where a piece of mortar might have fallen out of the wall.

If you can see this kind of damage, then you might need to have part or all of a wall repointed. Your masonry contractor can remove failing mortar and replace it to restore the wall's strength and appearance.

2. You Have Loose Bricks

Mortar holds brick walls together. While minor cracking and small gaps shouldn't affect the integrity of a wall, complete mortar failure can weaken it. For example, if you lose all the mortar around a brick, then it loses its holding support. It might start to loosen and move. If you have any loose bricks on a wall, you should have them inspected as soon as you can. They might need to be repointed to put them back into a secure position.

3. You Have White Patches on a Wall

Brick walls are built to be weathertight. If they develop problems, then moisture can get inside the brick and the wall. If this happens, then you might start to see rough white patches on the outside of the wall. These patches are caused by efflorescence. Moisture allows salt deposits to form on the surface. This moisture can be a sign of failing mortar. If water can get between bricks because their mortar is missing or isn't in good shape, then the wall retains moisture and get damp.

If your efflorescence problem is caused by bad mortar, then repointing the area will fix the problem. Your masonry contractor can also check if this is a broader brickwork problem.

4. You Have Internal Damp

If your mortar isn't sound, then water might get far enough into a wall to cause penetrating damp problems. You might have damp patches inside your home around the area where the mortar has failed. The easiest way to fix this problem is to seal the gaps through which water penetrates. Your masonry contractor can remove and replace old mortar to make the wall weatherproof again.

For more advice, contact masonry contractors and ask about their repointing services.

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