We carry out brickwork and repointing across London: raking out and repointing failed joints, replacing spalled bricks, stitching cracks, renewing airbricks and rebuilding parapets and chimneys. We match London stock brick and use lime mortar on period properties, so repairs read as original fabric rather than patches.
Written Guarantee: 10 Years
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Average Timeline Range: 2 days - 3 weeks
Repointing Done to Last a Generation
Repointing is the most commonly botched trade in London. Joints raked too shallow, the wrong mortar, a smeared finish and a buttered-on cement skim are the usual signs — and they trap water rather than shed it, accelerating the decay they were meant to stop. Pointing is the brickwork’s rain coat: get it wrong and damp follows within a season.
We rake out failed joints to a proper depth, typically twice their width, by hand or with controlled tools that do not chew the brick arrises. Joints are flushed clean, dampened, and filled in lifts with mortar mixed to match the original in colour, texture and strength. The finish — weatherstruck, bucket-handle or flush — is matched to the elevation rather than imposed on it.
We work on Victorian and Georgian terraces, mansion blocks and ex-local authority stock across Central London, and we are honest about whether a wall needs full repointing or only localised repair.
Lime Mortar for Period and Listed Buildings
Most of London’s older housing was built with soft bricks and lime mortar, designed to let moisture move through the joint and evaporate. Repointing such a wall in hard modern cement is actively damaging: the cement is stronger than the brick, so moisture is forced through the brick faces instead, which then spall and crumble. The damage often shows up as eroded brick fronts beside immaculate cement joints.
We specify lime mortar — typically a natural hydraulic lime — for period and listed brickwork, matched in mix and finish to what survives. On listed buildings and within conservation areas we prepare the mortar specification and sample panels that consents and surveyors require, and we sequence works around approval timescales.
Getting the mortar right is not nostalgia: it is the difference between a wall that breathes for another century and one that needs the bricks themselves replaced in twenty years.
Brick Replacement, Crack Stitching and Structural Repairs
Beyond pointing, we handle the brickwork repairs London’s ageing stock routinely needs. Spalled, frost-damaged and previously over-cleaned bricks are cut out and replaced with reclaimed or matched London stock bricks, bonded in so the repair disappears. Stepped or diagonal cracking — often from foundation movement, lintel failure or thermal expansion — is repaired with helical crack-stitching bars bedded into raked joints, restoring tensile strength without rebuilding the wall.
We also renew blocked or missing airbricks to keep subfloor voids ventilated and dry, rebuild leaning or cracked parapets and chimney stacks, repair and replace failed lintels, and re-bed copings and cills. Where movement is active we advise honestly on whether monitoring or structural engineer involvement is needed before cosmetic repair — patching a live crack only hides it until it returns.
Standards & Compliance
Every project is delivered to current British Standards and Building Regulations, with works documented for building control and HMO licensing sign-off — backed by fixed written quotes and a written guarantee.
BRITISH STANDARDS · BUILDING REGS COMPLIANT · FD30/FD60 FIRE DOORSETS · BS 5839-6 ALARMS · WRITTEN GUARANTEE
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much does repointing cost per square metre in London?
Repointing typically costs £40–£90 per square metre depending on access, the condition of the joints and whether lime or cement mortar is specified — lime work and scaffolded elevations sit at the upper end. Small localised repairs are priced per job. We quote fixed prices after inspecting the wall, never by guessing from a photo.
Should my Victorian house be repointed in lime or cement mortar?
Almost always lime. Period London brickwork was built with soft bricks and lime mortar designed to breathe; repointing in hard cement forces moisture through the brick faces, causing them to spall and crumble. We match a natural hydraulic lime mortar to the original mix and finish, which is also what conservation areas and listed building consents require.
Can you match the existing brick and mortar colour?
Yes — matching is the whole point of a good repair. We source reclaimed or matched London stock bricks for replacements and mix mortar to the original colour, sand and texture, finishing the joint profile to suit the elevation. On larger jobs we produce a sample panel for you to approve before committing to the full wall.
Do cracks in brickwork mean subsidence?
Not always — much cracking is thermal movement, lintel failure or old, brittle pointing rather than subsidence. We assess the pattern and width, and where movement looks active we recommend monitoring or a structural engineer before any repair. Stable cracks are repaired with helical stitching bars; we never cosmetically fill a live crack just to hide it.
Our Written Guarantee
We provide a fully comprehensive, written 10-Year guarantee covering all structural reinstatement, moisture boundaries, and finish coatings.
100% Insurance Protected
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