We all know the beauty of brick stairs and that is why repointing brick steps is necessary when our steps begin to fall apart. Very few architectural styles can compare to brick stairs. They have been a staple in different parts of the world for a lot of years, especially those places that are prone to very cold weather.
Just like other parts of your home, brick stairs need regular maintenance and proper care. If you don’t give them regular maintenance, they will start looking unkempt or mossy. Check if the mortar is damaged and whether your steps need repairs. Keep reading to know a few things about repointing your steps.
Can you repoint yourself?
You may be wondering whether you can repoint your steps by yourself. The simple answer is yes, you can do it yourself. But hiring a professional will ensure no mistakes are made. It also depends on whether there is anything technical about your project. You will need to ensure you choose the right mortar for the work. If the project is complex, you better hire a professional. This will save you a lot of time and money.
How to repoint
If you decide to do it yourself, you can do it with a few important tools. You will need a hammer, water, a screwdriver or narrow chisel, lime mortar, wired brushes, a trowel or mortarboard and sand.
You’ll need to spray the bricks with water and a chisel and hammer to remove the old mortar before repointing your brick steps. After beating at the old mortar fillings, you will need to use a wired brush to dust the remains out of crevices. You will need lime mortar to serve as a new filling material that you just apply using the trowel and mortarboard.
After getting everything in order, you can start the repointing process. Start by lightly spraying the steps. The main aim of spraying is to dampen the surface. Now that the wall is damp enough, you will need to take a chisel and a hammer and attempt to remove your old mortar from the bricks.
After removing the damaged or old mortar from between the bricks, you can proceed to use your wired brushes, in turn, to get rid of the leftover debris. You need to ensure you’ve removed the remnants so that you create a clean slate to work with.
After tidying up, it is now time to apply new mortar into the gaps.
Begin at the bottom and build upwards. After you’ve filled it, you should now switch over to the top and start filling in from there. You’ll need a trowel, mortarboard, and lime mortar mix for this work.
Do not worry about the neatness when repointing brick steps but avoid spilling your new mortar over the bricks. You should get enough mortar into the emptied sections. Watch out for air bubbles and get the mixture into all the holes that need filling.
