How a 6-inch mortar joint difference changed my whole view on repointing

I always thought tight joints looked cleaner, but after seeing a 1920s brick wall in St. Louis that had been repointed with wider joints, the old narrow ones actually let water sit and caused spalling. What made you switch your approach on something you thought was set in stone?

4 comments

4 Comments

ward.jamie1mo ago

let water sit and cause spalling" - yeah, that's the exact thing I ran into on a 1908 row house in Detroit. I always figured tighter is better for the look, but those old narrow joints just trapped moisture against the brick. Switched to a slightly wider joint with a more open mortar mix, and the water drains way better now. No more flaking face on the bricks after a hard freeze.

anna49110d ago

Seems like half our problems come from fighting how water wants to move.

roberts.leo1mo ago

Man, that freeze damage is brutal... glad you got it sorted.

pat_moore1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, that's exactly what changed my mind too. Wider joints make way more sense.