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Posted by John Grabowski on May 30, 2008, 6:24 am
>
> First a bit of history.
>
> My Chimney has been pointed twice in th e10 years I've owned my house.
> The first time about 9 years ago, the second about 3 years ago.
>
> The first time, it looks like the guy just scraped out about 1/4" of
> mortar and filled it back in. Now that thin layer of new mortar is
> falling out. However, its still hard as a rock.
>
> The second time, just a few spots were patched but the mortar used
> looks like it has turned to sand and is disintegrating. I've been able
> to remove a few bricks where this is happening.
>
> I figure I can do just as good a job as the "professionals" who
> screwed it up before so I'm going to give it a try.
>
> The question I have is what type of mortar is used? I see the home
> centers sell a type N mortar mix and a type O mortar mix. Type N being
> stronger and is used for exterior walls and type O being weaker and is
> sometimes called pointing mortar.
>
> So far I have all the affected joints cleaned out to about 3/4 inch
> depth, and all the old mortar has been cleaned from the few bricks
> that I was able to remove. I ready to put the new mortar and bricks
> back in.
>
> -dickm
The correct way to do pointing is to have the existing mortar tested for its
exact ratio of sand, lime, and cement. You need to take samples from
several sections as the mix may have changed with each batch during the
original construction. Once you know the correct ratio, you mix your own to
the same specifications.
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