Repointing & Brick Pointing
Quick answer
Romans Building Services provides repointing & brick pointing across Sydney, with Minas Romanakis assessing the work and matching the repair method to the building, material and suburb.
- Base
- Strathfield
- Updated
- 2026-05-29
- Established
- 1995
- ABN
- 49 641 892 677
Mortar joints wear out before the bricks do. Water gets into the gaps, the wall starts to move, and the bricks behind the failing mortar slowly cop the weight that the mortar should have been carrying. Repointing replaces the old failed mortar with new, set deep into the joint, matched to the original.
We rake out the old joints by hand to a depth of two to three times the joint width. Power tools are quicker but they cut the brick faces. On heritage brick that just makes the next job worse. After the joints are raked, we pack new mortar in firm and tool it to whatever profile your wall had to start with. Flush, raked, struck, weathered, or tuck pointed.
Minas has been pointing brick across Sydney since 1995. From three-metre garden walls in Strathfield to Federation terraces in Paddington and heritage churches in the inner city. Every job gets the right mortar for the brick it goes against.
What We Cover
Colour matched on site
Mortar mixed in front of you to match what is already on the wall. For heritage we use lime, sand and natural oxides. Sample patches go up before the full job starts so you can see the match.
Joint profile copied
Flush, raked, struck, weathered, tuck pointed. We copy whatever your wall had originally. Wrong profile changes the whole look of the building.
Lasts 40 to 60 years
Properly mixed and properly applied repointing will outlive most of the bricks around it. Cheap repointing fails inside ten years and takes the bricks with it.
Heritage council approved
We work to council heritage scopes regularly. Lime mortar mixes, salvaged sand, era-correct tools. The job gets photographed and documented as we go for the heritage report.
What we use
The materials and methods Minas picks for repointing & brick pointing. Different from one job to the next, but the principles do not change.
Lime mortar for anything pre-1940
Hydraulic lime, sand and water. No cement. Lets the wall breathe so moisture leaves through the joints instead of being trapped against soft handmade brick. Takes longer to cure but matches the original material.
Cement mortar for post-1940 brick
Type N or Type S depending on whether it is structural or weather-facing. Modern brick is harder fired and can take a harder mortar without spalling.
Sand sourced to match colour
We sample sand from yards in Marrickville, Castle Hill and the Hawkesbury depending on the colour we need. Heritage jobs sometimes need river sand instead of crushed.
Hand tools for raking out
Plugging chisels, joint rakers, finger trowels. Power tools save time but they cut into the brick face. On a wall built before the 1950s, that is permanent damage.
Sample patches before the full job
We put up two or three test patches in different mixes, let them cure for a few days, and have you confirm the colour and texture before we point the whole wall.
Hessian or plastic for curing
Lime mortar needs slow curing or it cracks. Hessian sheets sprayed with water in summer. Plastic in winter. Not optional.
What happens on the job
What you will actually see if you are home while we work.
- 1
We look at the wall and quote
On-site visit. We poke at the existing mortar, look at the brick condition, work out which mortar profile you have and whether the wall has been repointed badly in the past. Quote comes within a few days, itemised.
- 2
Sample patches go up
Before the full job, we put up two or three small test patches in different mortar mixes and colours. Cure for two to three days, then you pick the one that matches best.
- 3
Old mortar gets raked out
Hand tools, joint by joint, raked back to two or three times the joint width. Slow work. A skilled pointer can do five to ten square metres a day on heritage brick. We sheet up the ground and work top to bottom.
- 4
New mortar gets packed in
Mixed on site in small batches because lime mortar starts curing as soon as it is mixed. Packed firm into the joints with finger trowels. No gaps, no air pockets.
- 5
Joints get tooled to profile
Once the mortar is leather-hard, we tool each joint to the profile your wall had originally. This is what controls how the finished wall looks more than the colour does.
- 6
Site cleaned, wall cured
Brick faces brushed clean. Sheeting taken away. For lime work the wall gets hessian sheets sprayed with water for the first week so the mortar cures slowly. We come back at one week to check it.
Common Questions
How do I know if my wall needs repointing?
Look for crumbling or missing mortar between bricks. If you can poke a key into the joints and mortar falls out, it is time. Water stains on interior walls, salt deposits on the outside, or bricks starting to come loose are all signs the mortar has failed.
What is the difference between repointing and tuck pointing?
Repointing is the general term for replacing mortar joints. Tuck pointing is a specific Victorian-era decorative style where a thin line of contrasting white lime is applied over the mortar to make the joints look fine and uniform. We do both. Tuck pointing is much slower and costs more.
Do you use cement or lime mortar?
Depends on the wall. Anything built before the 1940s gets lime mortar because the brick is soft and needs to breathe. Modern brick walls built since the 1950s usually get a cement mortar. Using the wrong one is one of the biggest mistakes in masonry repair. Cement mortar against soft heritage brick traps moisture and the bricks start blowing out in ten to fifteen years.
How long does a repointing job take?
A small garden wall is one to two days. A full Federation terrace facade is one to two weeks. A heritage church or commercial building can be six to twelve weeks. Lime work is slower than cement because the mortar cures slowly.
What does repointing cost?
Cement repointing on modern brick is usually around 100 to 180 dollars per square metre. Lime mortar on heritage brick runs 180 to 350 dollars per square metre depending on profile and access. Tuck pointing is more. Fixed quote after a site visit so you know exactly where you stand.
How long will the repointing last?
Done properly, 40 to 60 years for lime mortar and 30 to 50 years for cement mortar. The thing that kills repointing early is the wrong mortar mix, joints not raked deep enough, or curing rushed in hot weather. We do not rush any of those.
Need a quote?
Call Minas directly or fill in the form. We will get back to you within 24 hours.
We provide repointing & brick pointing services across Sydney metro suburbs