5 October 2026
Mortar joints are designed to be the sacrificial part of a wall: they weather so the bricks don't. Most pointing lasts several decades, but exposure, the wrong mix and poor original workmanship all shorten that. Here are the warning signs we look for on a survey.
1. Recessed joints. If the mortar has eroded back well behind the brick face, rain sits on the ledge and soaks in. 2. Crumbling or sandy mortar. Scratch a joint with a key — if it powders away easily, the binder has failed. 3. Cracks running through the joints, particularly stepped cracks, which can also point to movement worth investigating.
4. Damp patches on inside walls, especially after driving rain. 5. Loose or moving bricks around windows, chimneys and parapets. 6. Plants, moss or lichen growing out of joints, which hold moisture against the wall. 7. Spalling brick faces next to hard cement pointing — a sign the mortar is too strong for the brick.
Chimney stacks and gable ends usually fail first because they take the worst of the weather. You don't always need a whole-house repoint; patch repointing of the worst elevations is often the sensible first step. If you've spotted any of the above, we'll survey and tell you honestly what needs doing.