Edinburgh · Midlothian · The Lothians
Repointing in Edinburgh & the Lothians
Crumbling joints raked out and repointed in the right mortar, so walls and paving keep the weather out again.
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Our repointing in Edinburgh covers garden walls, boundary walls, patios and paths – raking out failed joints and repointing with a suitable mortar so the work looks neat and keeps water out.
Mortar is meant to be the weak point. It takes the movement and weathering so the bricks and stones don't have to. But after decades of rain and frost it crumbles, falls out and lets water into the wall, which speeds up damage. Repointing at the right time saves a wall from needing a rebuild.
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Repointing in Edinburgh for brick, stone and paving
Garden and boundary walls
Walls lose pointing fastest at the top, where rain hits first, and at the bottom, where they stay wet. We rake out loose and failed mortar to a proper depth, clean the joints and repoint, finishing the joint to match the original style.
Patios and paths
Patio and path joints crack and wash out over time, letting weeds in and water under the slabs. We rake out, clean and refill with mortar or a modern jointing compound. Customers have reviewed us for exactly this: repointing a patio and path in EH12.
Copings and caps
Loose copings let water straight down into a wall. We re-bed them on fresh mortar and repoint around them.
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Matching mortar to the wall
Using the wrong mortar is the most common repointing mistake.
A hard cement mortar on an old wall built with softer mortar traps moisture in the bricks or stone. Instead of the joint wearing away, the face of the brick or stone breaks off. So we match the mortar to the wall: its strength, colour and texture.
Edinburgh has a lot of older stone and brick work, much of it originally built with lime mortar. For those walls, a lime-based mortar is usually the right choice.
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How we repoint
- 1
Inspect
Check the joints, the bricks or stones and the reason the pointing failed, such as a missing coping or water running down the face.
- 2
Rake out
Remove loose and failed mortar to a consistent depth, without damaging the edges of the bricks or stones.
- 3
Clean and wet
Brush out dust and dampen the joints so the new mortar bonds and doesn't dry too fast.
- 4
Repoint
Pack the joints firmly and finish them to match the existing style, such as flush, bucket-handle or weathered.
- 5
Tidy
Brush off and clean the face once the mortar has firmed up.
We don't repoint in frost or driving rain, and in hot or windy weather we protect fresh joints so they cure properly.
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When repointing isn't enough
If a wall is leaning, cracked through or its bricks are crumbling, repointing alone won't fix it. We'll tell you if the problem is the foundation or the structure and quote for a repair instead. See garden wall repairs.
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Where we repoint
Across Edinburgh and the Lothians, from old sandstone boundary walls in Morningside and Leith to brick garden walls and patios across the city's suburbs.
Repointing FAQs
How do I know if my wall needs repointing?
If you can scrape mortar out with a key, if joints are recessed more than a few millimetres, or if plants are growing out of the wall, it's time.
Can you match the colour of my existing mortar?
Yes. We adjust sand and mix to get as close as possible. New pointing always looks a little fresher at first and tones down with weathering.
Do you repoint house walls?
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Get a quote for repointing
Send a close-up photo of the joints and a wider shot of the wall or patio. Call or text 07426 792387 or request a free quote.
Free quotes
Get a free, no-obligation quote
Call or text 07426 792387, or send photos through the quote form.