Repointing with Lime - can I leave joints exposed for several months?

[lookseehear]

We need to repoint our house (detached 5 bed, so not a small job) and I'm wondering about taking this on as a longer term DIY job. Ideally I'd go around removing all the old cementitious pointing first, then start the repointing with lime, but I'm not sure how much of a problem it would be if the joints were exposed in the meantime vs doing a small section, removing old pointing and repointing. I imagine that if anything it would allow the walls to remain dryer, but with some potential frosts to come before it gets warm, will leaving the joints exposed cause any damage?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DampedOut]

I can't point you to any links, but I feel like I read in the past that it's actually better to do the lower bit first if you have to work in stages. That way water that collects at the bottom can get out more easily.

I mean, wait for an expert to show up here, for sure! But I'd work in physically and psychologically manageable sections starting from the bottom.

As for the joints being exposed, I think it would depend on the weather hitting the wall. There's one wall here that basically gets hit with a hose 6 days a week. The other walls would probably be fine.

Are you living in the house? It's bound to get colder with the draughts you'll create.

 

[Stonehouse]

I can't point you to any links, but I feel like I read in the past that it's actually better to do the lower bit first if you have to work in stages. That way water that collects at the bottom can get out more easily.

I mean, wait for an expert to show up here, for sure! But I'd work in physically and psychologically manageable sections starting from the bottom.

As for the joints being exposed, I think it would depend on the weather hitting the wall. There's one wall here that basically gets hit with a hose 6 days a week. The other walls would probably be fine.

Are you living in the house? It's bound to get colder with the draughts you'll create.

Hi, have you had any issues with water coming inside from external lime pointing due to the volume of rain we’re getting?

 

[DampedOut]

Hi, have you had any issues with water coming inside from external lime pointing due to the volume of rain we’re getting?

Hi

We've had water coming in, but pretty sure it's not the pointing.

The water's coming in around the windows, which are plastic and are flush with the facade of the building on that side. We had a cement render removed two summers ago and it left the windows sitting flush, and not recessed like they should be. So water is coming in around the frames. Not fun but survivable for now.

 

[housewinnie]

If it were me I would wait until the spring and take out and repoint small sections at a time. It’s not a hard hard job just laborious.

 

[overlander matt]

We've been pointing our house and garden walls in a similar manner - section by section. I've not had any problem in leaving a section unpointed for a while but I have tended to remove the old pointing and replace/repair brickwork then point as I go. A couple of sections have been left for a long time... 3 years and no water ingress just a constant reminder to get on with it next summer!

 

[paulc]

If it were me I would wait until the spring and take out and repoint small sections at a time. It’s not a hard hard job just laborious.

And for heaven's sake, don't use an angle grinder with a diamond disk or carbide rake. Well, a thin diamond disk might be needed to get through a tough bit of cement if used very carefully.. A carbide blade in a multitool would be a safer option.

 

[SamB]

It partly depends on the depth of the repointing: if you are having to go deep due to failed mortar then you must repoint as you go to avoid structurally weakening the wall. Personally I'd do it in small sections anyway pointing one section and then cleaning out the next days section one day at a time. The section you are going to be pointing will need damping down anyway so chiselling/raking out then hosing out dust one day leaves it ready to point the next.

 

[Lacan07]

As people have already said you do it in sections, use a plugging chisel to remove the old mortar and fill it flush, no ledges. Warning, it will look quite a bit different to any of the original joints that will have likely receded over the years.

Use a putty based mortar if you can or an NHL 2. The season starts in Spring and finishes about October. Avoid the heat of peak summer.

 

[aockenden]

After knocking all the external cement render off our stone cottage in Feb 2022, the stonework sat exposed and unpointed (with deep gaps even devoid of any remaining original clay bedding-mortar) for 6 -18 months depending on the section of the house before getting repointed in NHL.

We lived in the house throughout that period and had to endure a couple very unpleasant, drafty winters, but the walls remained structurally stable and dried out beautifully from all the airflow. We are in an exposed location and got plenty of driving rain during that period as well but didn’t get any major penetrating damp through to the inside thanks I believe to the thickness of the walls themselves.