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Lic no. 377755c
Home Owners Warranty Insurance Builder Lic no. 377755c
Lic no. 377755c
Tuck pointing is a brickwork restoration process using a coloured mortar with straight, raised lines of a contrasting colour (usually white) laid evenly over the top.
In Sydney, tuckpointing is popular in many areas including the North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and Inner West, especially amongst owners of Federation homes.
However, it’s also a term that is used interchangeably with regular brick repointing and many people think they’re the same thing. In fact, many of our tuckpointing enquiries are from people that actually just want repointing. So… what is the difference between tuck pointing and repointing?
Tuck pointing was originally designed to make the uneven brickwork caused by the less-than perfect bricks of yesteryear look more uniform. By using a mortar the same colour as the brick then applying a raised line of white or off-white, the appearance of perfect brickwork can be created.
It’s a distinctive look that many people love, but some people find that it looks too ‘new’, or a little ‘too perfect’, almost like those fake brick veneer panels that were popular in the 1970’s.
The tuckpointing process involves removing the old mortar to a depth of around 20mm, washing down all joints then replacing the mortar with one similar in colour to the brickwork itself. Finally, the thin raised white line is added.
Similar to tuck pointing, repointing involves removing the old mortar and washing down all the joints, but then replacing the old mortar with new mortar of an off-white colour for a clean finish that retains the heritage look without the ‘too-new’ look that tuck pointing can sometimes create.
It comes down to personal taste. If your home is tuck pointed and you want to keep it that way, then tuckpointing is the way to go. However, for most home owners and strata managers, regular brick pointing is usually the best option.
Because of the two-step nature of the tuck pointing process, it takes longer and requires specialised tools, so tuck pointing costs more than brick repointing.
Every tuck pointing job will require a different level of restoration work so for an accurate quote please contact us using the form below or call Billy on 0405 300 506.
