Giving New Life to 114-year-old Joints

October 7, 2011

Cleaning the joints prior to repointing.

Removing dirt and crumbling mortar from the joints is a slow and painstaking process. But as in so many aspects of historic preservation, it’s a critical step before “repointing” can begin.

Repointing is the process in which the original mortar in the joints is replaced with new mortar. The result is a building that looks much better and is also better protected against damage caused by adverse weather. When old mortar cracks and crumbles, it allows more and more water to penetrate the joint. This can cause frost damage as well as chemical deterioration of the surrounding stone.

In the first stage of the repointing process, the old mortar is removed to a depth of about twice the width of the joint. This helps ensure a good bond. Hand tools, such as hand chisels and mash hammers, are most often used for this work to prevent damage to masonry – especially soft stone such as the beautiful sandstone in the Avery Building.

As in this photo, craftsmen follow the hand work with a water jet to clean out all the remaining particles of dirt and dust. Water will be applied again, just before repointing, to dampen the sandstone joints.

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