Weeping Mortar removal (Tool help)

[TN-BadHandyman]

It's certainly worth a shot, maybe try a cheap one from Horrible Fright & see how it does.

As for the SDS option: You can buy a 1/2in SDS chisel... but I have no idea how many you'd wear out on this project (altho you'd also be going through quite a few sets of needle scales with a scaler)..
However, I'd probably get a 3lb lump/club hammer & a 4in wide bolster (also known as brick chisels) & go at it by hand by hitting down/upwards instead of following the mortar line.

You might be onto something with the needle scaler. This video is terrible quality and he obviously isn't trying to get into the mortar, but it appears to be taking some mortar...? Or are my eyes just seeing what they want to lol. If it is getting into the mortar, I'd obviously have to take the large chunks off first and then used the needle scraper to get all the rest.

 

[ZRX61]

Looking at your original pic, it looks to me like the mortar is foamy/sandy, try snapping a piece off by hand.

Are the HOA ok with the brick being painted?.. because if they aren't, you're going to be cutting back the mortar so you can do the pointing for weather protection.

 

[The Cobbler]

...., it is lazy, sloppy work by the original mason. Or, maybe it was done by an amateur mason who just wanted the brick done ASAP.

......

I disagree with you. it's actually more difficult to get that look and keep the mortar with an even squeeze out . it was a style in the 70's .

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Looking at your original pic, it looks to me like the mortar is foamy/sandy, try snapping a piece off by hand.

Are the HOA ok with the brick being painted?.. because if they aren't, you're going to be cutting back the mortar so you can do the pointing for weather protection.

Yeah it takes a bit of work but it comes off by hand, the large chunks anyways.

Yes, HOA allows the brick can be painted. If I get the mortar flush, or slightly concaved, then painted, I'd assume it would be protected from the weather...?

 

[Walkers]

I did a wall about 125’ x 6’ with a brick set (2-1/2” ish flat chisel) and a hammer. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and it goes fairly fast. Mine wasn’t as crummy looking as yours, but it looked good enough when I was done that I did nothing else to it.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

I disagree with you. it's actually more difficult to get that look and keep the mortar with an even squeeze out . it was a style in the 70's .

I've spoken to the home builder and you are correct. He said the original owner obviously chose that style and it was done intentionally and with a skilled Mason crew. Unfortunately it's not our style.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

I did a wall about 125’ x 6’ with a brick set (2-1/2” ish flat chisel) and a hammer. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and it goes fairly fast. Mine wasn’t as crummy looking as yours, but it looked good enough when I was done that I did nothing else to it.

Thanks for the encouragement. Nice to hear I'm not the only one in the world interested in doing this haha. I'd assume you just took the mortar flat with the brick?

 

[ZRX61]

Yeah it takes a bit of work but it comes off by hand, the large chunks anyways.

Yes, HOA allows the brick can be painted. If I get the mortar flush, or slightly concaved, then painted, I'd assume it would be protected from the weather...?

Yup, paint will protect it

& as the large chunks come off by hand, grab the hammer & bolster & see how many square yards you get done in an hour, you might be pleasantly surprised. (& won't get deafened by the scaler)

 

[Walkers]

Thanks for the encouragement. Nice to hear I'm not the only one in the world interested in doing this haha. I'd assume you just took the mortar flat with the brick?

I did. It took very little skill to get a nice job with the chisel. If I had to do it again with my current tooling I would use a roto hammer with a 6” flexible spade bit for chipping up tile, but I wouldn’t go out and spend that much money for a job as easy to do by hand.

 

[zendriver]

I would think busting it out would leave a bunch of jagged edges, that might look worse, without a bunch of touch up work.

Mortar has a tendency to stick to other mortar.

 

[mike93lx]

Painting brick is a nearly permanent decision. Think carefully before proceeding with that

 

[Garcky]

I disagree with you. it's actually more difficult to get that look and keep the mortar with an even squeeze out . it was a style in the 70's .

But that particular wall is neither even nor attractive. Poor masonry work.

 

[Al Borland]

Well,
First, that *****.
Second. you need to snap off the excess with a chisel and hammer. Slowly and carefully,
Third, get a bullpoint type chisel in a small chipping hammer and open out the face of the joints.
Fourth, get a "pastry bag" and repoint all the joints, dress with a pointing spoon as you go.
It's slow and messy, but not difficult.
I would recommend starting in the back and inconspicuous areas to get the hang of it.
Just knocking those joints down will look about as bad as it alreadt does and may make voids for water to sit-freeze-pop the joints.
Good luck.

 

[RTM]

I would think, having never done this, that a rotohammer with a three inch wide chisel, used on an angle would be the trick. Mine has a low angle one for tile removal that lets you get a very low angle, almost like a putty knife. Unfortunately I think my rotohammer would be a ***** to use because of the weight . The low angle seems less likely to damage the brick faces. You’d end up with a flatter wall, not grooves for the mortar lines tho, as Al just mentioned, I have no idea how it would look.

Definitely easier than a hammer and chisel, except for the weight.

Not sure if a hammer drill would have the same effect.

 

[DGersic]

Thanks for the reply and suggestions. Our neighborhood HOA requires mostly brick siding, so we are stuck with that.

There’s no way I would go after that with an angle grinder.

Sell the house and move.

 

[DGersic]

Thanks for the info. Definitely looking for a concave joint in the end. I'm usually an idiot who takes on jobs I shouldnt..shouldn't... so I'm sure I'll at least start and do the 3/4 of the house I can with scaffolding. Part way into day1 I'll regret it. I googled the electric tuckpoint tool and a bosch tuckpoint rake came up. Seemed just like an angle grinder tho... any thoughts? Or exact tools you'd recommend? Thanks!

A man’s got to know his limitations.

I’ll get too deep in a project. That’s not a project, Either build new or move.

 

[DGersic]

I've spoken to the home builder and you are correct. He said the original owner obviously chose that style and it was done intentionally and with a skilled Mason crew. Unfortunately it's not our style.

There have been some really dumb fads in masonry over the years. I used to have a wall of “factory brick” here. I was happy to see that **** go in to the dumpster to be hauled away.

 

[ratdoggy]

After a couple hours you'll be thinking "Why did I start this?"
Here's a plan. Get her a puppy and maybe she'll forget.

 

[Bert_]

Painting brick is a nearly permanent decision. Think carefully before proceeding with that

This ^

It's one of those things you can't undo in 5 or 10 years when it's no longer in fashion.

 

[WWheeler]

Looks like I'm in the minority but I love it just the way it is, especially from a distance the textured look is waaaaaay better to my eyes than concave mortar brick walls, and painted brick in any color is hideous.

To each their own.

 

[zendriver]

Maybe wait long enough and it will come back in style.

 

[Bert_]

I wouldn't be afraid to knock the mortar off. I think a flat chisel but in a roto hammer would be the fastest. Grinding, even with a diamond wheel, sounds like a loooong, dusty job.

 

[danski0224]

It will be almost impossible to control something like a SDS rotary hammer. It will go brrrrrrrrrap across the brick early on in your adventure. I suspect that those that are recommending to put a chisel into a rotary hammer and have a go at the mortar joints haven't actually tried to do any controlled chipping with that kind of tool.

Angle grinder? Ha. Good luck with that too. Not to mention the HUUUUGE dust cloud it'll create. You can bet your *** someone will be rolling tape and calling OSHA if there's no dust collection. Wetting it down would be much worse when the residue dries on the brick below and above and all around...

You'll be needing scaffolding. Or a lift. Doing this off of a ladder will take forever. What will the HOA have to say about that?

Chipping the mortar off flush by hand is probably your best bet. But then what? It will need to be tuckpointed. Then you are back to a grinder or something to remove material to tuckpoint it. You will need one of these: https://www.arbortechtools.com/us/shop-online/masonry-trade/power-tools/allsaw-as175

I'd leave it alone.

That mortar chipping project is going to turn into a major disaster, then it'll get really expensive because it will look like **** and you'll be effed.

If it's just face brick (looks like it is), it might actually be cheaper to tear it off and start over. Seriously.

You will lose the evergreens in the corner.

Just tuckpointing that house will take months. For a professional on scaffolding.

 

[The Cobbler]

If ever you thought of selling & buying another house, revisit that idea . it will be a ton of work and time to get
it to look like a tooled joint

 

[jonesg]

There’s no way I would go after that with an angle grinder.

Sell the house and move.

I worked in masonry doing pointing jobs, its removed with angle grinder and diamond blade, they all do it that way.

whoever did that job is a cowboy, a complete phoney.
It all has to be ground out and repointed.
It will need washing with muriatic and hosing off as you go along, its a 2 or 3 week job for 2 guys.

 

[4x4Pete]

How about residing over the brick? Keep the minimal amount of brick to keep the hoa happy. Then chisel and paint that portion. I think there's a Russian Gulag chipping mortar joints.

 

[jar944]

German schmear would likely be the least amount of work. You would still need to knock the mortar back flush which is going to be a huge undertaking.

 

[rancherbill]

I like the original finish. If I was going to take it out, I would use a SDS drill and bit to get out the first 1/2" and then remortar. For extra clean up you can put a chisel in the SDS drill.

 

[KenC]

Cheap air hammer. Cheap because they are usually lighter than heavy duty ones, and lower power which is good for your use. You don't want to chip the brick edges. Make a wide chisel using a normal straight one with a welded on edge, a piece of spring leaf works well. 4-6 inches wide chisel should work ground to a straight tapered but fairly blunt edge. Use parallel to the joints. That should get it flush, maybe not smooth though.

 

[Al Borland]

Get a Bosch SDS MAX "Bulldog". Set to hammer only, not drill. use a tile chisel (has an angle to chisel blade). Follow up with a bullpoint to open the joints enough for repointing.
I have done this. I have also repointed brick that was under plaster and is now going to be the interior "Finish".
YES! It's tedious. Yes, you will likely need to scrub with muiatic acid.
Jonesq is probably optimistic on the 2-3 weeks for 2 workers.
Best answer, Learn to live with it or move.

 

[rlitman]

Cheap air hammer. Cheap because they are usually lighter than heavy duty ones, and lower power which is good for your use. You don't want to chip the brick edges. Make a wide chisel using a normal straight one with a welded on edge, a piece of spring leaf works well. 4-6 inches wide chisel should work ground to a straight tapered but fairly blunt edge. Use parallel to the joints. That should get it flush, maybe not smooth though.

I'd say no way to an air hammer, because the freely rotating chisel will send you all over the place. But yes on the cheap and low power comment.

Get a Bosch SDS MAX "Bulldog". Set to hammer only, not drill. use a tile chisel (has an angle to chisel blade). Follow up with a bullpoint to open the joints enough for repointing.
I have done this. I have also repointed brick that was under plaster and is now going to be the interior "Finish".
YES! It's tedious. Yes, you will likely need to scrub with muiatic acid.
Jonesq is probably optimistic on the 2-3 weeks for 2 workers.
Best answer, Learn to live with it or move.

Yeah, that sounds reasonable to me. The SDS hammer will have "rotation stop" that few air hammers have, and that will make all the difference when it comes to controllability.

 

[fourjeepin]

Grinding, even with a diamond wheel, sounds like a loooong, dusty job.

yes, it is. I worked one summer grinding mortar from between bricks. Auburn University, Fall of 1994 or 1995. The mortar had gotten old and was falling out in some places. It was so loud and dusty. Not to mention boring and slow progress. if you DIY this, your neighbors will hate you.

 

[no704]

Don’t **** with it. It is period to that home build and will not be able to be restored. I can understand not being a fan, but you will be spending money on destroying what the market there probably likes. Just give it a good cleanup and resell.

 

[signcrafter]

Angle grinder? Ha. Good luck with that too. Not to mention the HUUUUGE dust cloud it'll create. You can bet your *** someone will be rolling tape and calling OSHA if there's no dust collection. Wetting it down would be much worse when the residue dries on the brick below and above and all around...

OSHA? He is a homeowner talking about diy project. The first letter in osha stands for occupational. He isnt a worker and osha would have zero to do with this.

 

[danski0224]

I'd bet that someone would video and file a complaint.

Contractor or homeowner, if someone starts making a bunch of silica dust near me, I'll be doing something about it.

 

[duneslider]

Have you considered doing a lime wash instead of paint? The lime wash will get you much closer to the white look but still maintain the rustic look of the mortar. There are a LOT of brick styles out there and they aren't all everyone's cup of tea. Painting brick is super popular right now but is virtually impossible to reverse.

I know the current trend is painted brick and black windows but its just a trend. Your house has a classic look that is going to be back in style in a few years. My parents house is similar in color and they wanted to paint it, or lime wash it, and in the end I convinced them to start with updating the brown soffit and facia with black and replace the windows (windows needed to be done anyway) with black as well as painting the garage doors black and after all that they decided the brick isn't so bad and the house looks updated.

 

[lund]

I did this on my house, though only a 10 ft x 50 ft wall and a chimney. The weeping mortar was way more extreme than yours though. I tried a few things and was able to take care of the limited area in a few hours. Looked way way better after. What I did: I have a small SDS hammer drill (think Hilti TE-30) with a chisel function that hammers without rotation. I used a wide chisel bit ~4" width. Hitting this 90 degrees to the mortar would chip it off instantly. Much less dust than grinding and very fast. It only took a few seconds per brick generally. The only minus is sometimes it could knock out chunks of mortar between the bricks where it was not well bonded. But grinding the chisel fairly sharp and touching up periodically kept that to a min. Some repointing touch up will be needed though.

Make sure you wear a good mask though. This is still quite dusty.

As a side point ... it is good this style died. Really looks awful. Plus I found it made a great home for bugs, spiders, etc. I can't believe people paid extra to have this style. Yikes.

Side comment: Surprised how complicated some handy type guys here make stuff like this. Yes it is a pain. But it is not THAT bad. If you do it reasonably with a drop cloth below to catch and a SDS chisel the mess is not so bad. Not anything where a reasonable neighbor would call federal agencies ! I just used a wide plastic drop cloth below and then washed down using a hose and caught most of the small chips. Bagged and trashed in a few loads to spread out weight. The hardest part is touching up the mortar here and there (IF wanted or needed) since matching color is not easy.

 

[KenC]

I'd say no way to an air hammer, because the freely rotating chisel will send you all over the place. But yes on the cheap and low power comment.

It won't rotate when using a wide chisel like recommended and held parallel to the brick. Trust me, I wasn't guessing, speaking from experience.

 

[signcrafter]

I'd bet that someone would video and file a complaint.

Contractor or homeowner, if someone starts making a bunch of silica dust near me, I'll be doing something about it.

You can video and file complaint if you want. But have to file it with appropriate agency. Just saying osha isnt going to send out the troops because a home owner is creating some dust. Now if a contractor comes out with a crew, then osha may get involved since the word occupation would be involved at that point.

We cut concrete all the time and create lots of dust sometimes. Never had any unreasonable neighbors call anyone on us. We use water when we can but that isnt always an option. Sometimes you have to make a mess to improve things. Most people are understanding.