Weeping Mortar removal (Tool help)

[TN-BadHandyman]

Hello all,

I am struggling with how to handle removing something called "Weeping mortar joints". Supposedly this was a "style" although I have no idea why. But when the house was built, the Mason simply left the mortar to dry instead of removing the excess coming from the joints.

I am looking for the best way (open to any ideas) to remove the excess in order to paint the house white. There is limited info I have found on how to do this. A Mason suggested an angle grinder with a diamond blade, but said the vertical joints are tricky due to the cutting wheel size compared to the joint height. I'm also not wanting to cut deep into the joints as I would prefer not to have to repoint the whole house.

I'm curious to see if anyone has ever ran into this or has any ideas of some sort of adjustable depth tool I can use to only remove the mortar slightly beyond flush.

Thanks so much

 

[bigsteve2011]

I have a step crack in my brick fascia on my house that I just did what your mason said.
Someone used that mortar repair caulk and smeared it all along the joint and looked like **** pulling up to the house.
I am tuck pointing the crack and used an angle grinder with diamond blade, they make ones that are 1/4" thick and work great for those long horizontal edges.
He is right about the verticals being hard to do with the grinder, really have to pay attention to it.
I did the grinder in the center of the verticals, then chiseled out the rest so that you wouldn't hit the face of the bricks with the grinder.
Next up I am working on trying to match old mortar so the repair looks somewhat unnoticeable.

 

[Garcky]

How much area do you need to work on? The job is going to be very time-consuming and fiddly. Plus, it's going to be difficult to achieve an even look on those joints, I think. That said, 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.

If it were my place, I think I'd shrug and paint the wall as it is. The uniformity of the white paint will minimize the textural crudeness, at least to some degree. If you do work on that, you're going to be at it for many hours. Wear a respirator mask and safety glasses. It's going to get messy.

On second thought, here's an idea you might want to try. On an area that isn't highly visible, try a hammer and masonry chisel on that mortar. Don't bash, but just tap away and see what the affect on the old mortar is. See if you can't chip off some of the excess and even things up a little. I think it's worth a try. If that works, a pneumatic chisel might be a good tool for the rest of the wall.

 

[neophyte]

The easiest way to screw up brick and mortar joints is by using a diamond blade on an angle grinder near the bricks or mortar.
The diamond blade will slice right thru the brick.
If you need to repoint, running a diamond blade thru the center of the mortar joint and then chiseling the mortar out is the best way.
Trying to cut next to the brick with an angle grinder usually notches the brick, and future repointers will curse you.

For trimming off the mortar that hangs over the surface of the brick, you can probably just hammer a wide brick chisel over the surface similar to the way you use a chisel to trim a wood dowel.
It won’t make the mortar ultra smooth, but it will knock the raised mortar off.
A toothed stone chisel will likely be easier to use.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

I have a step crack in my brick fascia on my house that I just did what your mason said.
Someone used that mortar repair caulk and smeared it all along the joint and looked like **** pulling up to the house.
I am tuck pointing the crack and used an angle grinder with diamond blade, they make ones that are 1/4" thick and work great for those long horizontal edges.
He is right about the verticals being hard to do with the grinder, really have to pay attention to it.
I did the grinder in the center of the verticals, then chiseled out the rest so that you wouldn't hit the face of the bricks with the grinder.
Next up I am working on trying to match old mortar so the repair looks somewhat unnoticeable.

Thanks for the reply. The Mason later sent me this tool: and was wondering if anyone knew of something similar with an adjustable depth.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

How much area do you need to work on? The job is going to be very time-consuming and fiddly. Plus, it's going to be difficult to achieve an even look on those joints, I think. That said, 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.

If it were my place, I think I'd shrug and paint the wall as it is. The uniformity of the white paint will minimize the textural crudeness, at least to some degree. If you do work on that, you're going to be at it for many hours. Wear a respirator mask and safety glasses. It's going to get messy.

On second thought, here's an idea you might want to try. On an area that isn't highly visible, try a hammer and masonry chisel on that mortar. Don't bash, but just tap away and see what the affect on the old mortar is. See if you can't chip off some of the excess and even things up a little. I think it's worth a try.

Unfortunately (sounds odd) it's a large 2 story house with the brick all the way around. We spoke to a custom home builder who had done just that, and painter over a weeping mortar house. From a distance it looked nice, but as you got closer the shadows from the weeping mortar made the exterior look clunky and actually drew focus to the mortar joints.

If it were up to me, I'd just leave it and be happy. BUT the wife isn't a fan... so here I am looking for the best way to waste my time making her happy ;-)

 

[bluedog225]

Plaster over it?

 

[rlitman]

Thanks for the reply. The Mason later sent me this tool: and was wondering if anyone knew of something similar with an adjustable depth.

That "finger" is garbage. After building a jig to drive it in straight lines (it'll pull your hand all over), and control it's depth, you'd be able to cut around maybe 10 bricks before the diamonds are gone. In bits alone, it would be cheaper to bring in a wrecking ball and start over.

I do own a finger like that, but mine is cross drilled for internal water cooling. I used it to cut some curves into tile, but it isn't really made for much more than that. Re-pointing a house with it is just laughable.

 

[neophyte]

Thanks for the reply. The Mason later sent me this tool: and was wondering if anyone knew of something similar with an adjustable depth.

You would really need to make an router or trimmer type attachment for that,
WITH DUST COLLECTION.
Flex used to make a tool that used something similar, with a dust port, but it has likely been discontinued for a decade, and I doubt it was widely sold in the USA.
Checking if the diamond point can handle trimmer sized touter speed, and look into modifying a router/trimmer base would be the best option for that.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I used a pnematic hammer with a chisel in it to remove mortar so i could reuse the bricks. I bet it would chip the weeping mortar off quickly. I don't know what the end result would be.

 

[mike93lx]

Unfortunately (sounds odd) it's a large 2 story house with the brick all the way around. We spoke to a custom home builder who had done just that, and painter over a weeping mortar house. From a distance it looked nice, but as you got closer the shadows from the weeping mortar made the exterior look clunky and actually drew focus to the mortar joints.

If it were up to me, I'd just leave it and be happy. BUT the wife isn't a fan... so here I am looking for the best way to waste my time making her happy ;-)

The entire exterior looks like that?. Holy smokes


Stucco

 

[Shiftless]

That’s really incredible.

One strategy might be to get a bid from a reputable brick mason to do the whole job. Pay the guy a flat fee to generate a bid, When that comes back at, let’s say $100,000, show that to your wife and ask if she wants to spend that much money to achieve a more satisfactory to her appearance for the house.

 

[engineer2]

Try this on a small section to see if it gets an acceptable look.:
Take a sharp chisel and knock off the protruding mortar. An air chisel or demo hammer will make quick work of it.
Spread tarps on the ground to catch the debris and then drag it to the trash.
Tuckpoint as needed. It'll be flat at best, and not concave.

If it's still ugly you could do a combo of Hardie plank siding, PVC trim, and stone veneer to update the entire look of the house.
Picture of the house to see if that is possible?

 

[Tool Using Animal]

Oscillating multitool?

But I think you'd need a different blade for working flat. Maybe something like this:

70mm Carbide Teardrop Blade - Quick Fit | Saxton Blades

70mm Carbide Teardrop Blade - Quick fit

www.saxtonblades.co.uk

An oscillating multitool will definitely give you the most control of any power tool.

 

[mike93lx]

Oscillating multitool?

But I think you'd need a different blade for working flat. Maybe something like this:

70mm Carbide Teardrop Blade - Quick Fit | Saxton Blades

70mm Carbide Teardrop Blade - Quick fit

www.saxtonblades.co.uk

An oscillating multitool will definitely give you the most control of any power tool.

Start now and you should be done by 2030

 

[Shiftless]

Start now and you should be done by 2030

That might be an optimistic estimate.

 

[signcrafter]

Since you're painting it all I dont think it will girt if the brick gets touched here and there. I would grab a grinder and turbo cup and start knocking down the mortar and see how that goes.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Try this on a small section to see if it gets an acceptable look.:
Take a sharp chisel and knock off the protruding mortar. An air chisel or demo hammer will make quick work of it.
Spread tarps on the ground to catch the debris and then drag it to the trash.
Tuckpoint as needed. It'll be flat at best, and not concave.

If it's still ugly you could do a combo of Hardie plank siding, PVC trim, and stone veneer to update the entire look of the house.
Picture of the house to see if that is possible?

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

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Start now and you should be done by 2030

Haha, yeah I knew I was screwed when the Mason told me to tear the house down and start over.

 

[Shiftless]

That’s a beautiful looking house. I sure wouldn’t paint it.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Since you're painting it all I dont think it will girt if the brick gets touched here and there. I would grab a grinder and turbo cup and start knocking down the mortar and see how that goes.

Not too bad of an idea, it would markup the bricks, just not sure how bad. With the paint it might not matter too much. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

That’s a beautiful looking house. I sure wouldn’t paint it.

Thank you, I appreciate it! I love the look (minus the weeping joints). In our area the trend is white brick with black windows. I like that look as well, probably not at the amount of work it'd take to get this one done though

 

[engineer2]

Nice house! Looks like about an acre of brick.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Nice house! Looks like about an acre of brick.

Hit the nail on the head, lol.

 

[mike93lx]

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

It's really tragic they used such a terrible looking mortar finish on a nice house.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

It's really tragic they used such a terrible looking mortar finish on a nice house.

I completely agree! Truly mind boggling

 

[strutaeng]

Yeah, I would leave it alone. It's part of the look of the home. Even the brick is rustic.

Personally, I don't like the look either. My mason tells me stories of how on these fancy houses they like the "rustic" look like this. He even has done jobs where they require him to deliberately toss mortar on the walls! He says it's crazy, but they pay him, so he doesn't mind anymore. It's part of the look.

Also not a fan of the raked joints. We did an addition that we veneered with 8x4x16 CMU and he did the joints as clean as possible. It was going to get painted, which I did myself. I washed, scrubbed and did a lot of small mortar removal with a spatula that inadvertently falls and sticks to the block as they go up. Used block filler and 2 coats of semigloss and looks good.

To answer your question: I think the right thing to do it use an angle grinder and those tuckpointer electric tools and repoint all of the joint to desired joint style. Concave? Maybe grind level to the surface is another, less expensive option? But neither of these are DIY jobs. I can see a mason making good money on this bid. Scaffolding and all.

Mortar joint - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mike93lx]

I think the most practical and least expensive option is an electrical fire while the FD is at a town bbq

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

I think the most practical and least expensive option is an electrical fire while the FD is at a town bbq

Lmao

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Yeah, I would leave it alone. It's part of the look of the home. Even the brick is rustic.

Personally, I don't like the look either. My mason tells me stories of how on these fancy houses they like the "rustic" look like this. He even has done jobs where they require him to deliberately toss mortar on the walls! He says it's crazy, but they pay him, so he doesn't mind anymore. It's part of the look.

Also not a fan of the raked joints. We did an addition that we veneered with 8x4x16 CMU and he did the joints as clean as possible. It was going to get painted, which I did myself. I washed, scrubbed and did a lot of small mortar removal with a spatula that inadvertently falls and sticks to the block as they go up. Used block filler and 2 coats of semigloss and looks good.

To answer your question: I think the right thing to do it use an angle grinder and those tuckpointer electric tools and repoint all of the joint to desired joint style. Concave? Maybe grind level to the surface is another, less expensive option? But neither of these are DIY jobs. I can see a mason making good money on this bid. Scaffolding and all.

Mortar joint - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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!

 

[ron350]

Brian Keith was in a TV show called Hardcastle & McCormich that featured a house with that kind of weeping mortor.
Every time i watched the show i wondered who decided that was a good look for a brick house.

 

[ZRX61]

Sell it & move. I never understood that *style*.. what do they call it.. "We hired the cheapest brickie on the planet"? There are yard walls here like that, looks like fried ***.

As for the fix... SDS chisel, shouldn't take more than 6 months...

or how about a needle scaler? Wear good gloves or you won't be able to tie your shoes or wipe your *** at the end of the first hour.

 

[ZRX61]

Brian Keith was in a TV show called Hardcastle & McCormich that featured a house with that kind of weeping mortor.
Every time i watched the show i wondered who decided that was a good look for a brick house.

Ray Charles.

 

[strutaeng]

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!

Sorry, no personal experience with those tools, but Bosch is pretty much what I see the few times I've been to construction jobs and see Masons using them. They have a guard that acts like a depth guage so you keep the of cut consistent.

Be sure to use PPE.

 

[Kasal]

I think the fastest would be some manual work. Maybe then I have to do some cement and go over some joints.

 

[Shiftless]

Here is another beautiful architect designed building on the campus of the University of Colorado.

It was built in 1931 as the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house, and was designed by celebrated Boulder architect Glen H. Huntington [pdf] (not to be confused with his father, Glen W. Huntington, an architect who practiced primarily in Denver). The house was purchased by CU in 1970 and currently serves as the University Administration Building. It was made using beautiful red and brown flashed brick, whose colors are created through a deliberate manipulation of the chemicals and temperatures in the kiln. You can see the gray mortar ‘weeping’ out of the joints in the photo below.

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Sell it & move. I never understood that *style*.. what do they call it.. "We hired the cheapest brickie on the planet"? There are yard walls here like that, looks like fried ***.

As for the fix... SDS chisel, shouldn't take more than 6 months...

or how about a needle scaler? Wear good gloves or you won't be able to tie your shoes or wipe your *** at the end of the first hour.

I have zero experience with pneumatic tools, but I'm open to them. I looked up needle scaler after your suggestion and it looks interesting. I saw videos removing paint from brick. Would you think its strong enough to get the weeping mortar off?

 

[ZRX61]

I have zero experience with pneumatic tools, but I'm open to them. I looked up needle scaler after your suggestion and it looks interesting. I saw videos removing paint from brick. Would you think its strong enough to get the weeping mortar off?

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.

 

[BlindViper]

Could you just grind it off and parge the wall? or does the HOA require the exposed brick?

 

[TN-BadHandyman]

Could you just grind it off and parge the wall? or does the HOA require the exposed brick?

Must be majority exposed brick. Paint or German Schmear is fine so color isn't an option but majority must be exposed brick and the rest stone