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Bricklaying & Repointing

Removing render from exterior wall (1930's house)

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.05 PM

Our house was recently rendered by the previous owners. This is not to our taste and we are trying to remove this (up to first floor level) to reveal the original red brick (house constructed in 1930's). I have removed the 'top layer' of render easily with a scutch chisel, but the underlying cement bonding is more difficult. I have been removing this carefully with hammer and chisel, but some of the bricks are being damaged. It actually gives them a nice rustic look, but I have 2 questions. 1. How can I best remove the remnants of the cement render (sand blasting?). 2. How can I best weatherproof the bricks once I have cleaned and re-pointed? Any comments or answers appreciated. Thanks

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1 Answer

McCann Brickwork and Building

Rating: 5 out of 5

Manchester

I have recently carried out such a project on a 18th century terraced house. The customer as yourself didn't like the render. Sandblasting won't get the scratch coat off unfortunately. You do need to carefully remove the scratch coat of render by chiseling carefully on an angle across the brick as to get behind the render rather than chiseling straight which will damage the brickwork. Once the render is off you can then have it sandblasted to blend all the bricks in and disguise the damage caused by chiseling. Once pointed I would then recommend having the brickwork sealed with a weather proofing sealant such as ronseal/thompsons water seal as the sandblasting will take the original face off the brick. It's hard work but worth it, my customer was over the moon with the result.

Answered22 August 2025