Stonemasonry

Repointing mortar

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 2.57 PM

I’ve already asked this question in the bricklaying section but may not have given enough detail. About five years ago a handyman repointed some of my bricks with b and q ready mix concrete repair. He only stopped when he found that it was setting too quickly. This stuff is really hard, suitable for repairing drains, but not repointing brick. You could barely score it with a chisel. My bricks are porous, not great quality, I think, but water has always escaped through the brick itself and he didn’t rake out too deeply. However, I may soon need to replace a couple of the bricks in question but am worried that I won’t be able to rake out the concrete without damaging several surrounding bricks. Would drilling or grinding get the concrete out cleanly, without causing damage to adjacent bricks. I would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you.