Masonry History Integrity - National Center for Preservation ...

Chapter 2: Got Mortar?
Shovel comes from the Old English word
scofl, meaning a wide scoop on a long-handle
that used for lifting loose material.
Spade comes from the Old English word
spadu, meaning a wide, pointed blade on a
long-handle that’s pressed with the foot and
used for digging.
You shift stuff with a shovel and you dig deep
with a spade.
There are also gasoline or electric powered
machines used to mix mortar. They look like a
small concrete truck and might be easier and
faster; but the simplest tools used to mix
mortar have been, and continue to be, a
mason’s hoe and a mixing trough.
Shovels
Spades
Repointing: The Art of Fixing
When you look at a brick wall you see two parts—the
bricks and the lines around the bricks. Those lines are
called “mortar joints.” Mortar joints should be softer
than the bricks. They wear out faster and have to be
replaced sooner. This is done by a process called “repointing.”
Grinder
Re-pointing starts by carefully
cutting out the old mortar joints.
Deteriorated mortar joints
This is usually done with a
powerful, little electric saw
called a “grinder.” A grinder should always be used with caution as the fast
spinning blade could damage brick or cause injury to the mason or others, if
not used properly. After cutting, the open joints are swept clean, moistened
with water and packed with new mortar. The mortar is installed in layers,
which are called “lifts” using a tool called a “pointer.”
Properly re-pointed mortar joints are expected to last fifty years, or more,
before needing to be cut out and re-pointed again.
But it is important that the correct mortar, with the right strength for the
brick, be used for repointing. If the mortar is too hard, it will crack and
destroy the bricks. A field test to help determine brick and mortar strength is
provided in Chapter 10.
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