Cheap prevention
Pointing is one of the lowest-cost jobs on a roof and stops damage that costs many times more to repair.
Serving West Sussex & Brighton
Repointing thatstops watertracking in
Ridges, verges, stacks and brickwork raked out and pointed in the right mortar, not skimmed over the top. It's the cheapest work on the roof and the work that prevents the most expensive damage.
Mortar matched to the masonry · fixed price agreed first · 25-year workmanship guarantee
Book a free quote
Tell us the postcode and the problem. We'll do the rest.
- 25 yrs
- Workmanship guarantee
- £2m
- Public liability insurance
- Fixed
- Price agreed before work starts
- Free
- Quote visits, no obligation
The service
Mortar is the roof's shortest-lived component
Every bedded ridge, verge, stack and section of exposed brickwork relies on mortar to keep water out. Mortar is also the first thing on a building to wear out; it is designed to be sacrificial, taking the weathering so the brick and tile do not. Once it has washed back, cracked or gone hollow, water enters at exactly the points that are hardest to reach and most exposed.
Repointing means raking those joints out to a sound depth and filling them with fresh mortar, finished so it sheds water rather than holds it. On a roof that typically means ridge and hip tiles, verges at the gable ends, chimney stacks and parapets; on the building below it can mean elevations, gable brickwork and parapet copings.
It gets done badly more often than almost any other trade job, in two ways: skimming new mortar over old joints, and using a hard cement mix on soft period brick. Both look fine for a year. The first falls off; the second traps moisture in the masonry and blows the face off the brick.
Who it's for
Anyone with bedded ridges and verges, a chimney stack, a parapet, or exposed brickwork showing open or crumbling joints.
When it's needed
Mortar dust or fragments in the gutters, visible gaps under ridge tiles, hollow-sounding ridges, receded joints, plant growth in the joints, or damp appearing on internal walls.
What you get
Joints raked to depth and pointed in a mortar suited to the masonry, finished to shed water, with 25 years of workmanship guarantee.
What it costs to leave it
Open joints are how water gets in for free
Failed pointing is rarely dramatic. It just quietly stops keeping water out, and the building absorbs it for years before anyone connects the damp inside with the joints outside.
Ridges and verges coming loose
Once bedding mortar fails, ridge and verge tiles are held on by weight alone. High winds take them: and they come off over paths, cars and gardens.
Saturated masonry
Open joints let walls soak. Wet masonry loses insulation value, so rooms feel cold and heating costs rise before any damp is visible.
Frost damage to the brick itself
Water in the joints freezes and expands, blowing out mortar and spalling brick faces. Repointing then becomes brick replacement.
Internal damp and mould
Water tracking through the wall shows up as staining, blown plaster and mould on the inside face, a decorating bill caused by a mortar joint.
Common mistakes
- Skimming fresh mortar over old, failed joints instead of raking them out first.
- Using a hard sand-and-cement mix on soft period brickwork, which spalls the faces within a few winters.
- Pointing in wet or freezing weather, so the mortar never cures properly.
- Repointing ridges while ignoring the failed lead or verge alongside them.
- Sealing masonry with waterproof coatings instead of repairing the joints, which traps moisture inside the wall.
Our process
How the job runs, step by step
01
Free inspection
We check the ridges, hips, verges, stack and any exposed brickwork, and look for the mortar debris that tells you how far gone the joints are.
02
Diagnosis and mortar choice
We identify what has failed and specify a mortar suited to the masonry, softer for period brick, stronger for modern, rather than one mix for everything.
03
Fixed price agreed
A written figure covering access, raking out, materials and clearing up. No day rates on work that is easy to spin out.
04
Rake out
Joints cut back to sound material at a proper depth, loose bedding removed, and the surfaces cleaned so the new mortar bonds instead of sitting on dust.
05
Point and finish
Fresh mortar worked fully into the joint and finished to shed water, with ridges and verges re-bedded and mechanically fixed where appropriate.
06
Clear and guarantee
Debris cleared from roof, gutters and ground, the work checked over with you, and 25 years of workmanship guarantee behind it.
What you get
The difference it makes
Secure ridges and verges
Re-bedded and, where appropriate, mechanically fixed, so wind doesn't lift them off the gable end.
Drier, warmer walls
Closed joints stop masonry soaking, which keeps the wall insulating instead of wicking cold and damp inside.
Mortar that suits the building
Specified to the brick, not to the van. Soft masonry gets a mortar it can live with rather than a cement jacket.
Done with everything else
Where scaffold is going up anyway, pointing runs alongside lead, ridge and stack work in one fixed price.
Guaranteed workmanship
25 years on our work, with £2 million public liability insurance behind it.
In detail
Where repointing is needed, and how it's done
Repointing on roofs is a different job from repointing an elevation, and both come up regularly across West Sussex housing, from flint and soft red brick to interwar and modern brickwork.
Ridge and hip repointing
Ridge and hip tiles are traditionally bedded on mortar. Over decades that bedding cracks and hollows, and the tiles start to rock. Repointing here means removing loose bedding, re-bedding the tiles where needed and pointing the joint cleanly along the run.
Where ridges have failed repeatedly, a dry-fix ridge system is often the better long-term answer: mechanically fixed, ventilated, and with no mortar to maintain. We'll price both and explain which suits the roof.
Verge repointing
Verges, the gable-end edges of the roof, are highly exposed and take the full force of wind-driven rain. Failed verge mortar lets water behind the tiles and lets the wind get under them.
We rake out and re-point verges, replacing any undercloak that has failed, or fit dry verge systems where the roof and the exposure suit it.
Stack and parapet pointing
Chimney stacks and parapet walls are the wettest masonry on any building because they are exposed on all sides. They also sit above the waterproof line, so their failures put water directly into the structure.
Pointing here is done alongside flaunching and leadwork, because fixing one without the others rarely stops the leak.
Brickwork and elevations
Below the roofline, repointing elevations, gables and copings follows the same rules: rake out properly, match the mortar to the masonry, and finish the joint so it throws water off.
Sussex has plenty of soft red brick and flint work where a modern cement mix does real harm. On those buildings a softer, more permeable mortar is not a preference; it is the difference between preserving the brick and destroying it.
- Gable and elevation repointing
- Parapet and coping joints
- Flint and soft-brick work
- Cut-out and replacement of spalled bricks
Weather and timing
Mortar needs reasonable conditions to cure. Pointing in frost or heavy rain produces joints that crumble within a year, so we schedule around the forecast rather than forcing the date.
That is one reason repointing is best done as planned maintenance in the drier months rather than as an emergency in February.
Domestic and commercial
On houses, repointing is often a single-scaffold job combining ridge, verge and stack in one visit, which keeps access costs down.
On commercial and multi-occupancy buildings the areas are larger, the access is more involved, and phasing matters so the building stays usable. The method does not change.
Where we work
Repointing across West Sussex & Brighton
If your town isn't listed, call anyway; we're usually nearby.
Related services
Often done at the same time
See all roofing services, go back to the homepage, or contact us for a free quote.
Straight answers
Repointing questions
How much does repointing cost?
It depends on the length of ridge, verge or brickwork involved and the access needed. We measure it up on a free visit and give you one fixed written price, never a day rate.
How long does repointing take?
Ridge and verge work on a typical house is usually a day or two once access is up. Stacks and larger elevations take longer, and mortar needs dry, frost-free conditions to cure properly.
How long does repointing last?
Correctly raked-out and properly mixed pointing lasts for decades. Skimmed-over pointing lasts a couple of years, which is why the preparation matters more than the finish.
Do I need scaffolding?
Ridge, verge and stack work needs a safe working platform, so usually yes. Access is written into the fixed price so nothing turns up as an extra.
Should I re-point my ridges or fit a dry ridge system?
Both work. Repointing keeps the traditional look; a dry-fix system is mechanically fixed and ventilated with no mortar to maintain. We price both and tell you which suits your roof and exposure.
Will the new mortar match the old?
We match colour and texture as closely as practical and choose a mix suited to the masonry. Fresh mortar always reads slightly newer until it weathers in.
Can repointing fix my damp wall?
If the damp is coming through open joints, yes, closing them stops the water getting in. We'll check the whole water path first, because gutters, lead and copings cause a lot of what gets blamed on pointing.
Why not just paint on a waterproof sealer?
Because it traps moisture inside the masonry, which then has nowhere to go and does more harm than the open joint did. Repairing the joint is the fix.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes: 25 years on our workmanship, excluding storm damage, third-party damage and material failure.
Can you do repointing alongside other roof work?
Yes, and it's the cheapest way to have it done. If scaffold is up for a re-roof, chimney or lead job, adding the pointing costs a fraction of a separate visit.
Free, no-obligation quote
Close the joints before the water finds them
Mortar in the gutter, gaps under the ridge tiles or a damp internal wall; we'll come out free, check the whole water path, and give you a fixed price to point it properly.
07766 878193Or email bwroofing1@icloud.com · Serving West Sussex & Brighton
- 25-year workmanship guarantee
- £2m public liability
- Fixed price, never day rates