Brickwork Tinting and Repointing

Brick is one of the most common building materials used in the construction of properties across the U.K.. Whether your brick property is a new build or a heritage property, regular maintenance on the exterior of your building is essential to keep your property looking its best and structurally sound. 

In this project, our team of trained stone and brick restoration technicians were called to repair the brickwork and pointing of this painted brick property. Using abseiling to gain full access to the property, our team was able to effectively remove the paint masking the brickwork and repair any damaged brickwork and mortar. Lastly, but importantly, the team displayed their expertise in brick tinting as they seamlessly blended the repairs in with the rest of the property.

We were recently contacted by a property management company in Maidstone, Kent, who required extensive brick repairs, including the need for renewing movement joints, updating the brick pointing, colour matching with the existing brickwork, and brick tinting.

The Project

 This was a major project that required careful attention to detail and a specialist approach to ensure that the building not only looked fantastic but was also protected for many years to come. We were approached by the client after they were impressed with, our work on another brick repair project. 

When undertaking brick repairs, it is very common to see that the brickwork itself has been painted over to try to hide signs of weathering over time or to try to mask previous. This was the case for this project.   

It is very hard to know the size of the issues until the paintwork has been removed, so our team were not aware of the scale of the brick repairs until we had fully removed the paint. This requires a specialist approach, as sandblasting or jet washing the paint off of the brickwork can actually result in significant damage to the property. 

The Site

That is why we utilised our proven DOFF cleaning techniques. We have often seen properties where over the years, there have been layers upon layers of paint placed on the brickwork. This can be very damaging, preventing the bricks from being able to breathe and trapping moisture inside, resulting in significant degradation.  

On this particular project, once we had been able to remove all of the paintwork and give the brickwork the chance to breathe, we noticed several issues. The primary concern was that at some point previously, all of the bricks had been replaced with the wrong style and colour, resulting in a major mismatch from the rest of the façade. 

The Logistics

This highlighted the fact that when it comes to repairs, brick colour patching is essential. It is the most cost-effective form of restoration and guarantees that the appearance and beauty of the façade remain as originally designed. Our Spectrum Specialist Support team are trained to provide comprehensive brick colour patching, ensuring a perfect match.  

Thanks to being IRATA qualified abseilers, we were able to examine the entire property quickly and thoroughly without the need of erecting costly and disruptive scaffolding. During this process, we noticed that some of the pointing on the property had been done using normal cement. This can be very damaging to the brickwork as it is not breathable and traps moisture inside. Having seen this, our team removed all of the cement pointing, replacing it with breathable lime mortar, which can also help prevent the bricks from spawling. To ensure the property looked as aesthetically pleasing as possible, we were also able to colour match the new pointing with the existing pointing. 

Expert Brick Tinting 

There were a number of challenges posed when completing this project. The timescale was one, with the works needing to be completed in a short space of time, but our team were able to fully repair the property in one week. 

Another major challenge that we faced was being able to access the property. Brick tinting and repair requires close inspection and access to the exterior, but scaffolding and other access methods can cause major damage to the delicate substrate. This is because scaffolding requires drilling directly into the façade and adding ties to hold it in place. To get around this, we were able to provide rope access brick repairs, with our IRATA-certified abseil technique ensuring we could conduct the project without the need for any damaging scaffolding. 

Being able to provide brick colour patching was also a significant challenge. To ensure we could offer the perfect match, we sent samples off to our Spectrum Specialist Support laboratory, which allowed our team to find the exact tint, ensuring we could blend our repairs in with the rest of the property. 

Time Efficient Results

For us, being able to complete such a comprehensive brick repair service in a short space of time was a particular highlight.

It was also great to be able to go above and beyond for the client, removing all of the potentially damaging paint and restoring their beautiful building back to its former glory. 

Get In Touch

If you are in need of brick tinting or brick repairs on your property, Spectrum Specialist Support is here to help you. 

Our experienced team are on hand to help you with a wide range of services, so get in touch today to find out more!