Repointing stonework?

[Auvergnat]

Hello all - can anyone advise me please! We have bought a mostly completely renovated property in the Haute Loire (43) for holidays and perhaps eventual retirement. However, a lot of the exterior stonework needs repointing. I can imagine that it's a long back breaking job if we do it ourselves and not cheap if we are able to find someone else able to do it unsupervised (as we're not there often)

Please can anyone advise as to how to go about repointing - have you done it and have any tips or is there a "bible" you could recommend highly! Alternatively has anyone had it done for them recently and can suggest an idea of cost?

Many thanks and fingers crossed!

Dazed & Confused

[Normandy Cow]

Hello and welcome to the forum Auvergnat!

I'm sorry, I can't help you with your specific question. There are quite a few French owners on this site so hopefully someone will be able to come up with a solution.

Failing that, try these forums: http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/index.php and www.livingfrance.com/forum
As they are specifically for english-speaking people living or with holiday homes in France, someone on there is bound to have an answer!

Good Luck!

[Stu]

Hi Auvergnat, welcome to LMH!

Two links below which you may find useful:

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum ... um.php?f=7

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum ... x+pointing

I've repointed some of the front of our farmhouse, as well as all the old stones in our landing area which I had to clean off and re-build. They now look stunning!

HTH.

[Jimbo]

Timely thread and useful info for me because I have to repoint some big areas of stonework as soon as the frost has gone. Question to those in the know please: The guy we bought the house from said always add some cement to the lime/sand mix (lasts longer) but others I've asked have said to use only lime (breathes better). Doesn't seem any concensus on this, so any advice is welcome?

Also have to replace some exterior Crepi (is that how you spell it?) - the stuff you put on unattractive things like building blocks and then brush before dry to resemble stone. Any idea of the mix for this?

Thanks for any advice ... Jim

[Ju]

I have (with help from my husband) repointed a large amount of interior stonework in our properties. It is indeed back breaking slow work, but the result is great.

The product you need is made by Lafarge (sp?) and is called monocouche. It comes in different shades, but the standard round here is G20 (pronounced j - vin). You should be able to get it from your builders merchants.

You need to scrape out the old pointing where it is loose, then apply this stuff with a trowel. You don't need to just get it in the cracks, you sort of smear it all over. Then once it has started to dry, about an hour or so, you get a wire brush and scrub off the excess.

The end result looks a bit like this:


I hope that helps.

Ju

[Auvergnat]

Thank you all very much for your replies and pointers - what a fantastic bunch !

Ju - if our pointing looks anything like yours I shall be very happy!

Kind regards

Much Less Dazed and Confused

[enid]

We have done all the internal pointing ourselves (well me actually - bit of a change from being a headteacher!!!!) - we didn't buy the mixed product - I mixed it myself 3 parts sand to one part chaux. As Ju says it is long but so gratifying.

But the outside we have had done by the builder ( half done last year half to be done this year) and the cost has been about €50 a square metre) hope that helps you with your decision making.

[Alan Knighting]

Enid has it right - the mixture is the same as that for gnocchi, three parts of sand and one of cement.

Fluffy

[marcus]

Alan, always lime not cement for repointing old stone!!!

I described pointing in a couple of articles a long time ago, take a look if you like:

Repointing stone walls

Good luck

[Alan Knighting]

Marcus,

Come on, I think you have taken me far too literally. I was only bringing a little bit of levity to the conversation.

When it comes to using appropriate local materials and mixtures you are absolutely right. If you make your re-pointing mixture relatively rigid it will be far too stable for your ever-moving pile of stones. BTW, that’s also said “tongue in cheek�.

Does the gnocchi mixture remain 3 parts of sand and 1 of cement or has “les Marronniers� a recipe you prefer?

Fluffy

[Orion]

There are many different opinions about mixtures for pointing. There are schools of thought to back up all chaux or cement chaux mixtures.

The basic competing ideas relate to the adding of cement hardens the mix and help it go off quicker competing with the lessened flexibility and reduced breathability
.
An old stone walls needs some ability to breathe to help it loose moisture.

So a strongish cement chaux mix on inside and out may create a risk of holding in dampness.

Regarding mixes that I have settled on they are a bit like this:
white chaux 2 parts; white cement 1 part; sable (0 -3) 9 parts and yellow sand 1 part. This give a moderately hard light beige (ton pierre) colour which IMHO comlpements ore white stone.

Depending on circumstances you might consider using an air chisel to get the crepi off, sandbalsting the stone if the crepi had cement in it and leaves traces or the stone has discloured.

A good day with one person (after a little practice) you could probably do about 8 square metres (+ or -) depending on access and nature of stone etc. Two working together is much better and you could hope for 20 square metres because two can brush off more before it dries out.

If I can help further please ask away.