Repointing old stone wall.

mosman

Hi, I live in Bray ,Co Wicklow and I have a large old stone wall which fronts my property.It is about 6 feet tall and about 25 feet in length.
I have recently noticed that the cement between the stones has begun to wear away a bit and that small gaps are appearing between the stones.
The wall still seems very stable but I think it may need some repointing.
I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to go about this and what kind of professional I would need to do this for example builder,stonemason etc and how expensive you think it might be.
I apologise for this long rambling post but this is my first time posting on this site and I would be very grateful for any advice.

ponddigger

hi any photos of old stone wall:Dponddigger:D

slowburner

mosman wrote: »

Hi, I live in Bray ,Co Wicklow and I have a large old stone wall which fronts my property.It is about 6 feet tall and about 25 feet in length.
I have recently noticed that the cement between the stones has begun to wear away a bit and that small gaps are appearing between the stones.
The wall still seems very stable but I think it may need some repointing.
I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to go about this and what kind of professional I would need to do this for example builder,stonemason etc and how expensive you think it might be.
I apologise for this long rambling post but this is my first time posting on this site and I would be very grateful for any advice.

Your post is not rambling at all
If it's an old wall and the mortar is crumbling, chances are that it was built with lime mortar and not sand and cement.
Re-pointing should be done with lime mortar. If it is done with sand and cement ( as it often is, wrongly) the natural ability of the lime mortar to move is compromised. Over time, a lime mortared wall repointed with sand and cement will crumble more rapidly than if it is left alone.

It would be difficult to give a price without seeing what and how much needs to be done. Perhaps someone might quote you a rate per square metre.
The old joints will need to be raked out if they are in a poor state. This can be the most time consuming part of the operation if done by hand but I have seen it done efficiently with a power washer!
Again, without seeing how much repointing needs to be done, it would be impossible to estimate the cost.
Any competent builder should be able to carry out the work. Just make sure that they use lime mortar.
They might even be pleased - it is much nicer stuff to work with than sand and cement.
It is more expensive, though.
You can buy it in bags for mixing with granite sand (which would be correct for your area). It is mixed at the rate of 3 parts sand to 1 part lime.
This is the only Irish supplier, as far as I know.
http://www.traditionallime.com

mosman

Hi slowburner.
Thanks so much for your reply to my post:)
You gave me some great advice and information.I'll definitely get a builder to come and have a look at it.
Your advice about lime mortar versus sand and cement was particularly helpful and I'll make sure to mention it to the builder,
Thanks again

slowburner

mosman wrote: »

Hi slowburner.
Thanks so much for your reply to my post:)
You gave me some great advice and information.I'll definitely get a builder to come and have a look at it.
Your advice about lime mortar versus sand and cement was particularly helpful and I'll make sure to mention it to the builder,
Thanks again

A pleasure