Crumbling Mortar!

1

Hi Ladies and Gents-- Looking for some help with this one…
Brick (which was exterior gable end wall in past/now crawlspace for addition) has significant mortar deterioration…crumbling. Some places as deep as 1/3 or 1/2 the brick (screwdriver in pices is 6")
Other interior side of basement has been “repaired”?
Cement slurry on bottom/looks like repairs on brick.

Typically if mortar loose/cracked> grind out and re-point…But this is unstable and i think if you keep scratching it out it would all come out in some areas.

I plan to write it up as structural issue and refer to qualified professional/etc.

But my questions are more to just educate myself:

  1. Can it actually be fixed?

  2. If other side was ground out and re-pointed> would it hold?

  3. any general advice from anyone’s experience

2025-1-13-191
2025-1-13-1911500×1125 441 KB

2025-1-13-168
2025-1-13-1681500×1125 254 KB

2025-1-13-171
2025-1-13-1711500×1125 177 KB

2025-1-13-189
2025-1-13-1891125×1500 280 KB

2025-1-13-208
2025-1-13-2081500×1125 215 KB

2025-1-13-202
2025-1-13-2021125×1500 353 KB

2

Anything can be “fixed”, I wouldn’t pick at that too much!

3

How old is the home? I suspect over 100 years old.

Structural recommendations?
For what? Bowed walls. Leaning rubble stone foundation? Heaving floors?

This is lime based mortar in the brickwork. Soft degraded mortar. Gaps in areas.
Pointing? Depends upon condition.

The foundation is ancestral random rubble stone again with lime based mortar to set the stones and lime wash to impede moisture.
Condition?

Recommend a licensed masonry contractor further evaluate the condition of the mortar and repair areas required. This will not be inexpensive.

4

Easy using a tuck-pointing diamond blade on a hand grinder to 1" deep and filling with a dry joint mortar.
Hire a mason contractor for repairs or estimate for repairs.

7 Likes