How much does lime pointing cost?
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 23
I will provide some indicative costs below.
For example, repointing a typical West Bridgford Victorian or Edwardian two storey house side wall (30 metre square):
mortar removal (using a combination of hand tools and power tools to avoid brick damage)
assuming no brick replacement and no mortar colour matching using anything other than local sand
lime mortar repointing in a standard style
an inspection three weeks after pointing to correct any minor imperfections that occur during curing,
plus around £1,000 for three/four weeks scaffolding from an independent contractor.
Total: £7,400+VAT and an estimated £1,000 scaffolding. (with a three-year guarantee)
For example, repointing a chimney on a three storey house (around 10 metre square):
removing mortar (using a combination of hand tools and power tools to avoid brick damage)
assuming no brick replacement or colour matching
repointing using natural hydraulic lime mortar
plus around £1,500 for three weeks of scaffolding
Total cost: £2,450 + VAT plus and estimated £1,500 scaffolding from an independent contractor.
For example, repointing a ground floor bay window suffering from damp (4 metres square):
removing mortar (using a combination of hand tools and power tools to avoid brick damage)
assuming no brick replacement or colour matching
lime mortar repointing in a standard style
an inspection three weeks after pointing to correct any minor imperfections that occur during curing,
Total cost: £1,440+VAT
Example of mortar colour matching cost:
if colour matching needs to be achieved by ordering a specialty sand that can add typically 2-5% to mortar costs.
If lime mortar needs to be 'aged' by being painted with natural earth pigment in medium then that could add 5% to material costs.
Example of using a speciality pointing technique:
if bird beak pointing style is required (Tudor or 'arts and crafts' houses) then that increases the pointing cost by a multiple of 1.5 due to the extra time required.
if weather struck pointing style is required then that increases the pointing cost by a multiple of 1.25 for weather due to the extra time required.
Example of only using hand tools to remove mortar:
if a home owner does not want power tools to be used at all then the mortar removal costs need to be multiplied by five.
The cost of lime pointing will be based on several factors:
the size and accessibility of the area being pointed
the level of preparation required to remove paint or unwanted items from the wall
whether scaffolding is required
how many bricks/stones need to be replaced or repaired
style of pointing required and whether colour matching is required
(and travel costs only outside our usual service area - ie. West Bridgford, Beeston, Bramcote, South Nottinghamshire villages and North West Leicestershire)
Materials costs: some of the substances used to make lime mortar (particularly if specialist sand is needed to achieve a particular colour) is more expensive.
In addition, Gladstone Pointing Limited makes and sells its own lime putty, which forms the basis of lime mortar: this reduces cost.
Water access: if a house doesn't have access to water then there may be additional cost to ensure adequate water for the work.
Scaffolding: costs are variable based on demand and complexity.
Impact:
Lime mortar makes your home look well cared for – and potentially more aesthetically pleasing and protects your home from damp and expensive decoration/replastering inside. This is an investment in your home.
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The bottom line:
No-one goes into lime pointing work to become wealthy. It is a job that crafts people do because they enjoy it. There are also enough people skilled in lime pointing to keep a sensible market price.
There are different factors that affect every job but Gladstone Pointing Limited’s quotations are broken down so you can see what you’re paying for and can make choices.