Pointing

The builders have started on the pointing of the stonework in the last couple of days. Initially they were doing a flush pointing, but we have asked them to brush it back a little so that the stones show up a little more. The mortar joints are rather larger than we had hoped, so to brush back the pointing de-emphasises them a little.

The intention was to have the pointing complete by today as the scaffolding is going up on Monday and they don't want to have to work underneath it. However it is not finished, though one of the guys has asked if he can come and work on Sunday. They were probably aware that they wouldn't get it done because they are pointing from the top down rather than the bottom up, just so that the incomplete parts are clear of the scaffold components.

The pointing mortar is a 7:1:1 cocktail of sand:mortar:lime and the proportions are mixed using a bucket rather than by the shovel full, just to ensure accuracy and hence consistency of colour. I am quite interested in this part of the work, because the pointing of the rest of the house is in poor condition, and I want a feel for how difficult it is going to be to redo it (not this year !).