Qualified bricklaying and repointing in Maidstone
Get brickwork that is straight, strong and matched to your property. Every job is led by Michael Speller, a City & Guilds bricklayer with NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Brickwork.
City & Guilds · NVQ Level 2 & 3 Brickwork · Free written quote
City & Guilds
Qualified bricklayer
NVQ Level 2 & 3
In Brickwork
10-yr / 5-yr
Roofing / paving guarantees
Team of 4
Plus trusted trades
24/7
Emergency roofing
Service overview
Bricklaying & Repointing: what you need to know
What it is
Bricklaying covers new walls, extensions, garden and boundary walls, piers, steps and repairs to existing brickwork. Repointing means raking out failing mortar joints and refilling them with fresh mortar so the wall stays weathertight and looks sharp again.
Who it is for
Homeowners with crumbling joints or damaged brickwork, people building garden walls or extensions, and commercial clients who need new or repaired masonry. If you care about how the finished wall looks, a qualified bricklayer makes a visible difference.
When you need it
Repointing is needed when mortar is recessed, crumbling or falling out, or when damp patches appear inside on external walls. New brickwork is needed for extensions, boundary walls, retaining walls and repairs after damage or movement.
Why professional work matters
Brickwork is the face of your property and it is very hard to hide poor work. Uneven courses, the wrong mortar or a bad colour match are obvious for decades. The right mortar mix also matters: too hard a mortar on older brick can cause the bricks themselves to crack and spall.
The risk of waiting
What happens when brickwork is left or done badly
Failing mortar and poor brickwork rarely stay cosmetic. Water finds its way in and the damage grows.
Damp inside the house
Open mortar joints let rain soak into walls, leading to damp patches, peeling paint and mould on internal walls.
Frost damage
Water in brickwork freezes and expands in winter, breaking up mortar and the faces of the bricks.
Loose and unstable walls
Garden and boundary walls with failed mortar can lean, bulge and eventually collapse.
Lower property value
Patchy, mismatched brickwork and smeared joints are obvious to buyers and surveyors.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pointing over old mortar without raking it out properly.
- Using hard cement mortar on soft older brick.
- Choosing a bricklayer based on price alone without seeing their work.
- Ignoring small areas of failed pointing until damp appears inside.
Our process
How your bricklaying & repointing job runs
Step 1
Free site visit
Michael looks at the brickwork, the type of brick and mortar, and what needs doing.
Step 2
Written quotation
You get a clear written quote so you know exactly what is included.
Step 3
Preparation
Old mortar is raked out, or foundations and bases are prepared for new walls.
Step 4
Brickwork or pointing
Bricks are laid to line and level, or joints are filled with a matched mortar and finished to suit the wall.
Step 5
Clean down and handover
The work is cleaned down and checked with you before we leave.
What you get
Why homeowners choose Speller
Qualified hands
City & Guilds trained with NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Brickwork.
Matched finish
Brick, bond and mortar colour are matched so repairs blend in.
Weathertight walls
Properly repointed joints keep water out and reduce damp inside.
Long-lasting work
The right mortar for the brick means the wall lasts rather than cracking.
Straight lines
Courses laid to line and level give a clean, professional look.
No-obligation quote
Free site visit and written quote before you commit.
In detail
Brickwork services in detail
From a short run of repointing to a full extension, these are the brickwork jobs we carry out across Maidstone and Kent.
Repointing
We rake joints out to a proper depth, clean them and refill with mortar matched in strength and colour to your brick. Joint profiles such as flush, bucket handle or weathered are chosen to suit the building.
Older properties often need a softer mortar so the joint, not the brick, takes any movement.
New walls and extensions
Facing brickwork for extensions, porches and outbuildings, laid in the bond and colour that suits your home. We also build blockwork inner leaves and walls that will be rendered.
Garden, boundary and retaining walls
Freestanding garden walls, boundary walls, piers and retaining walls all need suitable foundations and copings to keep water off the top. Retaining walls need drainage behind them to stop water pressure pushing them over.
Repairs and rebuilds
Cracked, bulging or damaged sections can be cut out and rebuilt, matching the original brick as closely as possible.
Residential and commercial
We carry out brickwork for homeowners and commercial clients. Commercial work often involves larger areas and tighter programmes, which we plan into the quote.
Bricklaying & Repointing across Maidstone and Kent
We are based in Maidstone and carry out bricklaying & repointing for homeowners and businesses across the towns and villages below, as well as wider Kent, London and the South East. Wherever you are, the process is the same: a free site visit, a written quote and the work led by Michael on site.
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Maidstone
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Bearsted
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Aylesford
- Bricklaying & Repointing in West Malling & Kings Hill
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Tonbridge
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Tunbridge Wells
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Sevenoaks
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Chatham
- Bricklaying & Repointing in Headcorn
Guide
A homeowner's guide to brickwork and repointing
How to tell if your wall needs repointing
Run a key or coin along a mortar joint. If mortar crumbles out easily, the joint is recessed more than a few millimetres behind the brick face, or you can see gaps and hairline cracks along the joints, the wall is due for attention. Inside, look for damp patches on external walls after heavy rain, particularly at high level or around chimneys.
Why mortar choice matters so much
Mortar should be slightly weaker than the brick around it, so that any movement or frost damage happens in the joint, which is cheap to repoint, rather than the brick face, which is expensive to replace. Many older Kent houses were built with soft bricks and lime-based mortars. Repointing these with a hard cement mix traps moisture and can cause brick faces to blow off within a few winters.
Matching brick on repairs and extensions
Brick varies in colour, size, texture and age. When we rebuild a section or add to a building, we look at the existing brick, the bond pattern and the joint finish, then source and lay to match as closely as possible. Careful matching can help repairs blend in and extensions sit more naturally with the existing house.
Typical brickwork jobs around Maidstone
Common jobs include repointing chimneys and gable ends, rebuilding garden and boundary walls that have leaned or cracked, building new piers and gate posts, cutting out and replacing spalled bricks, and laying facing brick for porches and extensions. Each is led on site by Michael, so the quality of the finished face is checked by the person who quoted it.
Preparing for a brickwork job
Clear access to the wall where possible and let us know about any plants, fixtures or drains near the work area. For repointing at height we will discuss access at the site visit, so you know what to expect before work starts and how long the wall will be covered.
How quoting and payment work
Every bricklaying & repointing enquiry starts with a free, no-obligation site visit and a written quotation, so you can see exactly what is included before deciding. On larger projects we take a one-third deposit to secure materials, and the balance is split across 3 to 4 stage payments agreed before work starts.
Who will be on site
Work is led by Michael Speller, a City & Guilds qualified bricklayer with NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Brickwork, with a core team of four. Where your project needs electrical or plumbing work, we bring in trusted subcontracted trades and coordinate them, so you deal with one contractor throughout. We hold public liability insurance.
Questions
Bricklaying & Repointing FAQs
How much does repointing cost?
It depends on the area, height, access and condition of the joints. Book a free site visit for a written quote.
How long does repointing last?
Done properly with the right mortar, repointing should last for many years. Rushed work over old mortar fails much sooner.
What qualifications do you hold?
Michael Speller is a City & Guilds qualified bricklayer with NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Brickwork.
Can you match my existing brick?
Yes. Matching brick, bond and mortar colour is a core part of the job.
How long will the job take?
That depends on the size of the job. Your written quote will include a realistic timescale.
Is the work guaranteed?
Our published guarantees are 10 years on roofing and 5 years on paving. Ask Michael about terms for brickwork at your site visit.
Do you build garden walls?
Yes, including boundary walls, piers and retaining walls with suitable foundations and drainage.
Do you cover Bearsted and Aylesford?
Yes, as well as Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, wider Kent, London and the South East.
Get brickwork that looks right and lasts
Book a free site visit with a qualified bricklayer and receive a written quote.
City & Guilds qualified · Free written quote · No obligation