How much does repointing cost in the UK? (2026)
Verified UK repointing prices for 2026 per square metre and by property size, the lime-versus-cement mortar choice that makes or breaks a period wall, and the cheap shortcut that fails within years.
Repointing in the UK in 2026 costs £45 to £110 per square metre, which puts a terraced house around £1,300 to £3,250 and a detached house up to £7,250. The headline rate is the easy part. The decision that actually matters is the mortar: get lime versus cement wrong on a period wall and a cheap job causes years of damp damage.
Quick answer
UK repointing in 2026: £45-£110 per m². A 30m² wall is £600-£1,500, a terraced house £1,300-£3,250, a semi £1,900-£4,750, and a detached house £2,900-£7,250. Lime mortar (period homes) runs £60-£90 per m². Scaffolding for upper floors adds £500-£1,000+.
How to read this guide#
Two kinds of figures appear below:
- Headline price ranges (per m² and by property size): cross-referenced against MyJobQuote's UK 2026 repointing guide. Source listed at the bottom.
- Practical guidance (mortar choice, raking out, finish): standard UK practice and conservation best practice, for context rather than figure-by-figure verification.
Headline ranges (verified)#
Repointing by area and property, UK 2026:
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| 30m² brick wall | £600 – £1,500 |
| 50m² brick wall | £1,000 – £2,500 |
| Chimney stack (incl. access) | £800 – £1,300 |
| Terraced house (65m²) | £1,300 – £3,250 |
| Semi-detached (95m²) | £1,900 – £4,750 |
| Detached (145m²) | £2,900 – £7,250 |
A two-person team covers roughly 8 to 15m² a day. Scaffolding for anything above ground floor adds £500 to £1,000 or more and should be a separate line.
Practical guidance (industry standard)#
Lime or cement: the choice that matters most#
This is the difference between a repair that protects the wall and one that slowly destroys it:
- Period and solid-wall homes (broadly pre-1919) were built with lime mortar. They must be repointed in lime so the wall can breathe. Lime costs more, around £60 to £90 per m², and cures slowly.
- Modern cavity-wall homes are usually fine with a cement-based mix at the lower end of the range.
Using hard cement mortar on a lime-built wall is the classic false economy: it traps moisture against the softer brick, which then spalls and crumbles. The SPAB guidance on repointing explains why period walls need lime. If your home is Victorian or older, a quote offering cheap cement pointing is a red flag, not a bargain.
Raking out: where the quality is#
Proper repointing rakes out the old mortar to a depth of about twice the joint width before refilling, giving the new mortar something to grip. The cheap shortcut is smearing fresh mortar over the existing joints without raking out, sometimes called bagging or scudding. It looks acceptable for a season, then cracks and falls out. A fair quote states the raking-out depth.
Matching the finish#
Good pointing matches the original in three ways: mortar colour, joint profile (flush, weatherstruck, bucket-handle), and strength (the mortar should be weaker than the brick, never harder). On a period property, the original pointing is often best seen under the eaves where it is sheltered, and a good contractor will match it.
What affects the price#
- Mortar. Lime costs more than cement and is slower to work.
- Access. Upper floors need scaffolding; chimneys need a tower.
- Condition. Deeply eroded or previously cement-pointed walls take longer to rake out.
- Region. London and the South-East run 25-40% above the national rate.
- Weather. Lime work should avoid frost and is best outside winter.
What is often excluded#
- Scaffolding or access towers for anything above ground floor.
- Removing old cement pointing from a period wall, which is slow and delicate.
- Brick repair or replacement where frost or cement has spalled the faces.
- Making good to paths and planting after access.
For related masonry finishes, see the rendering guide, and for the damp problems that bad pointing causes, the damp proofing guide. Chimney pointing often comes up alongside a chimney removal or repair.
Red flags in a repointing quote#
- Cement mortar on a period (pre-1919) home. The single biggest mistake.
- No raking-out depth stated, which usually means a smear-over job.
- No mortar type or mix named.
- Scaffolding left out on an upper-floor or whole-house job.
- A rate well below £45 per m², which rarely covers proper raking out and finishing.
Comparing your quote#
If you have a repointing quote, check the mortar type suits your wall, the raking-out depth is stated, and access is included. The faster way is to paste or upload your quote into Check the Quote: we check every line against current UK rates for your postcode, flag anything above the fair range, and tell you what is missing from the scope. Your first check is free.
Got a quote you want checked?
Paste any UK contractor quote and Check the Quote compares every line item against current market rates, flags missing scope, and runs a Companies House check on the contractor. Free on your first project.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does repointing cost in the UK in 2026?
- Repointing typically costs £45-£110 per square metre. A 30m² wall is roughly £600-£1,500, a terraced house (65m²) £1,300-£3,250, a semi (95m²) £1,900-£4,750, and a detached house (145m²) £2,900-£7,250 (MyJobQuote, 2026). Scaffolding for upper floors adds £500-£1,000 or more.
- Should I use lime or cement mortar?
- It depends on the wall. Older and period properties (broadly pre-1919, solid-wall) were built with lime mortar and must be repointed in lime, which costs more (£60-£90 per m²) but lets the wall breathe. Using hard cement mortar on a lime-built wall traps moisture and damages the brick over time. Modern cavity-wall homes are usually fine with a cement-based mix.
- How can I tell if repointing has been done properly?
- Good repointing rakes out the old mortar to roughly twice the joint width before refilling, then finishes the joint to match the original profile and colour. The cheap shortcut is smearing new mortar over the old without raking out (sometimes called bagging or scudding), which looks fine briefly then cracks and falls out within a few years.
- How long does repointing take?
- A two-person team typically completes 8 to 15 square metres a day, so a terraced house can take several days to a week plus scaffolding time. Lime mortar work is slower because it cures gradually and should be protected from frost, heavy rain, and rapid drying while it sets.
- Why is one repointing quote much cheaper than another?
- Usually because the cheap one skips raking out, uses cement instead of lime, or leaves out scaffolding. A low per-metre rate that smears over old joints is a false economy: it fails quickly and can trap damp in a period wall. A fair quote states the mortar type, the raking-out depth, and the finish.