sm_jamieson wrote:

On 23 Sep, 10:41, Poster wrote:
Part of the frontage of my 1930's semi is in Accrington brick up to
the level of the sill of the front room bay window. The remainder of
the frontage is rendered and painted white.
The Accrington brickwork requires repointing and a couple of firms are
giving me estimates. One tells me that mastic is the best material to
use the other tells me red sand and cement is best. Both say that a
rub down with oil will give a good appearance.
I know nothing of these things. What is the groups opinion on the best
way to go, please, mastic or sand and cement?

Don

Not answering the question, but what is different about "accrington"
brick to any other brick ?
Using mastic to repoint bricks sounds bizzarre, also rubbing down with
oil.
Are these bricks glazed or something ?


Accrington brick is a bright red and has a semi-glazed appearance. It
is highly water- and acid-resistant. It was extremely popular in the
Lancashire mill towns where high rainfall, winter freeze/thaw cycles
and acid rain from the mill chimneys made for a very aggressive
environment that demanded a very durable brick.

In these towns, the only other way to get a waterproof building was to
use stone, which was of course much more expensive.

Accrington bricks have continued to be used as engineering bricks in
demanding environments from the 1880s until 2008. Sadly, the closure
of the Accrington brick works, part of Marshalls, now owned by the
Hanson Group, itself a subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement, was announced
only yesterday.

http://www.nori-acidbrick.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smallbr...ld/2542906952/