Q: I live in San Francisco and have brick stairs with a landing leading to my entry door. The brick and mortar is original (about 1928), and during the recent rains, I have noticed that the wood ...

When the mortar between bricks starts to fail, more significant problems will begin to emerge. Water will have an easier passage into the structure of your home, leading to unwanted damp issues.

Repointing brickwork is usually required at least once or twice per century. Wear, weather and structural stresses cause the mortar between bricks to deteriorate over the decades, until you’re left ...