jamesandtaylor limited | Terracotta Tile Facade | Facing Brick System | Facade Metal

Installation/Injection of Mortar

Brick slips inserted into the Barracuda brick slip support system can be left 'un-mortared' for a limited period of time until it is possible/practicable to mortar that area brick slip façade. Should an area of brick slip façade be left un-mortared, it is important to ensure that mechanical forces [forces other than those derived from the action of wind] do not dislodge or disturb the brick slips. It is recommended that areas of un-mortared brick slips should be cordoned off to prevent access by other trades that are less likely to exercise the same degree of care as the brick slip façade contractor. Brick slips installed into the Barracuda brick slip support system should be mortared as soon as it is possible/practicable to do so. Brick slips installed into the Barracuda brick slip support system must not be left un-mortared for any longer than a 2 week period. All areas accessible to the public or site personnel beneath any area of brick slip façade must be adequately protected from falling debris during the entirety of the construction process.

With the brick slips fully inserted into the Barracuda brick slip support system and the brick slips in their finalised position, mortar must be injected into the perpend and bed joints between the brick slips. James & Taylor recommend the use of CPI Euromix mortar M1ANPM000 [or an alternative mortar with equivalent usage and performance characteristics].

There are a number of different mortar injection methods/delivery systems; entirely manual [pump type] guns, electromechanical or pneumatic. The brick slip façade contractor might have their own preference and all can be adequately effective if properly used. James & Taylor recommend the use of an electromechanical auger under hopper device because this will tend not to squeeze the water from the mix and as a result will be less susceptible to clogging. James & Taylor recommend the use of the Quickpoint Plus Electric Mortar Pointing System by Sunrise Tools & Equipment [or alternative with equivalent usage and performance characteristics].

If possible, inject mortar into the joints, working down the panel, from top to bottom. This will tend to keep the panel cleaner. Inject mortar into the perpend joints first. Fill the perpend joints from the bottom up making sure that the perpend joints are fully filled.

Inject a number of perpend joints first but not too many and then fully fill the bed joints. Usually, injecting 3 or four courses of perpend joints across an area 1.5 to 2M long and then revisiting/falling back to fully fill the bed joints provides a good working rhythm for a single operative.

It is important that the bed joints are adequately filled so that the mortar envelopes the teeth on the Barracuda rails.

Fill all of the joints so that they are flush or just proud of the surface of the brick slips. Fill all of the joints adequately so that when they are 'tooled off', the mortar is suitably compacted by the tooling off process. The mortar joint face profile must be a shallow [22mm or 7/8"] 'Bucket Handle' profile.

Never work with [inject] mortar into the Barracuda brick slip support system when it is too cold [below the minimum temperature recommended by the mortar manufacturer] or when it is likely to become too cold before the mortar has adequately set. Never mortar when it is raining unless you can be certain that the work area/brick slips are adequately protected/shielded from the rain. Allow 28 days for the mortar to attain its maximum [working] strength.