Is brick mortar repair as easy as it looks?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have a brick front porch that has some gaps between the bricks, looks like it’s probably freeze-thaw damage. I’m an avid DIY’er but have never done masonry. A few sources say just wet the surface, mix up the mortar, shove it in, and finish it.

Is it really an easy DIY job? I am thinking that if you don’t get the consistency of the mortar right then you are in for big problems later. One source suggests continuing to mist it for a couple of days to keep it from drying too fast.

So is this easy, or is it deceptive?

2

Based purely on my observation, it *looks *easy to do when you watch a professional at work. An amateur’s work often looks like crap.

3

^ what he said.

The person I work for currently has had me do some basic mortar repair work, but only on things that would later be repainted or covered. No, my work doesn’t look as good as his (though it is getting better).

Particularly annoying is having to match colors if the mortar is colored.

If you’re good at following directions you can probably do a halfway OK job on your own porch. It may well look better than it does now. Just be aware that it can be more frustrating that it initially appears to be, and to allow at least 2-3 times more time to get it done and the mess cleaned up than you think it will take.