Dorking's older buildings sit at the foot of the North Downs and were built from whatever the Mole Valley provided: soft Surrey brick, knapped flint, and bands of local stone. Walls here often combine all three in a single elevation, which is why they cannot be repaired as though they were plain brickwork.
Surrey Stone Stucco Ltd restores brick, flint and stone across RH4 and RH5. Flint walling in particular is a trade of its own, and it is one of the reasons Dorking property owners tend to come to us rather than a general builder.
Flint Fails at the Mortar, Not the Flint
Flint is close to indestructible. The mortar holding it is not, and on a Dorking boundary or garden wall that is almost always where the failure starts. Once joints wash out, individual flints work loose and whole panels can come away in a frost.
Rebedding flint properly is slow work. Each piece is set back the way it was laid, in a lime mortar that suits the wall, so the face keeps its original texture rather than turning into a mortar wall with flints pressed into it. Call 0208 087 0657 and we will come and look.
What We Do in Dorking
Soft Surrey Brick and Hard Modern Repairs
Much of Dorking's older brick is softer than the London stocks we work on further north, and it suffers badly when someone points it in a hard cement mix. The mortar survives, the brick face blows, and the wall ends up worse than before the repair.
We take those repairs out, make good the damaged brick, and repoint in lime. It is the same principle across every material here: the mortar should always be the part that gives way first.
Dorking Brick and Stone FAQs
Straight answers to the questions Dorking customers ask us most.
Do you repair flint walls?
Yes, and it is one of the jobs we are asked for most around Dorking. Loose flints are rebedded and the wall repointed in lime so the original face and texture are kept.
My garden wall is losing flints after the winter. Is it worth saving?
Almost always. Flint walls fail at the joints rather than the stone, so rebedding and repointing usually restores them without a rebuild.
Can you match the older Surrey brick on my house?
Yes. We source reclaimed brick of the right colour and texture rather than using modern equivalents, which matters more here because the local brick is softer and lighter than London stock.
Someone pointed my wall in cement and the bricks are now crumbling. Can it be put right?
Yes, and it is common work for us. We remove the cement carefully, replace the bricks that have blown, and repoint in a lime mix that lets the wall dry out again.
Which areas around Dorking do you cover?
RH4 and RH5 including the town, Westcott, Brockham, Betchworth and the Mole Valley villages, plus Leatherhead and Reigate.
Talk to us about your property in Dorking
We are in the Mole Valley regularly and are happy to look at a flint or brick wall before you commit to anything. Call 0208 087 0657 or send us a message for a free, no obligation quote and survey.