Mortar crumbling or cracked along your brick? We carefully cut out the worn joints and refill them with mortar suited to your brick.
Brick pointing, also called repointing or tuckpointing, means cutting the worn mortar out of the joints and packing in fresh mortar while the bricks stay in the wall. We do it for homes in Antioch, CA and the cities around it.
Most people call when they see sandy mortar on the ground under a wall, gaps where a joint used to be, or a thin crack along the edge of a brick. That's the mortar wearing out, and it nearly always goes long before the brick does, because the joints are meant to be the softer part you replace. Pointing renews them without taking the wall apart.
Three things drive the price. The first is how many joints need cutting out, the second is how high the work sits, and the third is how soft or thin your brick is, since fragile brick takes slower work. Matching an old mortar color adds time too. The schedule turns mostly on how much wall we're redoing and on whether the city needs to weigh in first. My written estimate spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
Before anyone picks up a chisel, a few things decide how the job should go. These are the ones I talk through with homeowners on almost every pointing estimate.
Joints rarely wear evenly. Often a low course near a sprinkler, the top of a garden wall or one side of a chimney has gone while the rest is fine. When only part of the wall needs work, I'll say so and we'll repoint that part, because there's no sense cutting out sound mortar just to make the job bigger.
Some crews skim fresh mortar or grout across the face of the old joints. It looks tidy for a while, but surface grouting can't do the work of repointing, and preservation guidance doesn't recommend it on historic brick. We cut the old mortar out and pack new mortar in, so the new joint has something sound to hold onto.
Sometimes a white, powdery haze shows up on the brick in the first few months after repointing. That's efflorescence, which is salts working out of the wall, and it usually fades as the wall weathers. If it hangs on, the safe fix is a stiff natural or nylon brush, used dry first and then wet. Muriatic acid generally doesn't work on it.
Here's how it goes from your first call to the last walk-around. I'm the one who looks at your wall, and I stay on site while our crew does the pointing.
Call (925) 503-1025 or fill out the form. If you can, send a few photos of the worn joints and tell me roughly how old the house is. Most of the time I'm the one who gets back to you.
I come out myself, check the joints and the brick, and look for what wore them out. Then I tell you what I see and send a written estimate showing which joints we'll redo and what we'll leave alone.
If you go ahead, we handle any permit the job needs. Our crew covers walks, windows and plants, cuts out the old mortar and packs in the new, and I'm on site while the work gets done.
When the joints are done and the site is cleaned up, we walk the wall together so you can see the work up close. I'll point out anything worth keeping an eye on.
We mix the mortar to suit your brick, not the strongest bag on the truck. The joints are supposed to be the part that gives. A mix harder than the brick around it works against the wall instead of protecting it, so I look at your brick and your old mortar before we decide what goes in.
We also take our time cutting out the old joints. Power saws are the usual tool for this, and on thin brick joints they almost always chip the brick edges and cut too far into the short vertical joints. On soft brick, a fast hand with a power tool can do real damage. Slow, careful removal keeps the edges clean, so the new joints look crisp and the brick isn't weakened.
Pointing fixes worn joints. It won't fix whatever cracked them in the first place. If I see stair-step cracks through the brick or joints that keep opening up, the house may be moving, and it may need foundation repair before fresh mortar will last. Chimneys get the same joint work, but a loose crown or cracked flue is chimney repair, and I'll tell you which one you need.
Joints can be tooled into a shallow curve, left flush with the brick or set back a little. Matching the shape already on your house keeps a repair from standing out.
We can tint the mortar to blend with weathered joints when only part of the wall is redone, or pick a clean new color when we're repointing the whole face. A test patch lets you see the dried color before we commit.
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day, most of the time from me. I'll set a time to come out, look at your joints and give you a free written estimate at your property. There's no pressure to book.
(925) 503-1025In Antioch, building permits go through the City of Antioch Building Division, and you apply on the city's online permit portal. I won't guess whether repointing by itself needs a permit. The Division answers questions about what a project needs by phone or email before an application goes in, so we check with them before work starts. If your job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections.
The city also requires Design Review approval for exterior changes to existing buildings. If your plans go past renewing the joints you have, such as a new mortar color across the front of the house, ask early whether that review applies, and we'll find out with you.
Around Antioch we point brick fronts, chimneys, planters and garden walls on houses old and new. We're based here and work in the cities around it, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. If you're not sure we cover your address, call and ask.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done, so the person who looked at your wall is the one watching the joints go in. I started as a helper mixing mortar and hauling block, learned from masons with decades in the trade, and opened this business in Antioch in 2023.
We're licensed and insured. I'd rather fix why mortar failed than cover it up, and I'll tell you straight when your wall needs a smaller job than you expected. We back the work with satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If your joints are wearing out, call (925) 503-1025 or send us the form.
When cracks step diagonally through your brick or reopen after they're filled, the house may be moving, and that needs fixing before new mortar can hold.
If the crown, cap or flue on top of your chimney is damaged along with the joints, a fuller chimney repair is what keeps water out.
These cities around Antioch have their own page on our site. They aren't the only places we work, so if yours isn't listed, call (925) 503-1025 and ask.
There's no set price, because every wall is different, so I give you a written figure after I've seen yours. A few square feet of worn joints on a garden wall is a small job. A whole side of a house, or a chimney that needs ladders or scaffolding, takes more setup and more hours. If something caused the wear, I'll price that fix separately.
Your brick likely needs repointing if the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles when you rub it, or has holes or hairline cracks. Cracks between the brick and the mortar count too. You can check all of this yourself before you call, and photos of what you find help me plan the visit.
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the brick itself can go well over 100. So on a brick house the joints wear out first, and repointing is normal upkeep rather than a sign the wall is failing. If your joints are original and the house has some years on it, they may simply be due.
Mortar made before the early 1900s was mostly lime and softer, so new mortar should be equal to or weaker than the old. Stronger mortar stresses old brick and causes spalling, where the brick face flakes off. One brick industry guide says Type O is often used on older brickwork and Type N may suit newer. Ask any mason what mix they plan.
In California, laying brick and building walls with or without mortar falls under a masonry contractor license from the state contractor board. A general contractor with a "B" license can take a masonry job if it also holds that masonry class or hires a licensed masonry contractor to do it. Ask who'll actually be pointing your wall.
Clear a few feet along the wall, trim back plants, and move patio furniture and cars away, because cutting out mortar throws dust. How long it takes depends on how much wall we're redoing and whether the city needs to weigh in first. I'll give you a realistic idea when I write the estimate.
A few photos and the rough age of your house tell me what to look for before I come out, so call (925) 503-1025 or use the form.
