Mortar crumbling or cracking between your bricks? We cut out the worn joints, fill them with a matched mortar, and leave the sound ones alone.
Tuckpointing, which masons also call repointing, means cutting out the worn mortar between the bricks or blocks of your wall and filling those joints with fresh mortar. For homes in Wellington, FL, it makes the wall look right again and cuts down on the water getting inside, so small damage stays small.
Most people call us after they notice sandy grit at the foot of a wall, joints that sit back from the brick face, or a crack that zigzags along the mortar lines. That's usually old mortar wearing out, and I'd rather walk you around it and show you what's going on before you pay anyone to touch it.
The price comes down to how many joints have actually failed, how high and easy to reach the wall is, how many cracked bricks need replacing along with the mortar, and how much work it takes to match the color of your old mortar. The schedule turns on the same things, plus the time you take to check the mortar match, and your estimate spells out what we'll do and why so you're not guessing.
You'll deal with the same people from the first call until the last joint is finished, and you'll know what's happening at each step.
After you call or send a message, I'm the one who comes to your house, the same as I have since I started this business in Wellington in 2020. We'll walk the wall together, and I'll point out which joints have failed and answer whatever you want to ask.
I write you an estimate that lists the joints we'd cut out, the mortar we'd use and the reason for each. If part of your wall doesn't need fixing, the estimate says that too.
We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to see the paperwork at the estimate. Once you say yes, our crew does the work and I keep you posted on what's next.
If you see the word tuckpointing on a quote, from us or anyone else, I'll tell you which kind of finish it means, because to some masons it's plain repointing and to others it's a decorative joint with a thin ribbon of mortar along each line. Then we choose the mortar, and the guidance from masonry trade groups is that new mortar should be equal to or weaker than what's already in your wall, since stronger mortar stresses older brick and leads to spalling, where the brick face chips and flakes off. The sand and the type of cement both set the color, so we put a small sample of the new mortar in a hidden spot and let you see the match before we go further. Once you're happy with it, we cut out the failed joints and repoint them the way the steps below lay out.
Sometimes the mortar isn't the only problem. Where bricks have cracked along with the joints, we can take care of them through our brick repair work, and if you're also thinking about the ground in front of the house, we lay driveway pavers too.
Repointing is slow, careful work, and most of the care goes into the parts you won't see once it's done.
We cover plants, windows and walkways near the wall so mortar dust doesn't settle on them, then mark the joints we agreed to replace. Anything outside those marks stays as it is.
New mortar only bonds well once all of the worn mortar is out of the joint, so we cut each one back to clean, sound material. Power tools are faster but can chip the brick around the joint, which is one more reason to keep the cutting to the joints that need it.
We pack fresh mortar firmly into each joint and tool it to the finish you picked, so the new lines sit the same as the old ones around them. The mix is the one you already saw in the sample.
When we're done, we brush off mortar smears, haul away debris and walk the wall with you so you can see every joint we touched. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, so if something doesn't look right to you, say so while we're standing there.
Fill out the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out, look at your walls with you and write a free estimate, and there's no obligation to book.
(561) 268-0510Your wall needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than ¼ inch from the brick face, crumbles, shows hairline cracks or gaps, or when bricks are cracking along with the joints. Those are the signs masonry trade groups point to, and they also say to have a mason look at the wall before you plan a full job, which is why I come out and look first.
Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while the brick itself lasts about 100 years or more. Since the brick outlives its mortar, you can expect a wall to need repointing now and then over the life of the house.
Usually not, because only the joints that have failed need repair, and original joints in good shape are better than repointed ones. Repointing takes a lot of labor, so leaving the sound joints alone keeps your best mortar in the wall and keeps the labor down.
Ask to see the contractor's county or state license and their liability and workers' compensation insurance, which is what Palm Beach County advises homeowners to do. Any contractor you'd want on your wall should hand those over without a fuss.
Wellington applies the Florida Existing Building Code to repairs and alterations on existing buildings, so repointing a wall on your home falls under that state code. The county enforces state and county rules for contractors and requires the ones who work here to be certified and insured, which matters when you're letting someone cut into a wall that's already standing.
Most of our calls come from Wellington and the cities around it, and the mortar trouble we see shows up on brick-faced homes as often as on block garden walls, planters and columns. We do the same repointing work in Royal Palm Beach, The Acreage, West Palm Beach and beyond, with the same careful approach.
Have a few close-up photos of the cracked or crumbling joints ready when you call (561) 268-0510 or fill out the form, because they help me see what we're dealing with before I come out.
If you've got a question about the mortar in your walls, I'm happy to talk it through before you decide anything.
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