Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks lets water in. We cut out the worn joints and repoint them with mortar suited to your wall.
Tuckpointing in Appleton means cutting the worn mortar out of the joints in your brick or stone walls and packing new mortar in its place, which gives the wall sound joints again while the brick itself stays where it is.
Most calls start with a homeowner who has noticed something off: sand collecting on a sill, a joint soft enough to scratch with a key, or a chimney that looks patchy from the street. Those are signs the mortar is wearing out. If the joints are left alone, water works into the wall, and that's usually when the bricks themselves start to crack and flake.
The price moves with how much wall needs new joints, how deep the old mortar has worn, how high the work sits, since chimneys and second-story walls need scaffolding, and how closely the old mortar has to be matched. The schedule turns on the weather and on fixing whatever caused the wear first. My written estimate sets out what we'd do and why.
Tuckpointing looks simple from the sidewalk, but whether it holds up comes down to a few things done carefully at the wall. Here is what I look for in the work.
New mortar only holds if it has something solid to bond to, so we cut the old joints back to an even depth, past the loose and powdery material, and clear out the dust before anything new goes in. Filling over crumbling mortar only hides the problem, and that kind of patch tends to fall out within a few seasons.
Some homeowners are offered a thin grout spread across the face of the wall as a quicker fix. It can't do the work of repointing, because the worn mortar underneath stays in place, and preservation guidance doesn't recommend it for older masonry. When joints are failing, they need to come out and go back in properly.
Fresh mortar can stand out against a wall that has weathered for decades, so the sand, the shade of the mortar and the shape of the joint all matter. We tool the new joints to the same profile as the old ones, whether curved, flat or recessed, so the repair reads as part of the house.
From your first call to the final walk-around, here is how a tuckpointing job with us usually goes, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call us at (920) 454-9038, email hi@appletonconcreteandmasonry.com or use our contact form, and let us know which walls or chimney are showing worn joints. We'll set a time for me to come out and look.
I look closely at the worn joints and at whatever is wearing them down, and I answer your questions on the spot. Then I write up an estimate that explains what we'd do and why.
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs and agree on a start date with you. Our masons then cut out the worn joints and repoint them, one section at a time.
Before we leave, I go over the finished walls with you and we clean up the dust and mortar from the work area. Keeping gutters clear and downspouts aimed away from the house helps the new joints last.
Before we repoint, I want to know what wore the joints down, because new mortar fails just as quickly if the cause is still there. On most houses it's water, from a gutter that overflows, a downspout that empties against the wall or a broken brick letting rain behind the face. Bricks that have cracked through need brick repair alongside the joints, and we deal with the cause first.
We also look at what sits right against the wall. A walk or driveway that has settled and now tips water toward the house will keep soaking the lowest rows of brick, so resetting it as driveway pavers on a properly sloped base can carry that water away before it reaches your new joints.
We schedule around the forecast so new mortar gets dry, mild days to set, and that can mean moving a start date when a cold or wet stretch is coming. Cutting out joints is loud and dusty work, and taller walls or chimneys may need scaffolding up for a while, so we'll let you know about both ahead of time.
Repointing only the worn sections costs less, though the new joints can look brighter until they weather in. Redoing a whole wall gives an even finish. When the rest of your joints are sound, I'll recommend the smaller job.
Sending samples of the old mortar to a lab tells us exactly what it's made of, but testing adds a good deal to the cost. Many houses don't need it, and I'll tell you plainly whether I think yours does.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come and look at your walls. The estimate is free, done at your home and written out so you can see what we'd do and why. There's no obligation to go ahead.
(920) 454-9038Whether a tuckpointing job needs a permit is the city's call, so we check with the City of Appleton Inspection Division before work starts. You can reach the division at (920) 832-6411. When a job does need a permit, we pull it ourselves and keep the paperwork in order. If you live in the house, the city also lets owners take out permits for their own projects.
Before the city issues a permit for work on a one- or two-family home, the state requires it to check the contractor's Wisconsin dwelling contractor certifications. That makes it fair to ask any mason you're considering for those certification numbers before you sign anything.
We're based in Appleton and work in the cities around it, including Grand Chute and Neenah. Across the area we see a lot of older brick homes and chimneys whose joints have worn back over the years, most often low on the wall or under a gutter that spills.
I spent my first working years at a desk, and I left because I wanted to build things that would still be standing long after I'd finished. I learned masonry under experienced masons around Appleton and started this business in 2013. Careful mortar work on older brick and stone homes is still what we're best known for.
I'll be the one who looks at your walls and writes the estimate, and I'll point out the joints that need work and the ones that don't, because I'd rather do a smaller job well than sell you more than your house needs. Our crew of experienced masons does the repointing, and I check it as it goes.
We're licensed and fully insured. Every job we do is satisfaction guaranteed. If you'd like me to take a look, please call (920) 454-9038 or send us a note through our contact form, and thank you for considering us.
When the bricks themselves have cracked, flaked or come loose, we cut them out and set matching ones in so the wall is sound around its new joints.
A paver driveway laid on a packed, properly pitched base carries rain away from your walls instead of letting it pool against the lowest courses of brick.
We're based in Appleton and repoint brick and stone homes in the cities around it. Find your city below to see what we do there, and know that we work in many nearby places not listed.
Your mortar needs repointing when it has worn back more than about a quarter inch from the brick face, crumbles, shows hairline cracks or gaps, or when bricks are cracking along with the joints. That's where masonry trade guidance draws the line, and you can check your own walls for these signs before you ask for an estimate.
Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while brick lasts about 100 years or more, according to masonry trade guidance. That gap is the whole reason for tuckpointing, because the joints wear out while the brick still has decades left. Repointing when the joints are due keeps the brick from taking the damage instead.
The new mortar should be equal to or weaker than the mortar already in your wall. Trade guidance warns that a stronger mortar puts stress on older masonry and leads to spalling, where the face of the brick breaks away. It's worth asking any mason how they'll match your old mix, and I'll explain how we'd match yours.
Tuckpointing needs thawed brick, mild temperatures and dry weather to set properly. Federal guidance for historic masonry calls for temperatures above 40°F for at least 8 hours after pointing, with work done at least 24 hours after rain and none expected within 6 hours. That's why we plan the work around the forecast, as described above.
The cost depends on your walls, so I give you a figure in writing after I've seen them rather than guessing over the phone. It moves with how much wall needs work, how deep the wear goes, how high we have to reach and how closely the old mortar must be matched. Fixing a gutter or downspout first can add to the job, but it protects the new joints.
Clear a working path along the walls being repointed by moving patio furniture, grills and anything stored against the house, and trim back shrubs that press on the brick. Keep nearby windows closed while we cut out joints, because the work raises fine dust. We'll go over anything else when we set the date.
If you have photos of the crumbling or cracked mortar and know which wall it's on, call (920) 454-9038 or email hi@appletonconcreteandmasonry.com, and I can come out already knowing where to look.
