Tuckpointing in Richmond CA - fresh mortar joints that match your old brick
Mortar crumbling or pulling back from your brick? We clear out the worn joints and refill them with a mix that suits your wall.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What is tuckpointing, and does my brick need it?
Tuckpointing in Richmond, CA, which masons call repointing, means raking the worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks and packing in fresh mortar, so water stops getting into the wall and the brick around it stays sound.
Most repointing calls I get come from owners of older brick houses who've noticed sand on the steps or joints that look scooped out, and the good news is that the brick itself usually has plenty of life left. The price depends on how much of the wall needs work, how deep the old mortar has gone, how high we have to reach and whether any bricks need replacing too. The schedule depends on the size of the job and whether the city wants a permit first, and the written estimate I send after looking at your wall gives you the figure for your house.
How can you tell your mortar joints are worn out?
Joints sunk behind the brick
If the mortar sits back from the face of the brick like a little ledge, it's worn down and rain has a place to sit. Left alone, that recess keeps getting deeper and the brick edges start taking the wear.
Mortar that turns to sand
Run a key along a joint, and if it scratches out like sand, the mortar has given up holding together. That joint is letting water in, and loose bricks are usually the next thing you'll see.
Cracks and gaps along the brick
Hairline cracks in the joints, holes where mortar has dropped out, or a thin gap where the mortar has pulled away from the brick all let water get behind the face. If you catch it early it's a repointing job, and if you wait it often turns into brick repair as well.
How we do tuckpointing on your house
I start by looking at the mortar that's already in your wall, because the new mortar should be about as strong as the old or a little weaker. A mix harder than the brick around it can damage the brick in a way nobody can undo, so we match what's there instead of reaching for the hardest bag on the shelf. We put a small test patch somewhere out of sight so you can see the match before we touch the rest. Then our crew rakes out the old joints until we hit solid mortar, so the new mortar has a firm base. Raking throws off dust and chips, so the crew wears safety glasses and respirators, which are masks that filter the dust, and we cover what's below the wall. We pack the fresh mortar in, shape the joints to look like the old ones and clean the brick before we leave.
Sometimes a joint has let water in long enough that a brick has cracked or its face has flaked off, and we cut those out and replace them as brick repair before we repoint around them. Plenty of people fixing up the front of the house ask about the drive too, and since we also lay driveway pavers, we can talk that through while I'm already out there.
Spot repointing
If only a few areas are bad, like the joints under a leaky downspout or along the top of a garden wall, we repoint just those. It's the right call when the rest of the wall is still sound, and I'll tell you when it is.
Whole-wall repointing
When the joints are worn across most of a wall or chimney, doing it all at once gives you joints of one color and one age. It costs more up front, but you won't be paying to patch the wall section by section for the next few years.
Get a written repointing estimate for your brick
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll walk the wall with you, then send a free written estimate with no pressure and no obligation.
(510) 369-4799- Based in
- Richmond, CA 94804
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call us about repointing in Richmond?
Here's how a repointing job runs from your first call to the last swept step, and who you'll deal with at each stage.
Call us or send the form
Tell us which wall, chimney or step is bothering you, and we get back to you to set up a visit. It helps to know roughly how much brick you're looking at and whether it's up high.
I walk the wall with you
I check the joints, scratch a few, look for cracked brick and talk through what's worth doing and what isn't. The written estimate lays out which joints need work, the mortar we plan to use and the price, so you know the cost before anyone picks up a chisel.
Our crew does the work
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs, and I'm on site with our crew from the test patch until the work is done. We clean up before we call it finished, so you're not sweeping mortar dust off the porch.
Why Richmond homeowners call us for repointing
The owner walks your wall
I come out to look at the job with you, and our own crew does the work with me on site to run it. I'd rather tell you a wall is fine than sell you work it doesn't need.
Repointing old brick since 2013
I framed houses as a carpenter until a mason got me hooked on brick, and we've been in business since 2013. Repointing old brick is one of the things we're best known for, so your wall won't be the first old one we've worked on.
Licensed and insured for permit jobs
We're fully licensed and insured. California only lets unlicensed workers take small jobs that need no permit and no hired help, so anything bigger calls for a licensed contractor like us.
If your mortar is starting to sand out, send us a note or call (510) 369-4799 and I'll come take a look.
Repointing and brick repair on Richmond's older homes
The City of Richmond requires a building permit before you repair, alter or improve any building or structure, unless the work is on its list of work exempt from permits. The city says a permit is likely needed for anything not on that list. I won't guess where your repointing job falls, so we ask the city before we start, and when a permit is needed we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections. You can also call the city's Permit Center at 510-620-6868 with questions about your own project. If your house is historic or might be, or sits in a historic district, the city's Historic Preservation Commission decides on major alterations, so tell me early. And if an older building has unreinforced brick, which is masonry with no reinforcing inside, the city calls for a seismic upgrade to strengthen it against earthquakes once it shows obvious failure like leaning walls or large cracks. New mortar can't fix that, and I'll tell you if that's what I see.
We're based in Richmond and work across the cities around it, and most of the brick we repoint here is on older houses, chimneys and garden walls where the joints have worn and the brick is still good. We see the same kind of tired mortar on jobs in El Cerrito and Albany, and we handle it the same way, starting with the mortar that's already there.
Questions about tuckpointing in Richmond
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than a quarter inch from the face of the brick, or when you see crumbling mortar, holes, hairline cracks or gaps between brick and mortar. Any one of those means water can get into the joint, so it's worth having someone look before bricks start to loosen.
How long does new mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves can last well over 100. That's why an older brick house may need repointing more than once in its life, and why the new mortar should protect the brick for the next round.
Do I need a permit to repoint brick in Richmond, CA?
Richmond requires a building permit for repairs to any building unless the work is on the city's exempt list, so the answer depends on your job. As covered above, we check with the city before we start, and if a permit is needed we pull it.
Can someone without a contractor's license do tuckpointing in California?
Only on small jobs, because California's minor work exemption covers work up to $1,000, and only when the job needs no permit and the person doing it hires no one to help. If the job needs a permit or a crew, it calls for a licensed contractor.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Richmond, CA?
The cost comes mostly from how much wall needs new joints, how deep the old mortar has worn and how high we have to work. A waist-high garden wall costs far less than a two-story wall or a chimney that needs scaffolding, and replacing broken bricks adds to it. I give you your figure in a written estimate after I've seen the wall.
What causes mortar joints to crumble and crack?
Mostly time and water, since every soaking from an overflowing gutter or a splashing downspout washes a little more of the joint away. If cracks run through the bricks themselves or step up the wall in a staircase line, the wall may be moving, and I'll check that first, because new mortar won't fix a wall that's settling.
Related masonry work for your house
Brick repair
Cracked, chipped or loose bricks don't get better with new mortar around them, so we cut them out and set replacements before the joints are finished.
Driveway pavers
If your driveway is cracked or heaving, a paver driveway can be lifted and reset in sections later, which suits a house you plan to keep for years.
Service areas around Richmond for repointing
Stonework Richmond Concrete and Masonry is based in Richmond, California, and we work across the cities around it. You'll find 12 areas with their own page below, including San Pablo and Berkeley, and if your city isn't listed, just ask.
Richmond, CA
Send us photos of your worn joints
A couple of photos, your address and a note on whether your house is in a historic district let me come out knowing what to look for.