Brick pointing in El Dorado Hills CA - joints that keep water out of your walls
Mortar crumbling or sunk back from your brick? We rake out the worn joints and refill them so water stays out of the wall.
Tell us about your worn mortar joints
Send the form anytime, or call (916) 260-2151 between 6 AM and 11 PM on weekdays or 7 AM and 11 PM on weekends.
What is brick pointing, and does my wall need it?
Brick pointing, or repointing, means cutting the worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks and packing new mortar in its place, and on El Dorado Hills homes it's one of the best ways to keep water from getting into a brick wall.
Most people call me after they find sand on the patio under a brick wall, or press a key into a joint and watch it crumble, and the real question is how much of the wall has gone that way. The price moves with how many square feet need new mortar, how deep the old joints have worn and how high the work goes, because a wall too tall to reach from a ladder needs scaffolding, and that costs more per square foot. The schedule turns on the same things, plus whether a permit comes first. Whether repointing at your address needs one is a question for El Dorado County's building office, and when a job does need a permit, we find out which office covers your address and handle the application and inspections. I'll look the wall over with you and follow up with a written estimate, so you're working from numbers for your own wall and not a guess.
Why El Dorado Hills homeowners call us about brick pointing
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself to look at your joints and write the estimate. That way the person explaining what your wall needs is the same one who answers for how it turns out.
Trained where work got inspected
I learned masonry on a city public works crew where work got inspected, then started this business in El Dorado Hills in 2013. I still fuss over the mortar mix, which nobody sees once we're done.
Fully licensed and insured crew
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm glad to show you both before anyone sets a ladder against your house. Ask every crew you talk to for the same, because it's your property on the line.
When you're ready, send us a few details or call (916) 260-2151, and I'll come out and look at your joints with you.
How we handle brick pointing
Before we mix anything, I figure out how hard your old mortar is, and we use something no stronger, so the joints give before the brick does and the brick keeps its face. Then our crew cuts the worn mortar out to an even depth, clears the dust out of the joints, packs the new mortar in firm and tools it to the same shape as your old joints. Before we leave, we clean mortar smears off the brick and haul away the debris, so you're left with new joints that look like they belong on the wall.
Sometimes the mortar is just the messenger. Cracks that climb the wall like a staircase usually mean the house is moving, and I'll tell you straight that fresh mortar won't hold until the foundation repair is done. Chimneys are the other place worn joints hide, since nobody looks up there much, and when a stack needs more than new mortar, we handle the repointing as part of chimney repair.
Spot repointing
This suits a wall where the wear is in patches, like the side the sprinklers hit or the stretch under a downspout. We repoint those areas and leave the sound joints alone, which keeps the cost down.
Full wall repointing
This makes sense when the joints are going all over, which is common once a house's mortar reaches the end of its life. Doing the whole face at once also keeps the color even instead of a patchwork of old and new.
How can you tell your mortar joints are wearing out?
Joints sunk behind the brick
The mortar sits back from the face like a ledge that holds water. It's ordinary wear, but the deeper it goes, the more water gets in and the more we have to cut out.
Sandy, crumbling mortar
Sand piled under the wall, or mortar that crumbles when you rub it, means the mortar has given out. Left alone, loose joints let bricks shift and turn a repointing job into a rebuild.
Gaps where mortar fell out
Open holes where mortar has dropped out let rain run straight into the wall. Water sitting in there loosens the joints around it, so one gap tends to become several.
Thin cracks along the brick
Hairline cracks in the mortar, or a fine line where it's pulled away from the brick, are early wear. Catching them now usually means less wall to repoint later.
What happens after you call about brick pointing?
Call and set up a visit
Call (916) 260-2151 or send a message, and I'll come out myself to look at your joints with you. Afterward you get a written estimate.
Our crew repoints the wall
If the work needs a permit, we take care of it before we start. Our lead mason and crew do the work, and I stop by to check on it.
Walk the finished job together
Once the joints are done and the brick is cleaned off, we walk the wall together. You can look at the new mortar up close and ask about anything you see.
Brick pointing questions, answered
These are the questions I hear most about repointing around El Dorado Hills. If your wall has something these don't cover, ask me when I come out to look.
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than about ¼ inch from the face of the brick, or when it's crumbling, gapped or cracked. You can check it yourself by pressing a coin edge into a few joints on different sides of the house. Photos of what you find help me before I come out.
How long does mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar usually lasts about 25 to 50 years, while brick can last 100 years or more, going by national trade figures. The joints wear out long before the brick does, so repointing is ordinary upkeep on a brick house, not a sign it was built badly.
How much does brick repointing cost in El Dorado Hills?
Repointing brick across the US usually costs about $3 to $25 per square foot of wall for taking out the old mortar and putting in new. Where your wall lands in that range comes down to the things I mentioned up top, mostly how deep the joints are worn and how high we have to work. The written estimate I give you after the visit puts a number on your wall.
Will new mortar match my old mortar?
It can get close, as long as the color is tested before the whole wall is done. Sand color and cement type both change the color of mortar, so one brick trade group advises trying a sample in a spot nobody looks at first. Strength matters too, because new mortar should be equal to or weaker than the old, and harder mortar stresses older brick until its face flakes off.
What is the best way to remove old mortar from brick joints?
For older, historic brick, preservation guidance says hand chisels and hammers do the least damage in most cases, even though saws and grinders are what most crews use. One brick trade group warns that power tools can damage the brick around the joint, so how the old mortar comes out shapes how the finished wall looks. Ask any crew how they plan to take yours out and why.
Who is allowed to repoint brick in California?
In California, a contractor needs a state license for this work unless the whole job is under $1,000, needs no permit and the person doing it employs no one on the project. The state's masonry contractor classification covers walls laid with or without mortar, plus the cleaning and caulking that go with that work. One brick trade group also points out that a good mason isn't automatically good at repointing, so ask how much of it a crew does.
Get your mortar joints looked at
Tell us where the worn joints are and about how tall the wall is. We'll reply within one business day to set up a free estimate at your property, with no obligation.
What good repointing looks like
Other brick work we handle
Foundation repair
If cracks keep coming back in a stair-step pattern after new mortar goes in, the house may be settling, and that needs fixing before the joints will last.
Learn moreChimney repair
A chimney with loose bricks, a cracked cap on top or a leaning stack needs more than fresh joints, and it's the brickwork on your house you see least.
Learn more