Masonry restoration in El Dorado Hills CA - sound mortar joints, brick left intact
Mortar crumbling or cracking between your bricks? We repoint only the joints that need it, with a mix that suits your wall.
Send us photos of your crumbling joints
Call (916) 260-2151 or use the form, and include the wall's height and rough size, since that tells me early whether we'll need scaffolding.
What is masonry restoration, and does my wall need it?
Masonry restoration in El Dorado Hills is mostly repointing, which a lot of folks call tuckpointing. We rake the worn-out mortar from the joints of your brick, block or stone wall and pack in fresh mortar, so the wall is solid and tight again.
Most people call me after they brush a joint and it turns to sand, or they spot gaps along a chimney or garden wall that weren't there a few years back. The bricks themselves are usually fine, and if a few are cracked or flaking we can take care of that as brick repair on the same job. The price mostly comes down to how many joints have actually gone bad, how tall the wall is and whether we need scaffolding to reach it, and whether it needs cleaning too. The schedule turns on the size of the wall and the weather, because fresh mortar wants mild days to set right. I'll look it over with you and follow up with a written estimate, so you have a real figure for your wall.
Why El Dorado Hills homeowners call P&J for masonry restoration
I look at every wall myself
I come out to every estimate, go over the joints with you and write it up myself. You talk with the person who picks the mortar and the method, not a salesperson.
Trained on inspected public work
I learned masonry on a city public works crew, where nothing got signed off until it passed inspection, and we've been in business since 2013. Our own lead mason and crew do the work.
Fully licensed and insured, nearby
We're fully licensed and insured, and we're based in El Dorado Hills. We work across El Dorado, Sacramento and Placer counties, so checking which office covers your address is routine for us.
On a repointing job, the mix and the joints we leave alone matter as much as the ones we fix. Tell us about your wall and I'll come take a look.
How we handle masonry restoration on your wall
I walk the wall with you and mark the joints that are crumbling, hollow, cracked or sunk back, and we leave the good ones alone, because there's no sense paying to dig out mortar that's still doing its job. Our crew rakes out the bad mortar by hand to a clean, even depth so we don't chip the brick edges, mixes mortar to suit your wall's age and color, packs it in firmly and shapes each joint to match the ones around it. If the wall needs cleaning, we pick gentle methods over blasting, because grit blasting, grinders and sanding discs usually take some of the masonry's face off along with the dirt. Then we clean up, so the only sign we were there is a tight wall.
Restoration often sits next to other projects. If we're repointing your chimney and you've been thinking about a new hearth inside, fireplace installation is something we do too. And if you'd rather give a sound wall a new face than keep the old brick look, stone veneer installation puts a thin layer of real or manufactured stone over it.
Joint-by-joint repointing
This suits most walls, where a patch of joints has gone soft on the weather side or under a leaky gutter. You pay for the joints that are failing and keep the ones that aren't.
Repointing with gentle cleaning
This is for walls with grime, old paint or a white salty bloom on top of worn mortar. We clean with low-pressure water and mild cleaners, so the new joints and old brick look like one wall.
Lime mortar for older brick
The National Park Service describes lime mortar as a good choice for historic buildings, since it's soft and porous and can re-seal hairline cracks over time. If your house has older brick, we'll talk through whether it fits.
How can you tell your brick wall needs restoration?
Mortar that turns to sand
You rub a joint and it crumbles under your thumb. That usually means the mortar is spent, and every rainy season you wait lets more water in and more joints follow.
Gaps and hollow joints
You can poke a key into spots between the bricks or see right into the wall. Those voids let water straight in, and the brick edges around them start wearing next.
Cracks along the joints
Thin cracks run through the mortar, sometimes in a stair-step line. Often it's tired mortar, but a crack that keeps growing is worth having me look at before water widens it.
Joints sunk behind the brick
The mortar sits well back from the brick face and leaves little ledges that catch rain. Water sitting against the brick wears it faster, so small repairs now beat bigger ones later.
What happens after you call about your wall?
Call and I come out
Call or message us and I come out to look the wall over with you. You get a written estimate, and if the job needs a permit, we handle it first.
Our crew repoints the wall
Our lead mason and crew rake out and refill the marked joints while I stop by to check the work. Expect some dust and noise near the wall while joints are cleared.
We walk the finished wall
When the last joint is finished and the site is cleaned up, we walk the job together. Point out anything that bugs you, because our work is satisfaction guaranteed.
Questions about repointing your wall
Here are the questions folks around El Dorado Hills ask most about repointing and restoration. If your wall raises a different one, ask me when I come out to look at it.
How much does masonry repointing cost in El Dorado Hills?
Repointing brick across the US usually costs about $3 to $25 per square foot, and that's the national market figure, not our price. Where your wall lands depends on how many joints need work and how hard the wall is to reach, which is why I look it over before you get a written estimate.
Does my whole brick wall need repointing, or just the bad joints?
Usually just the bad joints, because original mortar in good shape is better than repointed mortar. Since repointing is slow handwork, it makes sense to limit it to joints that are crumbling, hollow, cracked or worn back deeper than about 1/4 inch, and that's where most of the savings on a job come from.
How long does new mortar last on a brick wall?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and what went into the mix, while the brick may well last more than 100. So expect the joints to need attention a few times over a brick wall's life, a bit like planning for a new roof.
Why does the mortar mix matter when repointing brick?
New mortar should be about as strong as the old mortar or weaker, and it has to let moisture escape the wall. Mortar that's too hard or traps water damages the masonry around it, so ask any crew how they plan to match your old mix.
Do I need a permit for masonry restoration in El Dorado Hills?
We check that for your address before we start, and if your job needs one, we handle the application and inspections. The El Dorado County Building Division takes basic building permit applications online through its e-TRAKiT system, for contractors and owner-builders alike, though some permit types aren't on it yet.
How do I hire a masonry contractor in California?
Ask what license they hold and get the whole deal in a written contract. The state contractors board's masonry license covers block, stone and other masonry, plus the cleaning, clear waterproofing and caulking that go with it. A California home improvement contract also has to carry certain notices for you, and any change must be in writing, easy to understand and tell you about your right to cancel.
Get a free estimate for your wall
Tell us where the wall is and its rough height and length, and attach photos of the crumbling or cracked joints. I'll reply within one business day to set up a free look at your property, with no obligation.
Examples of masonry restoration
Related masonry work
Fireplace installation
If you want a new hearth or a working fireplace to go with a freshly repointed chimney, this is where we plan the firebox and surround.
Learn moreStone veneer installation
When old brick or plain block isn't the look you want anymore, a stone face over a sound wall changes the whole front without tearing anything down.
Learn more