Tuckpointing in El Dorado Hills CA - tight joints that keep water out of your brick
Mortar crumbling or washing out from between your bricks? We cut out the worn joints and pack in new mortar that suits your brick.
Get your brick joints looked at
One look at the wall tells us whether you need new mortar or new bricks too, and you can reach us at (916) 260-2151 or through the form.
Does my brick need tuckpointing, and what does the job involve?
Tuckpointing in El Dorado Hills is the same job most masons call repointing, cutting out the worn mortar between your bricks and packing in fresh mortar, and it's one of the most lasting ways to keep water out of brickwork.
Most folks call me once they spot sandy grit under a brick wall or joints that have sunk back from the brick, and the good news is that's usually a mortar problem, not a brick problem. The price moves with how many square feet need work, how far the old mortar has worn back, how high we have to reach, and whether you want plain repointing or the thin-line finish, which takes more hand work. The schedule turns mostly on the size of the wall, getting your OK on the mortar color before we do the rest, and a permit if your job turns out to need one. You'll see all of that laid out in the written estimate after I've looked at your wall.
Why El Dorado Hills homeowners call P&J for tuckpointing
The owner looks at every wall
I come out myself to look at your joints and write the estimate, and I check in on site while our lead mason and crew work. You won't be explaining your wall to a stranger.
Repointing El Dorado Hills homes since 2013
I started this business here in 2013 after learning the trade on a city public works crew, where every wall had to pass inspection. We still mix and lay mortar like someone's going to check.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, so you're not carrying the risk while a crew works on ladders along your house. Ask to see it when I come out, because a good mason won't mind.
On a repointing job, the mortar that goes back in matters more than anything else. When you're ready, send us a message or call (916) 260-2151.
How we handle tuckpointing on your house
When you ask for tuckpointing, the first thing I ask is whether you want a plain repoint or the old thin-line look, because those are two different jobs. Then we mix a small test patch somewhere out of sight so you can see the color before we touch the rest of the wall. The mix has to be softer than your brick, since mortar that's stronger than the brick makes the brick faces flake off, so ask any mason what mix they're planning, and if they look at you funny, keep shopping. Small patches usually come out by hand with a hammer and chisel, and a grinder is faster on a big wall but can nick the brick around the joint, so speed isn't the only thing we weigh. It's dusty along that wall while the old mortar comes out, and then we pack the joints with fresh mortar, tool them to the finish you picked and clean up before we leave.
Repointing only fixes the joints, so if some bricks are cracked or have lost their faces, we handle those with brick repair before the new mortar goes in. If you're freshening up the front of the house while we're there, folks often ask about driveway pavers too.
Plain repointing
This is the everyday fix for worn or cracked joints, with new mortar set to look like the old so the wall reads the way it always did. It suits most brick houses, chimneys and garden walls.
Thin-line tuckpointing
This older decorative style fills the joint in a color close to the brick, then adds a thin strip of contrasting mortar so the joints look very fine. It suits older brick where you want that look back, and it takes more hand work.
A few joints or the whole wall
If only a handful of joints have gone bad, we can repoint just those, as long as the test patch shows the color will blend. When most of a wall is worn, doing it all at once usually looks better and saves a second trip.
How can you tell your mortar joints are wearing out?
Mortar grit along the wall
Gritty sand collecting in the beds or on the patio under a brick wall means the joints are breaking down. Left alone, the gaps keep getting deeper and let more water in.
Joints set back from brick
When the mortar sits well behind the face of the brick, rain has a little ledge to rest on. Catch it early and it's a repoint, but wait and loose bricks join the list.
Cracks along the brick edges
A thin crack where mortar meets brick, or one running down the joint, gives water a path into the wall. It's an easy fix now and a bigger one after water has worked in for a while.
Holes you can poke into
If a key sinks into a joint, or there are hollow pockets where mortar used to be, that joint isn't doing its job. More holes now means more mortar to cut out later.
What happens after you call about tuckpointing?
You call, I come out
Call or send a message, and I come out myself to look at your joints and talk the job over with you. A written estimate follows.
Our crew repoints the wall
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before we start. Then our lead mason and crew do the work, and I stop by to check on it.
We walk the finished wall
Once the joints are tooled and the dust is swept up, you and I walk the job together, so you can look it over up close.
Tuckpointing questions we hear
Here are the questions I hear most about repointing brick around El Dorado Hills. If your wall raises one that isn't here, 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 1/4 inch, crumbles, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. Holding a ruler or the edge of a key in a few joints tells you a lot. Snap photos of what you find, and I'll take a closer look when I come out.
How much does tuckpointing cost in El Dorado Hills?
Repointing or tuckpointing brick usually runs about $3 to $25 per square foot across the US, and that's the national market range, not our price. Where your wall falls in that spread comes down to the things I listed up top, mainly how much wall, how deep the wear goes and which finish you pick. Your own figure comes in the written estimate.
Will the new mortar match my old brick?
It can get close, because sand color and cement type set the finished color, and masonry guidance is to try a sample in a spot nobody sees first. That's the test patch I mentioned above, and you OK the color before we go any further.
Do I need a licensed contractor for tuckpointing in California?
In California, an unlicensed person can only take on jobs under $1,000, and only when the work needs no permit and they don't employ anyone. Past that, you want a licensed contractor, and the state's masonry license covers installing brick, block and stone. Ask any mason you're talking to which license they carry.
Do I need a permit for tuckpointing in El Dorado Hills?
We can't tell you from here whether your repointing job needs one. El Dorado County's Building Division posts guidance on whether a project needs a permit, including its Exemption from Permit lists, and the county's main building line is (530) 621-5315. If your job needs one, we find out which city or county office covers your address and handle the application and inspections.
How long does tuckpointing last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, though that varies with how exposed the wall is and what mortar goes in. That's why I fuss over the mix I talked about above more than over how fast we finish.
Get a repointing estimate for your wall
Tell us where the worn joints are and roughly how many square feet of wall, and add photos if you can. We reply within one business day, and I come out for a free estimate at your property with no obligation.
What good repointing looks like
Other brick and masonry work
Brick repair
Bricks that crumble, crack or rock in place need their own fix, and swapping out a few bad ones keeps a repointed wall from failing around them.
Learn moreDriveway pavers
If the front of the house is getting attention anyway, a paver driveway is one way to make the approach match the brick work you've just had done.
Learn more