Mortar is the sacrificial part of a brick wall. It is supposed to be softer than the brick, and it is supposed to fail first, because it is far cheaper to replace mortar than to replace brick. In the Chicago area, with freeze and thaw cycles running from November through March, mortar joints typically last somewhere between 25 and 40 years before they need attention.
When those joints go, water gets in. It soaks into the wall, freezes, expands, and starts pushing the brick apart from the inside. Left long enough, you stop having a tuckpointing job and start having a rebuild.
What tuckpointing actually involves
The failed mortar is ground out to a depth of roughly twice the width of the joint. Anything shallower and the new mortar has nothing to key into, so it pops out within a few years. This is where most cut-rate tuckpointing goes wrong: a thin skim of mortar smeared over the surface looks fine on the day and fails by the third winter.
Once the joints are cut, they are cleaned, dampened, and packed with fresh mortar in layers. The joint is then tooled to match the profile of the original work, whether that is a concave, weathered or flush joint.
Getting the mortar mix right
This is the part that separates work that lasts from work that causes damage. Older Chicago-area homes, particularly anything built before roughly 1930, were laid up with soft lime-based mortar. If you repoint that brick with a modern high-Portland mix, the mortar ends up harder than the brick around it. The wall still moves, but now the brick is the weakest element, so the brick faces spall off instead of the mortar giving way.
We match the mix to the age and condition of the wall, not to whatever is fastest to work with.
What you get from us
An honest assessment, first. If three walls are fine and one needs work, we will say so. A written scope and a fixed price, so there are no conversations about extras halfway through. And a crew that protects your landscaping, sweeps up at the end of every day, and leaves the brick clean.
Signs you need this work
- Mortar you can scratch out with a key or screwdriver
- Visible gaps, cracks or missing sections between bricks
- Sandy mortar dust collecting on the ground along the wall
- Damp patches or efflorescence on interior walls
- Bricks that feel loose or move when pushed
- Joints that look recessed compared to the brick face
What's included
- Full walk-around inspection with photos of every problem area
- Grinding and cutting out deteriorated mortar to proper depth
- Mortar mixed to match the original in strength and color
- Joints tooled to match the existing profile
- Brush-down and cleaning of the brick face
- Site protected with drop cloths, cleaned up daily
- Written scope so you know exactly what was done
How we do it
- 1
Inspection
We walk the whole exterior, photograph the failing joints and tell you honestly which walls need work now and which can wait.
- 2
Written estimate
You get a fixed, itemized price in writing. No pressure, no expiring discounts.
- 3
Prep and grind
We protect landscaping and windows, then grind out the failed mortar to roughly twice the joint width in depth.
- 4
Repoint and tool
Fresh mortar is packed in and tooled to match the original profile, then the brick face is cleaned down.
Common questions
How long does tuckpointing last?
Done properly, with mortar matched to the brick, repointed joints should last 25 to 30 years in the Chicago climate. Done with mortar that is too hard, it can start damaging the brick within a few winters.
What is the difference between tuckpointing and repointing?
In everyday use around Chicago they mean the same thing: removing failed mortar and replacing it. Strictly, tuckpointing is a decorative technique using two mortar colors, but almost nobody uses the term that way anymore.
Can tuckpointing be done in winter?
Mortar needs temperatures above about 40 degrees to cure properly. We generally work from April through November, and will tell you to wait rather than do work that will fail.
Will the new mortar match?
We match color, texture and joint profile as closely as possible. Fresh mortar always looks slightly different until it weathers in, usually over one or two seasons.
Do I need the whole house done?
Usually not. Southern and western walls take the worst weather and often fail first. We will tell you if only two walls need attention.
Read more on this
Spalling Brick: What Causes It and What to Do
Why brick faces pop off, why replacing the brick alone never works, and the four causes worth checking before anyone quotes you.
ReadThe Mortar Mistake That Quietly Destroys Old Chicago Brick
Why hard modern mortar on a prewar home causes far more damage than the failing joints it replaced, and how to tell whether it has been done to yours.
ReadHow to Tell If Your Brick Needs Tuckpointing
Six things you can check yourself in about ten minutes, and the one test that tells you more than all the others.
Read