Masonry Restoration in Lake Elsinore CA - brick walls with solid joints again
Mortar sanding out or cracking between your bricks? We fix the joints that are failing and leave the sound ones alone.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does my brick wall need restoring, or just a few joints fixed?
Masonry restoration in Lake Elsinore is mostly repointing, where we rake out the worn mortar between your bricks or blocks and pack in new, along with a careful cleaning, so a wall with tired joints keeps the brick that's still good.
Most people call when they see mortar dusting onto the ground, a crack running along the joints or a wall that just looks worn, and the first thing I want to know is why, because a joint that failed from water coming over the top will fail again if all we do is fill it. If the bricks themselves are broken or flaking, that's brick repair, and I'll tell you which one you've got. The price mostly turns on how many joints actually need work, how high and easy to reach the wall is, how hard the old mortar is to match and whether the brick needs cleaning. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and inspections, which we find out and take care of for you. I'll give you your own figure once I've seen the wall up close.
How can you tell your brick or block wall needs work?
Mortar sanding out of joints
If you rub a joint and it turns to sand, or there's grit along the base of the wall, the mortar has worn past doing its job. Left alone, the joints keep wearing back and let water deeper into the wall, which can turn a joint repair into a brick repair.
Gaps and holes in joints
Open pockets where mortar used to be usually mean it washed out or was never packed full in the first place. Water sits in those pockets, and the longer it does, the more of the mortar around them goes too.
Cracks along the mortar
A hairline crack that follows the joints, or a gap opening between brick and mortar, usually means the joint has lost its grip. If it keeps opening, I want to find out why before anyone fills it, because a crack with a cause behind it tends to come back.
How we do masonry restoration on your wall
I start by going over the wall joint by joint and working out what's causing the damage, then we mark only the joints that need it, so the old work that's still good stays put. Our crew rakes those joints back to sound mortar, mixes a mortar that suits your brick and the age of the wall, packs it in and tools it to match the joints around it. For cleaning, we pick a method that suits your brick instead of blasting it with water, and then we clean up the site and haul off what we took out.
Restoration sometimes turns up work right next to the wall. If an old firebox is too far gone to save, we handle fireplace installation, and if a sound block or concrete wall just looks worn out, stone veneer installation gives it a new face without tearing it down.
Repointing only the failing joints
This suits most walls, where the damage shows up in patches near the ground, under a downspout or along the top. It costs less and keeps as much of the original mortar as we can.
Repointing the whole wall
This suits a wall where most of the joints are sanding out at once, so patching would leave you chasing it for years. The new joints all match and wear together.
Cleaning along with the repointing
This suits brick that's stained, chalky or smeared from old repairs. We choose the method for your brick so the wall comes out even without scarring the face.
Get a free estimate for your brick or block wall
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the wall with you and give you a free estimate on site, with no pressure to book. Photos of the worn joints help.
(951) 579-7076- Based in
- Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about your wall?
Here's how a restoration job runs from your first call to the last walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're seeing, and send photos of the worn joints and a rough wall size in square feet if you have them. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look closely
I look at the joints up close, ask what you've noticed and when it started, and give you an estimate on site. You'll know which joints need work, why they failed and what it costs, and if only part of the wall needs it, that's all I'll price.
We handle the paperwork first
Once you're ready, we sort out whatever the local office asks for and plan the work around any inspections. If part of the job has to wait for an inspector, I'll tell you up front.
Crew works, then we walk it
Our lead mason runs the crew on site from the first raked joint to cleanup. When they're done, I walk the wall with you before we call it finished.
Why homeowners call E&M Lake Elsinore Concrete & Masonry about worn brick
The owner looks at every job
I come out myself to see the wall and give the estimate, and I check the finished work with you. You hear what's wrong from the person who's going to stand behind the fix.
In business since 2013
I grew up on a masonry crew and started this business in 2013, and working out why a wall is failing is what people know us for. That matters because a crack filled without knowing its cause usually comes back.
Licensed for California masonry work
We're fully licensed and insured. California has its own license class for masonry work, and it covers masonry walls and fences, paving and the cleaning that goes along with masonry construction.
When joints start sanding out, the cause matters more than the patch. Send us photos and a rough wall size or call (951) 579-7076, and I'll come take a look.
Masonry restoration and permits in Lake Elsinore
In Lake Elsinore, the city's building official issues permits for work that builds, alters or repairs a building or structure, so before we start we check with the city whether your job needs one. We find out whether your address falls under the city or the county, take care of the paperwork when the job needs it and plan around inspections, because permitted work has to stay open and exposed until the inspector approves it. When we apply through the city's online portal, the completed application form goes in with it, since staff won't process a submittal without one.
The city has surveyed its historic buildings, and older brick like that can need a softer mortar than new construction, because new mortar generally shouldn't be stronger than the old. We're based in Lake Elsinore and work across the cities around it, and we match the mix to your brick and the mortar already there, the same way we do on older walls in Wildomar and Murrieta.
Questions about masonry restoration in Lake Elsinore
How do I know when my mortar joints need repointing?
The brick industry's guidance says joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch, or when it's crumbling, has holes in it or is cracked, including cracks between the brick and the mortar. Original joints in good shape do better than repointed ones, so you can ask to have only the bad joints repaired, and that's how we price it.
How much does brick repointing cost in Lake Elsinore?
Brick repointing across the US usually costs about $400 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall, and that's a national figure for repointing, not our price. Where your job lands depends on how many joints need work, how high the wall goes and how hard the old mortar is to match. I'll give you your own number at the estimate.
Can pressure washing damage brick?
Yes, too much water pressure can damage the face of the brick, wear away mortar joints and strip off finishes, leaving the wall looking different than it did. Brick varies, so it's fair to ask any contractor how their cleaning method suits your type of brick.
How long does repointing last?
Mortar joints usually last more than 25 years, while the brick itself may well go past 100, so a brick wall will need its joints repaired now and then over its life. That's why we fix what's failing now instead of redoing joints that still have years left in them.
Can cracks in a concrete block wall be fixed by repointing?
Usually yes, if the cracking isn't widespread, stays mostly in the mortar joints and isn't getting wider. Cracks that run through the blocks or keep opening need a closer look, and I'll want to work out what's moving before we patch anything.
What causes brick damage that repointing won't fix?
Failed wall caps, failed flashing, the strips that turn water away from the wall, brick that stays soaked and structural cracks all need repair beyond routine repointing. If one of those is behind your crumbling joints, new mortar alone usually won't last, so we deal with the cause first.
Other masonry work that goes with restoration
Fireplace installation
When a fireplace has cracked past the point of patching, a new firebox and surround give you a hearth you can use again.
Stone veneer installation
Thin natural or manufactured stone over a sound block wall, chimney or foundation changes how it looks without the cost of rebuilding the wall underneath.
Service areas for masonry restoration around Lake Elsinore
E&M Lake Elsinore Concrete & Masonry is based in Lake Elsinore, CA, and we do restoration work across the cities around it, including Menifee and Canyon Lake. The 12 places below have their own pages, and they aren't the only ones we serve.
Lake Elsinore, CA
Get your worn mortar joints looked at
One close look is usually enough to tell whether you're dealing with a few tired joints or a bigger problem behind them.