Tuckpointing in Lake Elsinore CA - solid joints that hold your brick wall together
Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks? We find out if it's just the joints, then repoint them so the wall holds up.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Is tuckpointing the right fix for your brick?
Tuckpointing, which most people also call repointing, is how E&M Lake Elsinore Concrete & Masonry repairs worn mortar joints on brick in Lake Elsinore, CA. We clear out the old, crumbling mortar between your bricks and pack in fresh mortar, so the wall is solid again and water has a harder time getting in.
Most people call me because they brushed a hand along a wall or chimney and came away with sand, or noticed the lines between the bricks sitting deeper than they used to. What moves the price is how much wall needs new joints, how high it goes, since anything past ladder height means scaffolding, and whether any bricks need work too. The schedule turns mostly on the weather, because fresh mortar wants a mild stretch to set, and on whether your job needs a permit, which we take care of when it does. If the whole face of an old building is tired and not just its joints, that can be closer to masonry restoration than a joint repair. You'll get your own number once I've looked at the wall up close.
How can you tell your brick needs tuckpointing?
Mortar that rubs off as sand
Run a finger along a joint, and if it comes away gritty or bits of mortar fall out, the mortar is worn through. Leave it and water gets behind the face, and every year there's more old mortar to cut out.
Small cracks along the joints
Hairline cracks in the mortar, or a thin gap where the mortar has pulled away from the edge of a brick, usually mean the bond has let go. Those gaps let water in and tend to open wider the longer they sit.
Joints set back from the brick
When the mortar lines sit noticeably deeper than the brick faces, weather has been wearing them away. The deeper they get, the more the brick edges are left to take the beating on their own.
How we handle tuckpointing on your brick
Before anyone picks up a grinder, I look hard at whether worn joints are the whole story or a sign of a bigger brick problem, and I tell you which it is before you spend money on mortar. Leaks, cracks that step up the wall along the joints, and loose or cracked bricks usually point past the mortar, and the cause gets fixed first. When it really is just the joints, our crew cuts out the old mortar to a sound, even depth, cleans out the dust so the new mortar bonds, and packs fresh mortar in layers instead of all at once so it sets solid. We tool each joint to match the shape of the ones around it, clean the mortar smears off the brick face and leave your yard the way we found it.
Sometimes the answer is that a few bricks are cracked or loose, and then brick repair goes in before the new joints, so the mortar has something solid to hold onto. We also lay driveway pavers, and plenty of houses with tired brick out front have a tired driveway too, so it's worth asking while I'm there.
Spot repointing
This suits a wall that's sound overall with the wear in one place, like under a dripping roof edge or along the bottom rows. We repoint just that area and blend the new joints in with the rest.
Full wall repointing
This suits a wall where the mortar is worn across the whole face, which is common on older brick. Doing it all at once keeps the joints matching and saves you calling us back for the next bad patch.
Repointing with brick repair
This suits a wall with cracked, loose or leaking brick as well as bad joints. We fix the brick first and repoint after, so you're not paying for mortar around bricks that are still moving.
Get a free look at your worn mortar joints
We respond within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the joints and give you a free estimate on site, and there's no pressure to book.
(951) 579-7076- Based in
- Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about tuckpointing in Lake Elsinore?
Here's how a tuckpointing job runs from your first call to the last look at the finished wall, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you've noticed and where, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Photos of the worst joints and a note on how tall the wall is help me know what I'm walking into.
I check the wall closely
I look at the joints and the brick, ask what you've noticed, and tell you whether it's a mortar job or a brick problem underneath. The estimate spells out what we'd fix, what we'd leave alone and what it costs, so you're not guessing.
We handle the permit side
Once you're ready, we sort out what the local office asks for, permit paperwork included when the job needs it. We plan the crew's days around any inspections and a good stretch of mortar weather.
Crew repoints, then we walk it
Our lead mason runs the crew on site while the joints are cut out and repacked. When it's done, I walk the wall with you and check the work before we call it finished.
Why Lake Elsinore homeowners call us for tuckpointing
Cause first, mortar second
I'd rather fix the one thing that's actually failing than sell you a whole wall of new joints you don't need. A tricky wall is the part of this work I like best, so I take the time to figure out what's going on.
In business since 2013
We've been doing this since 2013, and before that I spent my school summers on a masonry crew mixing mortar and hauling block. You get someone who learned how mortar behaves by mixing a lot of it.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. That's worth asking any crew before they set ladders against your house.
Based here in Lake Elsinore
We're based in Lake Elsinore and work across the cities around it. The brick chimneys, planters and garden walls in this area are what we look at all the time, so we know what usually wears out first.
On a tuckpointing job, what matters most is knowing it's really the mortar before you pay for mortar. Reach us through the contact page and tell me what you're seeing.
Tuckpointing and brick repair in Lake Elsinore
In Lake Elsinore, the city's building official issues permits for work that builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves or tears down a building or structure, and repair is on that list, so I don't assume a repointing job is exempt. Before we schedule anything, we find out whether your address falls under the city or the county and what your job needs. When it needs a permit, we do the paperwork, and since the city takes applications online through its building department and turns away any submittal without a completed application, ours goes in complete. Then we plan the work around the inspections.
Older brick takes more care, and the city's downtown plan sets standards meant to protect the character of the historic buildings downtown, so on older walls we match the color and shape of the existing joints instead of leaving a patchwork. We see the same worn joints on brick chimneys and planters in Wildomar and Canyon Lake.
Questions about tuckpointing in Lake Elsinore
How do I know if my mortar needs repointing?
Your brick is due for repointing when the mortar is crumbling, has gaps or hairline cracks, has cracked away from the brick edges, or has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the face. That last one is easy to check with a ruler laid against the brick. If you're not sure what you're looking at, call (951) 579-7076 and describe it.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Lake Elsinore?
Across the US, tuckpointing or repointing brick usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall, according to one cost guide, so treat that as a national figure and not our price. Tall walls that need scaffolding cost more per square foot than low ones, and any brick repair adds to it. Your own number comes from the estimate once I've seen the wall.
What time of year is best for repointing brick?
One cost guide advises repointing between late spring and early fall, when the air stays between 40° and 90° F for 24 hours before the work and 72 hours after. Mortar that gets too cold or too hot while it sets doesn't cure well. We look for a mild stretch inside that window when we schedule your job.
How long does tuckpointing last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves can last well over 100. That's why an older house can need fresh mortar even though its bricks have plenty of life left.
What kind of mortar should be used to repoint old brick?
The new mortar should be similar to the original in strength or weaker than it, because that protects the brick from damage that can't be repaired. Mortar that's harder than the brick around it makes the brick take the stress, and the edges can chip and break off, so I sort out the match before the crew mixes a batch.
Is repointing better than face grouting for mortar joints?
Repointing is generally recommended over face grouting, which works new grout into the surface of the old joints, because repointing handles more kinds and degrees of joint wear. Cutting out and refilling the joint reaches mortar that's gone soft below the surface.
Other masonry work that often goes with tuckpointing
Brick repair
When bricks themselves are cracked, loose or letting water through, fresh mortar alone won't hold, and replacing or resetting those bricks comes before any repointing.
Driveway pavers
If your driveway is cracked or sunken next to brick you've just had repointed, pavers give you a surface you can fix one piece at a time.
Service areas for tuckpointing around Lake Elsinore
E&M Lake Elsinore Concrete & Masonry is based in Lake Elsinore, CA, and does tuckpointing across the cities around it, from Murrieta to Menifee. These 12 areas have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Lake Elsinore, CA
Get your worn mortar joints looked at
Call (951) 579-7076 or send the form while it's still just the mortar, because new joints now are a smaller job than reset bricks later.