Tuckpointing in Riverside CA - tight mortar joints that keep the water out of your brick
Mortar crumbling out of your brick joints? We cut out the failing joints, repoint them and leave the sound ones alone.
Send us photos of your worn joints
A few photos and a rough wall size let me arrive already knowing what I'm looking at, so call (951) 462-2880 or use the form.
Does my brick wall need tuckpointing, and what drives the price?
Tuckpointing, also called repointing, means cutting out the worn mortar between your bricks and packing in new, and in Riverside we do it mostly to help a brick wall keep water out.
Most people call us after mortar starts powdering out of the joints or the wall looks like more gap than mortar. The price moves with how tall the wall is, how much of the mortar has failed, what shape the brick is in and how easy the wall is to reach. The schedule turns mostly on how many joints need cutting out and whether any bricks need work first. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate once I've seen the wall.
Why Riverside homeowners call Keystone Riverside Concrete and Masonry for tuckpointing
The owner measures your wall
I come out myself, look at the joints and write the estimate, and a lead mason runs our crew on site. The person who priced your job is the one you talk to.
Licensed and fully insured masons
We're licensed and fully insured. I've run this company since 2017, after years laying brick and block for a big commercial outfit where the work had to pass an inspector's eye.
Older Riverside homes, planned first
Riverside has historic districts and city guidelines for historic homes, called Rehab Riverside Right. On an older house, check your district through the Old Riverside Foundation and ask the city if the guidelines cover masonry repair.
If your joints are going soft, call (951) 462-2880 or send us a few photos and the wall size, and I'll come out and take a look.
How we handle tuckpointing on your wall
I go joint by joint and mark the ones that are failing, and we repoint those and leave the sound ones alone, because good old mortar beats new and cutting out a healthy joint only adds labor you'd be paying for. On a small patch our crew cuts out the old mortar by hand with a hammer and chisel. On a big wall a grinder is faster, but it can nick the brick around every joint, and a chipped brick edge stays chipped, so I'll tell you which we'd use on your wall and why before anyone starts cutting. Then we pack new mortar into the clean joints and shape it to the finish your quote names.
Joints are only half the wall. If a brick is cracked through or its face is flaking off, we replace it with brick repair before we repoint around it, since new mortar can't hold together a brick that's coming apart. And if the drive up to the house looks as tired as the wall, we also lay driveway pavers.
Plain repoint
This suits most houses, where you want sound joints that match the old ones in color and shape. It's what most homeowners mean when they say tuckpointing.
Old ribbon finish
Some older walls had joints colored close to the brick with a thin strip of contrasting mortar run along the middle. If yours did and you want it back, say so, and your quote will name that finish up front.
How do you know your brick joints need tuckpointing?
Mortar sitting back from brick
The mortar has worn back from the brick face and left a ledge. Water sits on that ledge after every rain, and each soaking eats a little deeper into the joint.
Mortar that crumbles to sand
If a joint turns to sand under your thumb, that mortar has given up. Left alone, the joint opens up and lets water reach the brick and the wall behind it.
Hairline cracks along joints
Fine cracks in the mortar, or a thin gap between brick and mortar, let water wick into the wall. A few cracked joints are a small fix, while loose bricks are a bigger one.
Holes where mortar fell out
Gaps and holes in the joints are open doors for water and bugs alike. The longer they stay open, the more joints around them start to go.
What happens after you call about tuckpointing in Riverside?
I look and measure
Call or send the form, and I'll come out to look at the joints and measure the wall. Your written estimate says which joints we'll repoint, how and with which finish.
Our crew repoints the joints
A lead mason runs our crew on site, cutting out only the joints marked on your estimate and packing in new mortar. When we use lime mortar, we keep it from drying too fast so it bonds.
I check before we finish
Before we call it finished, I walk the wall and check the joints against the estimate. Then we clean the brick face and haul off the old mortar.
Tuckpointing questions from Riverside homeowners
These are the questions we hear most about worn mortar and repointing. If your wall doesn't fit any of them, call or send photos and ask about your own job.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Riverside, CA?
Across the US, tuckpointing usually costs about $5 to $25 per square foot of wall, and that's the national going rate, not our price. Where your wall lands depends on its height, access and how much mortar has failed, which is why I measure before I put a number on paper.
How do I know if my brick mortar needs repointing?
Your joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or gaps between brick and mortar. A house key run along a joint is enough to check most of these yourself.
How long does tuckpointing last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and what mortar was used. The bricks themselves may well last past 100 years, so mortar is the part of a brick house that gets renewed over its life.
What is the best mortar for repointing old brick?
The best mortar for an old brick wall is about as strong as the original or a little weaker, not the strongest mix you can buy. Softer mortar protects the brick from damage that can't be undone, so the hardest bag at the store is the wrong pick here. We look at your old mortar before we mix the new.
What should I do about water stains or mold on a brick wall?
Find where the water starts before you fix what it damaged. When stains, worn joints, damp indoors or mold show up, both the cause and the damage need fixing, so the repair plan may reach past the joints. We look for the source when we come out.
Can an unlicensed handyman do a small tuckpointing job in California?
Only a small one. California lets someone without a contractor's license take minor work within a $1,000 limit, and only when the work needs no permit and they employ no one on the job. Past that, the person repointing your wall needs a license.
Get a written tuckpointing estimate
Add photos of the worn joints, a rough wall size and whether you're in a historic district, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out, measure and leave a free written estimate with no obligation.
Repointed brick up close
Other brick and paving work
Brick repair
When a brick has cracked, flaked or come loose, new mortar around it won't save it, so the brick itself gets cut out and replaced first.
Learn moreDriveway pavers
If the driveway beside your brick has heaved or cracked, interlocking pavers give you a surface that can be lifted and reset in sections instead of broken out.
Learn more