Brick tuckpointing in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland

Signs your brick needs tuckpointing

• Mortar that crumbles, turns sandy, or can be scraped out with a key
• Joints that are recessed behind the face of the brick or have gaps
• Cracks running through the mortar joints
• Loose bricks
• Damp walls or water coming in through brick walls

What tuckpointing involves

1. Remove the old mortar. Deteriorated mortar is cut or raked out of the joints to an even depth.
2. Clean the joints. Dust and loose material are removed so the new mortar can bond.
3. Fill with new mortar. New mortar is packed into the joints, usually in layers.
4. Finish the joints. The joints are tooled to shape them and help them shed water.

The new mortar should suit the brick. Mortar that is harder than the brick around it can cause the brick to crack or spall over time.

Tuckpointing or brick replacement

Tuckpointing repairs the mortar joints. It does not fix the bricks themselves.

• Tuckpointing alone is usually enough when the bricks are sound and only the mortar is failing.
• Brick replacement is needed when bricks are cracked, spalling (the face is flaking off), or loose.
• Many walls need both. Failing mortar lets water into the wall, and that water damages bricks over time.

At the evaluation, we tell you which one your wall needs. For brick and stone damage beyond the joints, see masonry repair. For chimneys, see brick chimney repair.

Weather and scheduling

Mortar has to cure without freezing, so tuckpointing depends on the weather. We will talk through timing for your project at the evaluation.

Service area

We currently serve these towns for this service:

• Munster, IN
• Lansing, IL
• Hammond, IN
• Dyer, IN
• Schererville, IN
• Highland, IN
• Crown Point, IN
• Merrillville, IN
• Valparaiso, IN
• St. John, IN
• Cedar Lake, IN
• Griffith, IN
• Hobart, IN
• Portage, IN
• Chesterton, IN

Not on the list? Call (219) 743-0451 to ask about your address.

Roofing coverage: Porter County, Indiana · the Chicagoland area · Lake County, Indiana.

Common questions

How long does tuckpointing last?

It depends on the mortar, the brick, and how much water the wall is exposed to. Walls with poor drainage, leaking gutters or constant splash-back wear faster. We do not quote one lifespan for every wall.

How long does a tuckpointing job take?

It depends on the size of the wall, how much mortar has to come out, and the weather. We give you an estimate of the work after the evaluation.

Is tuckpointing the same as repointing?

The terms are often used for the same job: replacing deteriorated mortar in brick joints. Strictly, tuckpointing is a finishing technique that adds a thin line of contrasting mortar to make joints look crisp, while repointing is the repair itself.