Tuckpointing in Macon GA - tight mortar joints that match the brick around them
Crumbling, cracked or sunken mortar between your bricks? We rake out the worn joints and refill them with mortar matched to your wall.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Do the mortar joints on your brick house need tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing in Macon, GA means raking the worn mortar out from between your bricks, packing the joints with new mortar matched to the brick's color, and running a thin line of contrasting putty along each one so the joints look crisp and fine. Repointing is the same mortar work without that finish line.
Most folks call after they've brushed a hand across the wall and come away with sand, or noticed the joints sitting back from the brick on one side of the house. Before I talk about fixing it, I want to know why it wore, because a joint that failed from water off a roof corner will fail again if the water keeps coming. The price turns on how tall the wall is, how much of the mortar is damaged, what shape the brick or foundation behind it is in, and how easy it is to reach. The schedule turns on the weather, since fresh mortar needs mild days while it hardens, and on any review your street needs before work starts. Your estimate lays out the scope for your own house.
How can you tell your mortar joints are wearing out?
Mortar that rubs off as sand
Run your thumb along a joint and it comes away gritty, or there's a little pile of sand on the ledge below. That usually means the mortar has lost what held it together, and every rain after that pushes a bit more water into the wall behind it.
Joints sitting back from the brick
The mortar has worn down so each joint looks like a shallow groove, which gives water a ledge to sit on. Left long enough, the brick edges above and below start to chip, and that turns a pointing job into a brick job.
Hairline cracks and open gaps
You see thin cracks through the mortar, a gap where it has pulled away from the brick, or holes you can poke a key into. Some of that is plain wear, but a crack that's still moving needs a different fix, so I check before we point it.
How our crew handles tuckpointing on your house
I start by walking the wall with you and pointing out the worn joints, so you can see exactly what the work covers. Our crew rakes the old mortar out of those joints down to sound material and brushes them clean, because new mortar won't bond to dust. We match the new mortar to the color of your brick before it goes in, then run the thin finish line once the joint is firm enough to take it, which is how the joints come out crisp without looking patched. Last, we wash down the brick faces and clean up the ground along the wall.
Pointing fixes joints, not bricks, so when a few bricks are broken or their faces are flaking off, we take care of that as brick repair before the new joints go in. And once the front of the house looks sharp again, plenty of owners turn to the ground in front of it, which is where driveway pavers in a tone close to the brick come in.
Tuckpointing with a finish line
Suits a front wall or any brick you look at every day, because the thin contrasting line makes the joints read sharp and even. It's the more detailed of the two, so it takes more time per wall.
Repointing only the worn sections
Suits a wall where the damage sits in one area, like under a sill or at a corner, or older brick where a plain joint fits the house better. We match the new mortar so the repaired area sits quietly beside the joints around it.
See which joints need work, and what it takes
We'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at the wall. The estimate is free and done on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead with it.
(478) 309-1109Tuckpointing in Macon: permits and what we see on older brick
In Macon-Bibb, any construction over $2,500 needs a building permit, and Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning says all construction needs zoning compliance, or a zoning permit, as well. Whether a tuckpointing job crosses that dollar line comes down to its size, and Macon-Bibb's Building and Fire Safety Department is the office that answers permit questions. When your job needs a permit, we handle the application and the inspections.
Much of our tuckpointing in Macon is on older brick homes, where the joints usually wear hardest wherever water runs, like under sills and beside downspouts. We're based in Macon and work across Middle Georgia, and we see the same older brick on jobs in Milledgeville and Fort Valley, along with plenty of cities nearby.
What happens after you call us about tuckpointing in Macon?
Call or send the form
Call (478) 309-1109 or send the form with your address and what you're seeing on the wall. We pick up seven days a week and set a time for me to come out.
I look at the whole wall
I come out myself and look at the wall and everything around it, down to the gutters and downspouts, because water going where it shouldn't is often why the joints wore. Then I tell you what I think is going on.
Get a written scope
The estimate spells out the materials, the mortar included, and each step of the work, so you know what you're paying for before you decide anything. You can hold it up against any other quote you get.
Crew works, then we walk it
Our lead mason and crew do the raking, pointing and cleanup, and I check in on the job while it's going. When it's finished, I walk the wall with you before we call it done.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my brick needs tuckpointing?
Your brick is due for tuckpointing or repointing when the mortar crumbles, has holes or hairline cracks, has cracked where it meets the brick, or has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the face. You can check your own walls for these before you ask anyone for a quote. The worst spots are usually where water runs off the house.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Macon, GA?
Across the US, tuckpointing usually costs about $5 to $25 per square foot, and that's the national going rate for the work, not our price. Where your wall falls in that range depends on its height, the damage and how easy it is to reach. Your estimate lays out the scope for your house.
What kind of mortar should be used to tuckpoint old brick?
The new mortar should match the old in color, hardness and permeability, which is how easily moisture passes through it. Hard mortars heavy in portland cement often make the brick next to them wear out faster, and older and newer brickwork each call for a different mortar type. It's a fair question to ask any contractor, us included, what mix they'd use on your wall and why.
How long does tuckpointing last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves may well last more than 100. That makes the joints the part of a brick wall that wears out first, so they're the upkeep to plan for over the life of the house.
What is the best way to fix a cracked mortar joint?
The best way starts with finding out whether the crack is still moving, which means watching it over time. A crack that's still active gets a flexible sealant, while one that has stopped can be pointed. Structural repairs come before cosmetic ones, so ask whether the wall needs other fixes before the joints.
Does Macon's historic district design review apply to tuckpointing?
It can if your property is zoned with an "H" or as "CBD", because that puts it in a Design Review District, where a construction project may need Design Review Board review for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Macon's districts are the Historic Commercial District, Central Business District, Cherokee Heights, Intown, Vineville and Historic Beall's Hill, and the review is there to make sure work keeps their historic and architectural features. If your home is in one, we'll help you work through the review steps before work starts.
Macon, GA
Book a look at your mortar joints
Photos of the worn joints and your property's zoning, if you know it, let me show up already knowing what to check.