Masonry restoration in College Station TX - new joints that match the old
Mortar crumbling out of your brick joints? We repoint just the bad ones with a softer mix that matches, so the repair blends in.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does masonry restoration on a brick house actually involve?
Masonry restoration in College Station, TX usually means repointing. We cut the worn mortar out of your brick joints and pack in new mortar that matches the old, so the wall sheds water again and the repair doesn't stick out.
Most folks call me after they brush against a wall and come away with a handful of sand, or they notice the joints sitting back from the brick faces. Once mortar starts to go, water finds its way in. The price depends on how many joints really need work, how tall the wall is and how hard it is to reach, and whether some bricks are cracked and need brick repair along with the joints. The schedule turns mostly on weather, since fresh mortar cures badly in hard rain or a freeze, and on whether your house sits in a historic district that needs a review first. Your own number comes from the estimate, after I've seen the wall.
How can you tell your brick joints need work?
Sand at the wall's base
If you find grit along the bottom of the wall, or a joint crumbles when you rub it, the mortar has broken down and isn't sealing anymore. If you leave it, rain soaks into the open joints, bricks start to loosen, and a job that was a few joints grows into a whole section.
Joints sunk behind the brick
When the mortar sits well back from the brick faces, it has usually been weathering away for years, and every recessed joint becomes a little ledge that holds water. The deeper they get, the more the brick edges take the weather and start to chip.
Brick faces flaking off
A brick shedding its face, which masons call spalling, usually means water is trapped in the wall or an earlier repair used mortar harder than the brick. Once that face is gone it doesn't grow back, so catching it early means fewer bricks to replace.
How we do masonry restoration on brick
I start by going over the wall with you and marking the joints that are crumbling, cracked or worn back, because those are the ones you're paying us to fix. On older brick I treat mortar as something you renew over the life of the house, so we pick a softer mix, as strong as the old mortar or weaker, that lets moisture work its way out of the wall instead of getting trapped behind the brick. A mix harder than the old one makes the brick carry the stress, and that's how faces end up flaking, so before we start I'll tell you how the new mortar compares to what's there now. Our crew then cuts out each marked joint with a diamond-blade grinder, brushes or blows out the dust, and wets the joint so it doesn't pull the water out of the fresh mortar. Then they pack in the new mortar and shape its face to match the old joints, so the repair blends in.
Restoration often leads to the next project. When the fireplace inside is past saving or you're ready for a new one, our fireplace installation work takes the same care with mortar and brick. And if an addition or a front wall was never brick, stone veneer installation can give it a masonry face that sits well beside the restored walls.
Spot repointing
This suits a wall where the damage is patchy, like one sun-beaten side or the joints under a leaky gutter. We work only those joints, so the sound original mortar stays where it is.
Whole-wall repointing
This suits older houses where most of the joints have worn back at about the same rate. Doing the full wall at once keeps the color and the joint shape even from corner to corner.
Have your mortar joints checked, in person
We reply within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation. After you send the form, we call to set a time, I come out to look at the wall with you, and you get a written estimate of the work and the materials.
(979) 393-7020Masonry restoration in College Station: the city side and what we see
In College Station, the city's Building Division issues building permits to remodel or add to single-family homes and duplexes. Its list names those projects and doesn't name repointing, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs a permit. Before we start, we find out what the city asks for on your job. The city has contractors register before they can get a permit, so when a permit is ours to pull, we pull it and set up the inspections. If you'd rather pull it yourself on the home you own and live in, the city lets a homestead owner get a permit without registering, and I'll tell you what they'll want to see.
Most of the brick we repoint here takes long, hot summers and hard storms, so we lay mortar in the cooler hours and keep fresh joints damp so they cure instead of baking dry. We see the same tired joints on jobs in Bryan and Navasota, and we handle them the same way.
What happens after you call about your brick?
Call or send the form
Call (979) 393-7020 any day until 9 PM, or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Weekend mornings work too, since we pick up early.
Walk the wall together
I come out myself and look over the joints with you, and I'll point out what I'd fix and what I'd leave alone. Ask anything you like, because I'd rather you understand your own wall.
Get a written estimate
Your estimate comes in writing and spells out the work and the materials, mortar mix included, so you can see exactly what you're paying for before you decide. Then we sort out the city side before anyone starts.
We repoint and walk it
Our own crew of masons does the work, and I check it as it goes. At the end we walk the wall together, and we leave your yard clean.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repoint a brick house in College Station?
Repointing brick across the US usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per 100 square feet, and that's the market's range, not our price. Walls taller than 8 feet that need scaffolding cost more per square foot than walls up to 8 feet, and the biggest swing is how many joints actually need work. I'll give you your own number once I've seen the wall.
How do I know if every mortar joint needs to be replaced?
Only the bad joints need replacing, and on most houses that isn't every one. A joint needs work if it's crumbling, has holes in it, shows hairline cracks, has pulled away from the brick or has worn back more than 1/4 inch into the joint. Repointing is slow hand work, and a sound original joint is better than a new one, so we leave the good ones alone and you don't pay for them.
How long does new mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and what mortar went in, while the brick itself may well last more than 100 years. The brick usually outlives its mortar, so it makes sense to plan on repointing every so often as regular upkeep, the way you'd plan on a new roof.
What causes mortar joints to crumble on brick walls?
Mostly time and weather, because masonry wears like anything else, and the mortar joints are where it wears first. Rain, sun and the wall wetting and drying over and over slowly break the mortar down, and once a joint opens up, water gets in and speeds the damage along.
Does a historic home in College Station need extra review before masonry work?
It can, if the house sits in a historic district or is a state landmark. A property in a Historic Preservation Overlay district has extra city restrictions on any exterior work, and repointing is exterior work. A Recorded Texas Historic Landmark needs written notice to the Texas Historical Commission at least 60 days before any change to its historical or architectural character, and the commission reviews the outside of the building.
Should I clean my brick before or after repointing?
Clean your brick after repointing, not before. Every mortar joint should be sound and the wall watertight before it's washed with water, or the water can seep inside, rust the metal anchors in the wall and stain or ruin plaster. So we repoint first, and any cleaning waits until the new joints have set.
College Station, TX
Book a look at your mortar joints
Snap a few photos of the worst joints and note how tall the wall is before you call, so we can talk specifics from the first minute.