Brick pointing in McAllen TX - new joints you can't tell from the old ones
Mortar crumbling out of your brick joints? We cut out only the failing joints and refill them so your wall sheds water again.
- Service
- Brick pointing
- Call
- (956) 331-0202
How can you tell your brick joints are failing?
Mortar that crumbles away
If you rub a joint and it turns to sand in your fingers, or you find little piles of grit along the bottom of the wall, that mortar has given up. Every rain after that pushes water a bit deeper into the wall, so the longer it waits, the more joints end up on the list.
Joints set back from the brick
When the mortar sits well behind the brick face and you can see a shadow line along each course, the joint has worn down. Those little ledges catch rain and hold it against the brick, which speeds up the wear on the joints around them.
Cracks or gaps at the edges
Hairline cracks in the mortar, small holes, or a joint that's pulled away from the brick all mean water has a way in. Caught early it's usually a joint repair, but left alone it can loosen bricks and turn into a bigger rebuild.
When does brick need repointing, and what does it involve?
Brick pointing in McAllen, TX means cutting out mortar joints that have crumbled, cracked or worn back, then packing in fresh mortar so the wall keeps rain out again. Done right, it repairs the lines between your bricks without disturbing the brick itself.
Most calls start with a homeowner noticing sandy mortar on the ground or a joint they can poke a key into, and wondering if the whole wall has to be redone. Usually it doesn't, because joints wear at different rates and plenty of them still have years left. What moves the price is how many joints have failed, how high we have to work and how much care it takes to match your old mortar, and the schedule mostly turns on the weather and on getting any permit the city wants first. If the bricks themselves are cracked or broken, that's brick repair, and I'll tell you at the estimate which one your wall needs.
Details to note before an estimate
- Which walls or sides of the house
- Rough height of each wall
- Spots where mortar crumbles or is missing
- Damp spots or leaks inside
How we do brick pointing
I start by going over the wall joint by joint and marking the ones that are actually failing, because a sound original joint does a better job than any patch and there's no reason to cut it out. We clear the old mortar from those joints to an even depth and take real care at the brick edges, since preservation guidance for older buildings warns that power saws on thin joints, like most brick walls have, almost always break the edges and overcut the short vertical joints. Then we mix new mortar that's no harder than what's already in your wall, so if something has to give over the years it's the joint, which is meant to be renewed, and not the brick. We pack it in, tool it to the same shape and color as your old joints, and clean the brick face before we call it done.
Sometimes the joints are only the symptom. If you've got wide cracks running through the wall or the foundation, I'll want to look at foundation repair before repointing, because new mortar won't hold on a wall that's still moving. Chimneys take a beating up on the roof, so if the joints there are crumbling or water is getting in around it, that falls under chimney repair, and I can look at both on the same visit.
Work that often goes with repointing
Foundation repair
If cracks keep reopening or the wall looks like it's settling, the foundation needs attention first so new mortar joints have something steady to hold.
Chimney repair
A leaking or crumbling chimney lets water into the attic and walls, and fixing its brick and crown stops leaks that new joints below can't reach.
What happens after you call about brick pointing
Call or send a request
Call (956) 331-0202 or use the form below and tell me which walls are giving you trouble. We're based in McAllen and work in the cities around it across the Valley, so we'll find a time to come by.
I come out and look
I come out myself, check the joints up close and ask a lot of questions about leaks, old patches and how long it's been like this. Then I walk you through which joints need work and which ones should be left alone.
Review the estimate and permits
You get my estimate for the joints we talked about, so you can decide in your own time. If the job needs a permit, we take care of it with the city and set up the inspections.
We repoint, clean and walk it
My crew and I do the work, clean the brick and haul off the old mortar. Then we walk the finished wall together so you can look at every joint we touched.
What people ask about brick pointing
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than about 1/4 inch from the brick face, or when it crumbles, has holes, shows hairline cracks or has pulled away from the brick. You can check this yourself by walking your walls and pressing a key into a few joints. Note the worst spots before you call, and I'll start there when I come out.
How much does brick repointing cost in McAllen?
Across the US, tuckpointing or repointing brick usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall, and that's the going range nationally, not our price. Walls taller than 8 feet cost more per square foot because they need scaffolding, and a wall with a few scattered bad joints costs less than one that's worn out everywhere. I'll give you your own number after I've seen the wall.
Do I need a permit to repoint brick in McAllen?
Most likely, because as a general rule the city of McAllen requires a permit when you build, alter, repair or improve, and its permits and inspections department issues them. If your property has a historic designation, the city also requires a certificate of appropriateness before it will issue a building permit for alterations. You can ask the city's permit office at (956) 681-1300, and since we're licensed and fully insured, we handle the permit paperwork for you.
How long does new mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves may well last more than 100. So over the life of a brick house, the joints wear out and get renewed while the bricks stay in place, which is normal. Our repointing is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What is the best time of year to repoint brick?
One national cost guide says spring or fall is best, when daytime temperatures stay between 40 and 90 degrees for at least 24 to 72 hours, because that's ideal curing weather for mortar. We'll talk through timing when I come out so you can plan the job around it.
Can I just spread new mortar over cracked joints instead of repointing?
Not if you want it to last. Preservation guidance for historic buildings says surface grouting, where a thin mix gets spread over the joints, can't stand in for real repointing and isn't a recommended treatment. A thin coat over crumbling mortar is only as strong as what's under it, which is why we take the bad mortar out first.
Get a free on-site estimate for your brick pointing
We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and there's no obligation. I'll come out myself, look over your joints and talk through what I see, then you get an estimate to think over.
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Send us photos of your worn joints
Call (956) 331-0202 or use the form and include a few photos and the wall's rough height, because a tall wall needs scaffolding and that changes the plan.