Brick pointing in Lincoln CA - solid joints that help keep water out of your walls
Crumbling, sunken or cracked mortar lets water into your wall. We clear the worn joints and refill them so the wall holds up again.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Does the mortar in my brick walls need redoing?
Brick pointing in Lincoln, CA means our crew clears worn mortar out of your brick joints to an even depth and fills them with fresh mortar, which is one of the most effective ways to cut down on water getting into a brick wall.
Most people call us because the mortar between their bricks looks sandy, sits back from the face or has cracked, and they want to know if it's a problem yet. Mortar usually lasts roughly 25 to 50 years while brick lasts far longer, so an older house can need new joints even when every brick is still sound. The price mostly turns on how much wall needs doing, how deep the wear goes and how high we have to work, and the schedule turns on the wall's size and whether something else has to be fixed first. I look at it in person and tell you what needs doing now and what can wait before I put a number on it.
How we do brick pointing
I start by finding out why the mortar failed, because new joints over an old leak just wear out again. Then our crew clears the old mortar to an even depth, going slowly at the edges so the brick doesn't get chipped, and brushes the joints clean. We mix the new mortar no stronger than the old, because a mix that's too hard puts the stress where brick meets mortar and can make the face of the brick flake off, and it's the mortar's job to take that wear, not your brick's. We pack the joints full, shape them to match the rest of the wall and clean the brick as we go.
Bad joints often point to a bigger problem, and we'd rather fix that than keep repointing over it. Loose mortar high on a chimney usually comes with a cracked cap or bad flashing, the metal seal where the chimney meets the roof, so we handle that as chimney repair. Cracks that step like stairs through the joints can mean the wall is moving, and that gets looked at as foundation repair before any new mortar goes in.
Spot repointing on the worst joints
This suits a wall that's mostly sound with damage in one area, like under a downspout or along the bottom rows. We match the old mortar's color and joint shape as closely as we can, though new mortar usually reads a little lighter at first.
Repointing a whole wall
This suits a wall where the joints are worn everywhere, which is common once the mortar has reached its age. Doing it all at once gives you an even look and keeps you from chasing one patch after another.
Loose bricks, mortar falling out in chunks or water showing up inside mean it's time to call rather than wait. Call (916) 587-8582 and we'll set a time to look.
What happens after you call about brick pointing?
Here's how a repointing job runs with us, from the first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one who looks at your wall, and I'm the one who runs the job.
Call or send the form
Call (916) 587-8582 or send the form, ideally with a few photos of the worn joints and the rough size of the wall. We get back to you and set a time to come out.
I come out and look
I come out myself, check how deep the mortar has gone and look for why it failed. You get the estimate along with a straight answer on what needs doing now and what can wait.
Our crew does the work
I run the job on site with our crew, and if a permit is needed we pull it and set up the inspections. Expect dust and some grinding noise while the old mortar comes out.
We walk the finished wall
When the joints are filled and the brick is cleaned up, we walk the wall with you section by section. If something doesn't look right to you, tell us while we're standing there.
Get a free brick pointing estimate at your house
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at your walls and give you a free estimate on site, with no obligation and no pressure to book.
(916) 587-8582Brick pointing in Lincoln: permits and hiring
In Lincoln, permits come from the city's building official, and the City of Lincoln says most construction, repairs included, generally needs one. Your repointing job may fall under that, so we check before work starts, and when it needs a permit we pull it, set up the inspections and tell you where it stands. The city also expects any contractor working here to carry a current City of Lincoln business license, current workers' comp and a bond, with every subcontractor licensed and bonded too, so those are fair questions to put to any mason you're weighing. We're licensed and insured.
The city's building criteria put Lincoln in seismic design category D, an earthquake rating, so when cracks step through the joints we check whether the wall has moved before we refill anything. We're based in Lincoln and work across the cities around it, and we see the same brick chimneys, garden walls and brick-faced fronts on jobs in Roseville and Rocklin.
Brick pointing questions from Lincoln homeowners
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than about a quarter inch from the face, is crumbling, has gaps or hairline cracks, or has pulled away from the brick. You can check for all of those from the ground or with a fingertip before you call anyone. If you find them, take a few photos to send with your call or form.
How much does brick repointing cost in Lincoln, CA?
Across the US, professional brick repointing usually runs about $400 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall, and that's a national figure, not our price. Where a job lands in that range depends on how deep the mortar has gone, how high we're working and how much it takes to match the old mortar. For a Lincoln price on your wall, I come out and price it on site.
Can any mason repoint brick walls?
Not always, because a good mason isn't automatically good at repointing, and the work should go to someone who has done a lot of it and can show you. Guidance written for historic buildings warns that power saws on thin brick joints almost always chip the brick edges and cut too far into the vertical joints, so ask any mason how they'll get the old mortar out. I ran crews for another mason here for years before starting this business in 2017, and reading old mortar is a big part of what I learned.
Does a handyman need a contractor's license to repoint brick in California?
Usually yes, because California's contractor licensing board only lets someone without a license take jobs worth up to $1,000, and only when the work needs no permit and they have no employees. Most repointing jobs run past that, which puts them in a licensed contractor's hands.
How long does brick repointing take?
Repointing usually takes longer than people expect, because every joint gets cleared and refilled by hand. Guidance for historic buildings calls it precise, time-consuming and noisy work, with scaffolding that may stay on the wall for a while. On any house, the size of the wall and how high we have to work set the pace.
What causes mortar to crumble between bricks?
Water and plain age cause most of it. The usual culprits are a downspout dumping against the wall, sprinklers hitting the same spot every day, a cracked chimney top or a wall that's shifting. If the cause is still there, new mortar wears out the same way, which is why preservation guidance for historic buildings says to fix it before repointing.
Brick pointing often goes with these jobs
A chimney with a cracked concrete cap or loose bricks up top needs more than fresh mortar, because water keeps getting in until those are fixed.
Cracks that keep opening up after they're filled usually mean the house is settling, and that movement has to be stopped before new mortar will hold.
Get your worn mortar joints looked at
Right now it's a mortar job, but once water gets behind the joints and the brick starts to flake, it turns into brick repair, so call (916) 587-8582 or send the form.