Brick pointing in Cupertino CA - fresh mortar joints without chipped brick edges
Mortar crumbling out of your brick joints or sand at the foot of the wall? We clear the bad joints and repack them solid.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does brick pointing involve, and does your wall need it?
Brick pointing, also called repointing, means raking the worn mortar out of the joints in a brick wall and packing in new mortar. For homes in Cupertino, CA, it lets the wall shed water and hold together again without tearing any brick out.
Most people notice it as sand on the patio under a wall, joints they can scrape out with a key, or cracks running along the mortar. If the bricks themselves are cracked or loose, that's brick repair, and I'll look at that while I'm there. The price turns on how many joints have actually failed, how the old mortar has to come out and how easy the wall is to reach. The schedule turns on the size of the wall, good weather for the mortar to cure and whether the city has to sign off. Once I've seen the wall, your written estimate says what we'll do and why.
Is brick pointing the right fix for your home?
Older brick houses
Old or soft brick needs its joints cleared gently, so the mortar gets renewed without hurting the brick.
Chimneys shedding mortar
A chimney takes weather on every side, so its joints often wear out before the rest of the house.
Garden and boundary walls
Freestanding walls get wet on both faces, and worn joints let that water work deeper into the wall.
Sound brick, failing joints
When the bricks are still solid, new mortar fixes the wall without taking any of it down.
How we handle brick pointing
I start by walking the wall with you and marking the joints that have actually failed. On old or soft brick we clear those joints by hand. It's slower, but a saw in a thin joint chips edges that can't be put back. Once the joints are cleaned back to sound mortar, we dampen them, pack the new mortar in firm layers, tool the face to match the joints around it and brush the wall clean once it has set.
Sometimes the joints are telling you about something else. A crack that steps up through the mortar can mean the wall underneath is moving, and pointing alone won't hold if that's happening, so I'll tell you and look at foundation repair first. Chimneys are where joints usually go first, and pointing a chimney often goes hand in hand with chimney repair at the top.
Pointing just the failed joints
This suits a wall where the wear is patchy, often low near the ground or under a leaky gutter. The rest of the original wall stays untouched.
Repointing a whole wall
This makes sense when most joints across a wall have worn back. The new mortar then weathers evenly instead of leaving a patchwork.
Matching an older joint
On older houses we tool the new joints to the same shape and color as the old ones. That way the repair looks like part of the wall.
What happens when you call about brick pointing?
Call or send the form
Call (669) 215-2127 or fill in the form, and I'll set up a time to come look at the wall myself. Photos of the crumbling or cracked joints and the age of your house help me come prepared.
Walk the wall together
I ask what you've noticed, and we walk the wall while I check which joints have failed and which are still sound. That way the job covers the joints that need it and nothing more.
Get your written estimate
You get an estimate in writing that says what we'll do and why, including how the old mortar comes out and what goes back in. If the city needs to sign off, we take care of that before we start.
Pointing and a final walk
I'm on the job with our crew from the first joint to the last brushing-down. When we're done, we walk the wall together again so you can look over every joint.
Choosing the mortar for brick pointing
Match the old mortar, or go softer.
New mortar should be about as strong as the mortar already in your wall, or weaker, but not harder. A softer joint takes the wear and can be repointed again someday. A harder one pushes the stress into the brick, and when the brick edges break off, that damage can't be repaired.
So I look at what's in your wall before anything gets mixed, and we match its strength and color as closely as we can. When you're getting quotes, ask each mason how their new mortar compares with what's there now, because their answer tells you a lot about the job you'll get.
Examples of masonry work
Look through these examples of brick, stone and concrete work to get a feel for joints, finishes and styles before we talk about your wall.
Get a written estimate for your brick pointing
Tell us where the joints are crumbling or cracked and how old the house is, with photos if you have them. We reply within one business day to set up a free estimate at your property, with no obligation.
Why Cupertino homeowners call D&R Cupertino Concrete and Masonry for brick pointing
I come out to every job
I look at each wall myself and write the estimate, and the work is done by me and our crew of masons. You're talking to the person who'll be working on your wall.
In business since 2013
I started this business in Cupertino in 2013, after years of framing houses and learning masonry next to an older mason who made me redo a joint until it was right. That's 13 years of fixing old problems properly instead of covering them up.
Licensed and fully insured crew
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters when a crew is up on ladders and scaffolding against your house for the length of a job.
We fix the cause first
Coming from framing, I think about the whole house, so if water or a weak backing is behind your cracked joints, I'll tell you before we lay a single brick. Call (669) 215-2127 or use our estimate form to set up a visit.
Brick pointing questions we hear
How do I tell if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick likely needs repointing if the mortar has worn back more than about 1/4 inch from the face, crumbles when you rub it, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or gaps between the brick and the mortar. You can check for all of those yourself before you call anyone. Snap a few photos and send them with your request.
How long does new mortar last after brick pointing?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the brick itself can last well over 100. That makes the joints the part of the wall you plan to renew over time, not the brick.
Can an unlicensed handyman do a small brick pointing job in California?
Only on minor work under the state's $1,000 limit, which was raised from $500, and only when the job needs no permit and the person has no one working for them on it. A bigger job, or one that needs a permit, calls for a licensed contractor.
How much does brick pointing cost in Cupertino?
Brick pointing has no set price, because the cost comes down to how many joints have failed, how the old mortar has to come out and how hard the wall is to reach. It's slow, hands-on work, and only the bad joints need it, so leaving sound original joints alone keeps the job smaller. Your written estimate lays out which joints we'll do and why.
What is the best time of year to repoint brick?
One national guide plans repointing for spring or fall, and it looks for daytime temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees for at least 24 to 72 hours while the mortar cures. We watch the forecast when we set a start date, because mortar does better when it cures in the right weather.
Is surface grouting the same as repointing brick?
No, surface grouting can't stand in for repointing, which takes the bad mortar out and replaces it. Preservation guidance doesn't recommend grouting for historic masonry either, so when you compare quotes, check that each one lists repointing itself.
Want us to look at your joints?
I'll come out, walk the wall with you and leave a written estimate that says what we'll do and why.
Work that often goes with pointing
Brick pointing in Cupertino: permits and how we run the job
Whether your pointing job needs a permit is the city's call, and Cupertino's own permit list doesn't settle it, because it names jobs like re-roofing and siding replacement but not brick pointing. So we don't guess. I check with the city before we set a start date, and if your job needs a permit, we handle the application through the city's Online Permit Service Portal, where inspections get scheduled too, and plan our start around the city's review.
If a job does call for a grinder, California's safety rules require a dust reduction system on any powered tool that cuts or grinds masonry, so ask any crew how they'll keep the dust down. We're based in Cupertino and work across the cities around it, and the older brick walls and chimneys we point here look a lot like the ones we see on jobs in Saratoga and Los Altos.