Tuckpointing in Cupertino CA - mortar joints that keep the water out of your walls
Crumbling mortar between your bricks lets water into the wall. We cut out the worn joints and refill them with mortar matched to your brick.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What is tuckpointing, and does your brick need it?
Tuckpointing, which most masons also call repointing, means cutting out the worn mortar between your bricks and packing the joints with fresh mortar. For brick homes in Cupertino, the main reason to do it is to stop water from getting into the wall.
Most people call us after they notice sandy mortar at the foot of a wall or joints they can scrape out with a key, and the brick itself is usually still fine. The price depends mostly on three things. The first is how many joints are actually bad. The second is how tall the wall is, because work above ladder height means scaffolding. The third is whether there's a water problem to fix first. The schedule depends on that same water question and on whether the city needs to sign off. Your written estimate says what we'd do and why, so you see the whole job before we start.
Is tuckpointing the right fix for your brick?
Sandy mortar at the base
Mortar dust along the bottom of a wall means the joints are wearing away and letting water in.
Walls that stay dark after rain
A wall or chimney that stays damp long after a storm often has open joints soaking up water.
Patches that keep popping loose
Mortar smeared over old joints tends to fall out, so those joints need a proper cutout instead.
Sound brick, tired joints
If the brick is solid but the mortar's soft, repointing fixes the weak part and keeps your brick.
How we do tuckpointing
We cut every bit of crumbling mortar out of the joints we're repairing, down to solid material, because new mortar won't hold on top of old. We work carefully at the brick edges so the bricks don't get chipped. Then we mix mortar matched to your brick and no harder than the old mortar, so that when the wall moves, the joint gives before the brick does. Mortar that's too hard pushes the load onto the thin edge of each brick and can make the face flake off, and then a joint repair becomes a brick replacement. We pack the joints full, shape them to match the ones around them and clean the face before we leave.
Tuckpointing fixes the joints and not the brick. If some bricks are cracked through or flaking, we replace them as part of brick repair while we're already set up at the wall. When worn joints up top come with a damaged crown or loose brick, that's chimney repair. If the same visit turns up a driveway that's cracked or sinking, we also lay driveway pavers.
Brick house walls
Most of our tuckpointing is on homes where the brick is fine but the joints have gone soft. The damage is usually worst on the sides that take the most rain and sprinkler spray.
Chimneys
Chimney joints are worth catching early, because loose mortar up there lets water down into the house. Working at that height takes extra setup, so we do all the bad joints in one trip.
Garden and freestanding walls
Freestanding brick walls get wet from both faces and the top, so their joints and caps often fail first. We repoint them when the wall stands straight. A leaning wall is a different job and sometimes an engineer's call.
What happens when you call us about tuckpointing in Cupertino?
Call and tell me what you've seen
Tell me what you've noticed and where on the house it is. I'll set up a time to come look at the wall myself.
Walk the wall together
I check the joints, the brick and where the water's coming from, and I ask what you've seen over the years. You get a written estimate that says which joints we'd cut out, what mortar we'd use and why.
Handle any city sign-off
If the city needs to sign off on the work, we take care of that before we start. Once that's settled, we set the start date with you.
Repoint, then walk it again
I'm on the job with our crew of masons while the work is done. At the end we walk the wall together so you can look over every joint we did.
Repoint the bad joints, or the whole wall?
Usually just the joints that have failed.
Only the joints that have actually failed need repair. Repointing is slow work, done mostly by hand, so cutting out good mortar just adds to your bill. A sound job leaves solid original joints alone. When I walk the wall, I mark which joints are soft, cracked or hollow and price only those.
Doing the whole face makes sense when most of the joints are worn anyway, or when the wall is tall enough that scaffolding goes up no matter what. It also gives you joints that look the same from end to end. I'll tell you which way I'd go on your wall and why.
Masonry work, up close
Look through these examples of brick, stone and block masonry to see joint styles, finishes and the kinds of work a mason handles.
Get a written tuckpointing estimate for your wall
Tell us where the worn joints are and how tall the wall is, and add 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 tuckpointing
The cause gets fixed first
Before we fill a single joint, I look for what's behind the damage, whether that's water or a weak backing, and I tell you about it. Fresh mortar over a leak just fails again, and you'd end up paying twice.
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at each job, and I do the work alongside our crew of masons. The person who sized up your wall is the one standing at it when the new joints go in.
In business since 2013
I learned this trade next to an older mason who made me redo a joint until it was right. Thirteen years in business later, I still judge our joints the same way.
Licensed and fully insured
California's state licensing board counts brick, block and stone work as masonry contracting, and we're licensed and fully insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. To set up a visit, call (669) 215-2127 or send us the estimate form.
Tuckpointing questions we hear
How do I know my brick needs tuckpointing?
Your brick likely needs tuckpointing if the mortar has worn back more than about 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles when you scratch it, or shows gaps and hairline cracks along the edges of the bricks. Those are the joints letting water in. A few close-up photos are a good start when you call us.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Cupertino?
One national cost guide puts repointing brick across the US at about $3 to $25 per square foot of wall. That's a national figure for repointing, not a Cupertino quote and not our price. Where your job lands depends mostly on how many joints need cutting out and how high we have to work. Your written estimate lays out what we'd do on your wall and why.
How long does new mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves can last well over 100. That's why an older brick home usually needs its joints redone now and then over the life of its walls, even when the brick is fine. It's also why we look at the brick and the joints separately when we come out.
What is the best time of year to repoint brick?
One national cost guide recommends spring or fall, which it calls ideal curing weather for mortar. The same guide says emergency work in winter or extreme heat will likely cost more. If a joint is letting water in right now, though, I'd rather look at it now and plan from there.
What causes mortar to wash out of brick joints?
Water is the usual cause, and a leaking downspout or poor drainage can wash mortar right out of the joints. Repointing guidance says to replace the downspout and fix other drainage problems first. I agree, because otherwise the new mortar washes out the same way. I'll point out anything like that during the estimate.
What should a tuckpointing contract include in California?
A California home improvement contract has to include several notices and disclosures that protect you as the homeowner. Any change to the contract has to be in writing, legible and easy to understand, and it has to tell you about your right to cancel. If something changes once the joints are open, we put that change in writing the way the state requires.
Want a second look at your mortar?
I'll come out, walk the wall with you and give you a written estimate that says what we'd do and why.
Other work that often goes with it
Tuckpointing in Cupertino and the cities around it
In Cupertino, the city's Building Division issues permits, reviews plans, inspects new construction and enforces the city's building codes. Whether repointing your particular wall needs its sign-off is a question for the city, so I won't guess at it. If you're not sure about your project, ask and we'll check with the city, and if a permit is needed, we handle the application and plan our start around the review.
Around here we see plenty of older brick on houses, chimneys and garden walls where the brick is still sound and the mortar has gone soft, so most of our tuckpointing is repair rather than tear-out. We do the same work on jobs in Sunnyvale and Saratoga.