Tuckpointing in San Leandro CA - fresh mortar joints that protect your old brick
Mortar crumbling or sinking back from your brick? We cut out the worn joints and pack in new mortar that suits your wall.
What does tuckpointing actually fix on a brick house?
Tuckpointing, which the trade more exactly calls repointing, means cutting the worn mortar out of the joints in a brick or stone wall and packing new mortar in its place. At Liberty San Leandro Concrete & Masonry we do it on houses, chimneys and garden walls in San Leandro and the cities around it, so the joints seal again and stop letting water into the wall.
Most calls start the same way. You run a finger along a joint and it comes away as sand, or you notice the mortar sitting back from the face of the brick. The brick itself is usually fine, so the job is about the joints. If bricks have cracked or their faces have come off, that's brick repair as well, and I'll tell you which one you actually need.
The price follows how much wall needs doing, how high it goes and how deep the old mortar has to come out, since every joint is cut and refilled by hand. The schedule turns on the same things, plus a permit if your job needs one. I measure and photograph the wall when I come out, and the written estimate shows what each part of the job covers.
What a good tuckpointing job comes down to
Two walls can look the same from the sidewalk and need different work. Here's what I'd want you to know before anyone cuts a joint on your house.
Repointing, not surface grout
Smearing grout over old joints can't stand in for cutting them out and refilling them, and it isn't recommended on historic brick. Ask for repointing by name when you compare bids.
Mortar softer than the brick
The new mortar has to be weaker than the brick, because mortar that's harder makes the brick faces break off. Ask any contractor how their mortar compares with your brick.
Color tested on a hidden spot
Sand color and cement type both change how new mortar looks, so we set a small sample where nobody looks and you see it before we do the whole wall.
Cutting out and packing in
Our crew cuts the old mortar back to sound material, cleans out the joints, then packs new mortar in and shapes it to match the joints around it. It's slow work, and noisy.
Tuckpointing questions we hear in San Leandro
How do I know my brick needs tuckpointing?
Your brick likely needs tuckpointing when the mortar has worn back more than ¼ inch from the face, crumbles when you touch it, or shows hairline cracks or gaps. Bricks cracked along with the joints are another sign. Treat those as a reason to have someone look at the wall, because I'd rather tell you a crack can wait than sell you work you don't need.
How long does new mortar last on a brick house?
Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while the brick around it can go 100 years or more. That gap is why tuckpointing exists, so on an older house you can expect the joints to need redoing as the mortar ages, even when the brick still looks good.
What causes mortar to crumble between bricks?
Age wears it out, and water speeds that up. A leaking gutter, a downspout dumping against the wall, or a patio or driveway pavers sloped toward the house can keep the joints wet for years. I track down where the water's coming from before we touch the joints, because fresh mortar over an old leak just crumbles again.
How much does tuckpointing cost in San Leandro?
I can only give you a fair number after measuring your wall, because the cost moves with its size, its height and how deep the joints have worn. Age pushes it up most, since repointing historic brick properly is usually a long and expensive job. Call (510) 264-7154 and I'll come out and measure.
Who can get a building permit in San Leandro?
San Leandro issues building permits only to a California-licensed contractor or the property owner. If you're not sure whether your tuckpointing job needs one, the city's Permit Center takes permit applications and answers questions about current building codes.
Can an unlicensed handyman do a small tuckpointing job in California?
Only a small one. California's limit for unlicensed work is $1,000, and it only applies when the job needs no permit and the person has nobody working for them on it. Past that, ask which license a contractor holds, since the state's masonry license covers brick, block, stone and terra cotta.
Why San Leandro homeowners call Liberty San Leandro Concrete & Masonry for tuckpointing
You deal with me from the first look at your wall to the finished job, and you get a straight answer on what needs doing now and what can wait.
The owner at your wall
I come out to look at the job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done.
In business since 2021
Most of our calls come from homeowners who saw our mortar work on a house down the street.
Licensed and insured
Ask about either one before you sign anything, and you'll get a straight answer.
Honest about what can wait
If a crack is cosmetic and holding, I'll tell you so instead of selling you a wall's worth of work.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's the promise we put on every job, and on tuckpointing it starts with you approving the mortar color.
Book a look at your crumbling mortar
Have a few photos of the worst joints handy when you call (510) 264-7154, so I know what I'm walking up to.
What happens when you call us about tuckpointing in San Leandro
Every tuckpointing job is planned around your wall and your schedule, and you see the price and the plan in writing before anyone cuts a joint.
You call or write
Call (510) 264-7154 or send the form, and tell us which wall is giving you trouble and roughly how big it is.
I look and measure
I come out myself to look at the wall, measure it and take photos, so the estimate rests on what's actually there.
Your written estimate
The written estimate spells out each part of the job. If a permit's needed, we handle it with the city or county and start once it's issued.
Work and walk-through
We set the color sample, do the work and clean up, then I walk the finished wall with you.