Brick Repair & Tuckpointing in Anderson, IN
Brick, chimney, stone, and concrete, done right for Anderson homes
When the mortar goes, the wall's next
Brick lasts a hundred years. The mortar between it doesn't. On an older Anderson home, the joints are usually the first thing to fail, and once they're soft, water runs straight into the wall. That's what tuckpointing fixes.
If you can scrape mortar out of a joint with a key or a screwdriver or a car key, it's time.
What we fix
- Crumbling, cracked, or missing mortar joints
- Spalling brick, where the face is flaking or popping off
- Cracks stepping through a wall
- Old repairs that don't match and let water in
Tuckpointing, done right
We grind out the old mortar to a proper depth, not just skim over it. Then we repack the joints with fresh mortar mixed to match the color and profile of what's there. Done right, you can't tell where the repair starts. Done wrong, it's a gray smear across your brick, and we've fixed plenty of those too.
Where a brick's cracked or spalled past saving, we cut it out and set a replacement that matches.
How it goes
We look at the wall, tell you how much of it actually needs work (often less than people think), and give you a free price. Then we do it clean and blend it in.
Mortar matched to your wall
Whether a repair stands out or disappears comes down to the mortar. Brick from the 1920s was laid with soft, high-lime mortar that flexes with the wall. Hit that same wall with a hard modern Portland mix and it won't move when the brick does, so the brick cracks instead of the joint. We match the mix to the age and type of your brick, and we match the color and the joint profile, whether that's concave, struck, or flush. Grind out the old, pack in the new, tool it to match, and clean the faces. Done right, the repaired section reads as part of the wall.
Brick and mortar are the base of nearly everything we do, from chimneys to foundations, so it's the skill we've put the most years into. If you're weighing a bigger project, take a look at the full range of our Anderson masonry work. Either way, send a photo of the wall and we'll tell you what it needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tuckpointing, and do I need it?
Tuckpointing is replacing the worn-out mortar between your bricks. The brick can last a century. The mortar doesn't. If yours is cracked or crumbling out of the joints, water's running into the wall behind it, and it's time. We grind the old joints out and repack them fresh.
Why is the face popping off my brick?
That's spalling, and the cause is water. Moisture soaks into the brick, freezes, and pushes the face right off. It spreads once it starts, so the fix is to swap the spalled brick and stop the water that caused it.
What's the white chalky stuff on my brick?
Efflorescence. It's mineral salt left behind as water moves through the masonry and dries out. On its own it's mostly cosmetic, but it's a sign water is getting somewhere it shouldn't, so it's worth a look.