Brick pointing in Ventura CA - tight mortar joints that keep the wall sound
Mortar crumbling out of your brick joints? We rake out what's failed and pack in fresh mortar so your wall stays tight and solid.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What is brick pointing, and does my wall need it?
Brick pointing in Ventura, CA, also called repointing, means we cut the worn, crumbling mortar out from between your bricks and pack the joints with fresh mortar, which closes the gaps and keeps the wall holding together.
Most people call me after they've noticed sand piling up under a wall or joints that have sunk back from the brick face. The price comes down to how many joints have actually failed, how much wall that covers and how easy it is to reach, since this is slow handwork, and the schedule turns on the same things plus any permit question the city needs to answer. If some of the bricks themselves are cracked or broken, that's brick repair, and we can fold it into the same job. Your estimate lays out what I'd do and why, so you see the real size of the job before anything starts.
How can you tell your brick joints need pointing?
Mortar sunk behind the brick
When the mortar sits well back from the brick face, rain and wind have worn it away over the years. Left alone, water sits on those little ledges and works deeper into the wall, so the job keeps growing.
Mortar that crumbles to sand
If you can rub the mortar out with a finger or a key, it's lost its grip and isn't holding the bricks anymore. Waiting usually leads to loose bricks, and resetting bricks is a bigger job than pointing joints.
Cracks along the bricks
Fine cracks in the mortar, or along the edge where brick meets mortar, let water in and can be the first sign the wall is moving. I want to look at those before anyone fills them, because filling a crack that keeps moving just hides it.
How we do brick pointing on your wall
I walk the wall with you first and we mark the joints that have actually failed, and we leave the good ones alone, because sound old mortar is worth keeping. Our crew cuts the bad mortar out back to firm material, brushes the joints clean and dampens them so the new mortar doesn't dry out too fast. Then we pack the new mortar in, shape the joints to match the ones around them, clean the brick face as we go and clear up when we're done. Your estimate shows exactly which parts of the wall we'd redo.
Mortar that keeps cracking along the same line often means something is moving underneath, and then foundation repair comes first, since fresh joints on a shifting wall just crack again. Chimneys stand out in the wind and rain on every side, so when the joints up there are going, we handle it as chimney repair.
Spot pointing of failed joints
This suits most walls, where the damage sits in patches near the ground, under a downspout or on the side that takes the weather. You pay for the joints that need it and keep the original mortar everywhere else.
Full wall repointing
This makes sense when most of the joints have failed, because patching a wall that's crumbling all over just puts off the rest. I'll tell you plainly if your wall is at that point or isn't yet.
Matching the old joints
On an older house, new mortar in the wrong color or a different joint shape stands out for a long time. We match the color and the shape of the joints to what's already on the wall.
Get a written estimate for your brick pointing
We reply to every call and form within one business day. The estimate is free, done at your property and comes with no obligation, and I write up what I'd do to your wall and why.
(805) 507-9163- Based in
- Ventura, CA 93001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about brick pointing in Ventura?
Here's how a pointing job runs with us, from your first call to the walk around the finished wall.
Call or send the form
You reach us at (805) 507-9163 or through the form, and we set a time for me to come see the wall. Tell us roughly where the trouble is so I know what to look at first.
I walk the wall with you
I look at the joints with you, show you which ones have failed and answer your questions before I write anything up. Nothing gets priced until you understand what's wrong.
You get a written estimate
It spells out what we'd do and why, so you can see where your money goes and compare it fairly with anyone else's. Once you're ready, we line up any permits and set a start.
We repoint and walk it
Our masons do the pointing while I run the job and check the joints as they go. At the end we walk the wall together so you can see every section we redid.
Why Ventura homeowners call A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry for pointing
I look at every job myself
I come out to see every wall myself, and I'm on site running the job and checking the joints while our experienced masons work. You deal with the same person from the first look to the final walk.
Older Ventura brick is our work
Brick and mortar repair on older homes around Ventura is what we're best known for, and I learned the trade under an older mason. That means I know what sound old mortar looks like and when it's worth keeping.
In business since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, so five years of brick, block and stone work sits behind every estimate. I'd rather explain something twice than have you sign off on work you don't understand.
Fully licensed and insured, every job
We're fully licensed and insured, so the crew working on your wall is covered while we're there. Ask about it when I come out and I'll walk you through it.
What matters most is fixing the joints that have really failed, so if that's what your wall needs, ask for an estimate or call (805) 507-9163.
Brick pointing on older homes and chimneys around Ventura
In Ventura, Permit Services is the city office that handles permits, and when a job needs one, we check with the office that covers your address, handle the application and set up the inspections. If it isn't clear, we ask that office before we start. On older brick, that question is worth asking early, because the city's General Plan calls for any project in a historic district, or one affecting a building more than 40 years old, to be assessed for state and federal register and landmark eligibility, with steps to protect it. If your house is that old, Permit Services can tell you whether your pointing falls under that review. Homes already on the city's landmark register may qualify for Mills Act property tax relief, in return for keeping up their historic character for at least 10 years.
We're based in Ventura and work in the cities around it, and most of the pointing we do is on older houses, garden walls and chimneys, the same as on jobs in Oxnard and Ojai. Cutting out old mortar raises fine dust that can carry silica, and California's workplace silica standard covers that dust on repair work like this, so ask us at the estimate how we'll keep it off your windows, car and garden.
Questions about brick pointing in Ventura
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than about 1/4 inch from the face, crumbles when you scrape it, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. If only some joints show it, only those need the work. I can look at it with you and point out which ones.
How much does brick repointing cost in Ventura?
Brick repointing across the US usually costs about $4 to $20 per square foot of wall. That's a national range, and where your wall lands in it comes down mostly to how many joints need cutting out and how easy the wall is to reach. Your written estimate covers your own wall, with what we'd do and why.
Is a stronger mortar better for repointing my brick wall?
No, new mortar should be about as strong as the original or weaker, because the mortar is meant to give before the brick does. A harder mix pushes the stress into the bricks and can make their faces flake off, and that damage can't be repaired. It's worth asking any mason what mix they plan to use and why.
How long does brick repointing last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and what went into the mortar, while the bricks can well last more than 100. So over the life of a brick wall, you should expect to repair joints from time to time.
Who answers permit questions for masonry work in Ventura?
Ventura's Permit Services answers permit questions, by email at permits@cityofventura.ca.gov or by phone at 805-654-7869. If you hire us, we'll put the question to them for you before work starts, as described above for older homes.
What license does a masonry contractor need in California?
California's masonry license class is C-29, which covers laying brick and other baked clay products, walls built with or without mortar, and the cleaning and caulking that goes with masonry work. You can ask any contractor which class they hold before you hire them.
Other masonry work that often goes with pointing
Foundation repair
If the same cracks keep opening in your brick or mortar, the ground or footing may be moving, and that needs fixing before new joints go in.
Chimney repair
Loose bricks, a cracked cap or open joints high on the chimney let water work its way inside, and we can fix that masonry while we're there.
Service areas for brick pointing around Ventura
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry is based in Ventura, CA, and does brick pointing in the 12 cities listed here, including Camarillo and Santa Paula. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
Ventura, CA
Send us photos of your brick joints
A few photos of the worn joints, the wall's rough size and whether your house is more than 40 years old let me arrive already knowing what to look for.