Tuckpointing in Ventura, CA - sound mortar joints that hold your brick together
Mortar crumbling or sinking from the face of your brick? We clear out the bad joints and refill them so the wall is solid again.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does tuckpointing actually fix on a brick wall?
Tuckpointing, which masons more accurately call repointing, means removing the worn mortar from the joints of your brick wall in Ventura and replacing it with new mortar, so the joints hold the brick and keep water out again. Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, so this is a long-term repair, not yearly upkeep.
Most people call me after they've run a finger along a joint and had mortar come away like sand, or noticed cracks working their way through a wall they've looked at for years. What the job costs turns on how tall the wall is, how much of the mortar has failed, what shape the brick or foundation is in and how easy the wall is to reach, because a two-story wall or one down a tight side yard means scaffolding and slower going. The schedule mostly turns on how many joints need work, whether a drainage problem has to be fixed first and whether the city wants a permit, and after I've seen your wall you get a written estimate that spells out what I'd do and why.
How can you tell your mortar joints are failing?
Joints sunk behind the brick
The mortar has worn back so the brick edges stick out past it, which usually means rain and weather have been eating at the joints for a while. Left alone, water sits on that little ledge and gets into the wall, and the brick edges start to wear too.
Mortar that rubs away
When you rub a joint and it turns to sand or falls out in pieces, the mortar has lost what holds it together. If you wait, the bricks loosen, and a mortar job turns into a brick job.
Cracks along the joints
Thin cracks through the mortar or a gap where it has pulled away from the brick give water a way in. Cracks can also point to movement behind the wall, so I look for the cause before anyone picks up a trowel.
How we do tuckpointing on your brick walls
I start by walking the wall with you and marking the joints that have actually failed, and since people call this tuckpointing, pointing or repointing, I'll tell you what each word on a quote means. If something is wearing the joints out, we deal with that first. Then our crew cuts the old mortar out to a clean, even depth, brushes and dampens the joints and packs the new mortar in layers so it bonds all the way back. We mix it a little softer than your brick so the joint takes the wear and the brick doesn't, shape the face to match the joints around it, and clean the brick and your yard before we leave.
When some of the bricks themselves are cracked or flaking, that's brick repair, and we do it before the new mortar goes in so the joints have something solid to grip. Homeowners also ask about driveway pavers while I'm out, since a worn drive often runs right beside the wall we're fixing and it's easy to look at both on one visit.
Repointing the worn sections
This suits a wall where the damage sits in patches, like along the base, at a corner or under a gutter, because joints that are still sound don't need touching. You only pay for the joints that have actually failed.
Repointing the whole wall
This suits a wall where most of the joints are soft or sunk back, because patching a few at a time leaves you chasing failures and gives the wall a patchy look. It's the bigger job, and I'll only suggest it when the wall really needs it.
Get a free written estimate for your tuckpointing
Send a few photos of the worn joints, the wall's rough size and your home's age. We'll reply within one business day to set a free estimate at your house, with no obligation.
(805) 507-9163- Based in
- Ventura, CA 93001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about tuckpointing in Ventura?
Here's how a pointing job runs from your first call to the final walk-around, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us about the wall and we'll set a time for me to come out. Photos of the worst joints help me know what I'm walking into.
I look at it with you
I go over the joints, the brick and where the water runs, and answer your questions before I write anything up. Your written estimate says what we'd do and why, and it tells you plainly if part of the wall isn't worth doing yet.
We line up permits and a start
Once you're ready, we sort out any permit the city wants for the job. Then we set a start date that works for you.
We point, then walk it together
Our crew does the pointing while I run the job and check the joints as they go in. At the end I walk the wall with you so you can see every joint we touched.
Why Ventura homeowners call A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry for tuckpointing
I check every wall myself
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site running it while our crew of experienced masons does the work. The person who told you what your wall needs is the one checking the joints as they go in.
Fully licensed and insured
California's contractors board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses additional workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. We're fully licensed and insured, so you're covered on that whatever your wall turns out to need.
Trained under an older mason
I ran a landscaping business for years, then learned the trade properly under an older mason, and we've been in business since 2021. Brick and mortar repair on older homes is what we're best known for, so soft old walls are familiar ground.
If you're not sure your joints need work yet, I'll tell you that too, so send us a few photos or ask for an estimate.
Tuckpointing and brick repair on Ventura's older homes
The city's Building and Safety Division handles building permits in Ventura, from checking plans to issuing permits, and whether a repointing job needs one isn't something I'll guess at. Before we start, we check with that office for your address, and if a permit is needed, we handle the application and set up the inspections.
A lot of the brick we point in Ventura is on older houses, chimneys and garden walls, where the original mortar is soft and the brick edges are already worn, so we take our time cutting the old joints out without chipping the brick. Older homes can also come under a city historic check, which I cover in the questions below. We see the same kind of older brick on jobs in Ojai and Santa Barbara, and we handle it the same careful way there.
Questions about tuckpointing in Ventura
How much does tuckpointing cost in Ventura, CA?
Across the US, tuckpointing brick usually costs about $500 to $2,500 for every 100 square feet of wall, based on a national cost guide. That's a nationwide figure, not a Ventura price and not ours, and where your wall lands depends on the height, damage and access I mentioned above. To know where yours falls, I need to see it, and the estimate is free.
How do I know if my brick mortar needs repointing?
Your wall is due for repointing if the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. Any one of those is enough. Only the bad joints need work, so ask whoever looks at your wall which joints are defective, and I'll show you mine on the wall itself.
What is the best mortar for repointing an older brick house?
Lime mortar is usually the better choice for historic brick, and federal guidance on historic masonry prefers it over Portland cement mortar. That guidance also wants the new mortar softer than the original mortar, not just the brick, which takes stress off the brick edges. If your house is older, you can ask for lime mortar, and I'll tell you whether it suits your brick.
Does my older Ventura home need a historic assessment before tuckpointing?
It might, because the city's General Plan calls for a historic assessment for any project in a historic district or affecting a structure more than 40 years old. If your house fits either one, contact the city about the historic assessment as a first step, before we set a start date. If your home is on the city's landmark register, you may also qualify for property tax relief by pledging to rehabilitate it and keep its historic character for at least 10 years.
What is the best time of year to tuckpoint brick?
Spring or fall is usually best, according to one national cost guide. It calls daytime temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 to 72 hours ideal weather for new mortar to cure, so we keep an eye on the forecast when we set a start.
What causes mortar to wash out of a brick wall?
Water is the usual cause, and a leaking downspout can wash mortar right out of a wall. The downspout gets replaced and any other drainage problem gets fixed before the new mortar goes in, or the same water just starts on the new joints. When I look at your wall, I'll show you where the water's coming from.
Related masonry work for your brick and yard
Brick repair
When bricks themselves are cracked, chipped or loose, new mortar alone won't hold, so we cut out the damaged ones and set the closest match we can find.
Driveway pavers
If your driveway is cracked, pavers in a color that suits your brick can replace it, and we can plan that on the same visit.
Service areas for tuckpointing around Ventura
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry is based in Ventura, California, and we point brick in the cities around it too. The 12 cities below each have their own page, including Oxnard and Thousand Oaks. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Ventura, CA
Send us photos of your worn joints
Photos of the joints, the wall's rough size and your home's age let me come out ready to talk about the right mortar for your brick.