Brick pointing in Redlands CA - solid joints that protect the brick around them
Mortar turning to sand or sinking back from the brick? We redo the worn joints with a mix that's easy on your brick.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What does brick pointing fix on a Redlands house?
Brick pointing in Redlands, CA, means our crew rakes out mortar that's crumbling or worn back and packs the joints with fresh mortar matched to the old color, so your wall keeps its bricks and gets new joints.
Most people call when they rub a joint and it comes away as sand, or when a few bricks under a gutter start to look loose. The price and the schedule come down to how many joints are bad, how high we have to work, how old the brick is, and, on a designated historic house, whether the city has to review the work first. My written estimate spells out which joints we'd redo and what we'd use, so you see your own figure before anything starts.
How do you know your brick joints need repointing?
Mortar rubbing out as sand
Run a key along a joint and it scratches out like beach sand, or the mortar has sunk back behind the brick face. The joint has given up, and water gets deeper into the wall with every rain until the bricks around it loosen.
Thin gaps beside the bricks
A crack runs between the brick and the mortar instead of through the joint, and water slips right in there. If those cracks step across the wall in a stair pattern, the house may be moving underneath, and that needs a look before any pointing.
Brick faces flaking off
The face of the brick is peeling or popping off near the joints, often next to an old patch done in hard gray mortar. That joint is stronger than the brick around it, and every season you wait you lose more brick, which costs more to fix than mortar.
How we handle brick pointing
I start by going joint by joint and marking the ones that are crumbling, hollow or worn back, because a sound original joint beats anything we'd put in its place. Our crew rakes those out without chipping the brick edges, then packs them with mortar that's weaker than the brick, since mortar harder than the brick makes the brick faces flake off. When hard mortar and soft brick disagree, the brick loses. On homes from the early 1900s and older we take extra care with the mix, because their old sand and lime mortars are far weaker than modern ones, and a strong new mix puts the load right on the old brick. We tool the joints to match the old ones, then clean the wall and the yard before we leave.
If the joints keep cracking in a stair-step line, the mortar usually isn't the real problem, so I'd point you to foundation repair first rather than fill a crack that will open again. Chimneys get the same pointing work, but a stack with a cracked crown or loose brick up top needs chimney repair, and we can take care of both in the same job.
Spot repointing
This suits a wall that's mostly sound with bad patches, like the base near a sprinkler or the stretch under a leaky gutter. You pay for the joints that failed and keep the rest of the original mortar.
Whole-wall repointing
This suits a wall where most of the joints are soft or worn back, so patching would leave you chasing the next bad spot. We still look before we rake, because a few joints often hold up better than the rest.
Matching joint shape and color
This suits a wall where the repair should disappear into the old work. We match the mortar color and the shape the joints were finished in, rounded, flat or set back, so the new ones don't stand out.
Get a written estimate for your brick joints
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come look. The on-site estimate is free, comes to you in writing and carries no obligation.
(909) 488-7148- Based in
- Redlands, CA 92373
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call us to repoint your brick in Redlands?
Here's how a pointing job runs from your first call to the final walk, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send a message
Call (909) 488-7148 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Tell us roughly how old the house is, since that changes how I look at the mortar.
I look over the wall
I check the joints, what's around the wall and where the water goes, because water is usually why mortar fails. Your written estimate lists which joints we'd redo and what mortar we'd use, so you can see you're paying for the bad joints and not the whole wall.
We handle permits, then work
If your job needs a permit or the city's historic sign-off, we take care of the application before we start. Our crew rakes and repoints while I'm on site with them, and raking out mortar is noisy, so plan your days around it.
Walk the finished wall together
When the last joint is tooled and the yard is cleaned up, we walk the wall with you. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Why Redlands homeowners call us to repoint their brick
I look at every job myself
I come out for the estimate, ask whether your house is a designated historic resource in Redlands, and stay on site while our crew does the pointing. The person who decided which joints to redo is the one checking that they got done right.
Licensed and insured in California
In California, brick, block and stone work falls under the state's masonry contractor license, and we're licensed and insured. That matters on pointing, where a crew works on ladders or scaffolding right beside your house.
Trained by an old-school mason
I learned brick and stone next to an old mason who wouldn't let a bad joint slide, and I started this business in Redlands in 2021. Five years in, I still care more about why a joint failed than how fast it gets filled.
If your joints are going soft, it's cheaper to catch them now than after the brick follows. Ask for your estimate or call (909) 488-7148.
Older brick, historic review and repointing in Redlands
If your Redlands house is a designated historic resource, the city's design guidelines apply, and any exterior alteration needs a certificate of appropriateness from the historic commission or the preservation officer. The preservation officer can approve minor improvements that leave the outside features and character of the house unharmed, but whether your repointing counts as minor is the city's call, not ours. If your house is designated, I'll tell you at the estimate, and we'll handle the application with the city before the crew starts. If it isn't designated, this step doesn't apply to you.
We see a lot of older brick with soft lime mortar on chimneys and garden walls here, and the same kind of houses on jobs in Highland and Mentone. We're based in Redlands and work across the cities around it, from Yucaipa and Calimesa over to Riverside and Fontana, so the same care with the mix comes along wherever the wall is.
Questions about brick pointing in Redlands
What's the difference between repointing and tuckpointing brick?
Repointing replaces worn mortar with fresh mortar matched to the old mortar color, while tuckpointing uses mortar matched to the brick color and adds a thin line of contrasting putty for a crisp, fine joint. Most walls only need repointing, and tuckpointing is a finish you'd pick for the look, which we cover on our tuckpointing page.
How much does brick repointing cost in Redlands, CA?
Repointing or tuckpointing brick across the US usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per 100 square feet, so a small patch runs far less than a whole wall. That's the national market, not our price, and taller walls that need scaffolding cost more per square foot than low ones. Your written estimate gives the figure for your wall.
Do all the mortar joints need to be redone when you repoint brick?
No, only the defective ones need repair: mortar worn back more than 1/4 inch, crumbling mortar, mortar with voids, or cracks between the brick and the mortar. Original joints in good shape are better than repointed ones, so you can plan on fixing just the worn joints.
How long do mortar joints last after repointing?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks can last well over 100, so most brick walls need their joints redone at some point in their life. Needing it once is normal wear, not a sign the brick is failing.
Does a contractor need a license to repoint brick in California?
Yes, for nearly any real pointing job, because the state's small-job exemption for unlicensed work tops out at $1,000. It only covers work that needs no permit, and the person doing it can't employ anyone on the project, so anyone bringing a crew needs a license.
How do I get ready for a brick pointing estimate in Redlands?
Have a few photos of the crumbling or cracked joints, your home's age and whether it's a designated historic resource with the city. Then call (909) 488-7148 or send the estimate form, and I'll know what to look for when I come out.
Related work that often comes with pointing
Foundation repair
If cracks keep returning in a stair-step line through your brick, the house below may be moving, and that needs fixing before any joint will hold.
Chimney repair
A chimney sits more exposed than any other brick on the house, so loose crowns, leaning stacks and worn joints up top often go together.
Cities where we repoint brick near Redlands
Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry is based in Redlands, CA, and our crew does brick pointing across the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, from Yucaipa to Riverside, and we work in others nearby too.
Redlands, CA
Get your worn brick joints looked at
Catching soft joints while the bricks are still whole keeps the job to mortar instead of replacing brick.