Brick pointing in Palm Bay FL - fresh mortar joints that protect the brick around them
Crumbling or sunken mortar between your bricks lets water in. We cut it out and refill the joints with mortar matched to your wall.
What is brick pointing, and does my wall need it?
Brick pointing, which most masons also call repointing, means cutting worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks, cleaning and wetting the joints, then packing in new mortar and shaping its face. On a house in Palm Bay, FL, it puts sound joints back between bricks that usually have plenty of life left, so the wall stays tight without being rebuilt.
Most people call us after they've rubbed a joint and had sand come off on their fingers, or noticed a crack running along a row of brick. If the bricks themselves are cracked or broken, that's brick repair, and it can be done alongside the pointing. The price moves with how many joints need cutting out, how far back the old mortar has failed, how high the wall or chimney goes and how hard the color is to match. The schedule turns on the same things, plus anything behind the damage that has to be fixed first and whether the city wants a permit for your job. Your own figure comes from the estimate, after I've looked at the wall with you.
How we do brick pointing on your house
I start by finding out why the joints failed, because new mortar over a problem that's still there is money wasted. Before we touch the rest of the wall, we point a small test patch somewhere out of sight to check strength and color, since the new mortar has to be no harder than what's already in your wall. Mortar that's harder than the old work puts the stress on the brick, and the brick face can flake off. Once the patch looks right, our crew cuts the old mortar back to solid material, cleans the joints out, wets them so the brick doesn't pull water from the fresh mortar too fast, packs in the new mortar and tools each joint to the same shape as the old ones. Then we clean the brick and the ground around it before we leave.
Worn joints are often the sign, not the cause. A crack that steps up through the mortar like a staircase can mean the wall is moving, and then foundation repair comes first, since fresh mortar on a wall that's still settling just cracks again. On a chimney, loose joints near the top usually travel with a worn crown or flashing, so we'd handle that with chimney repair as part of the same job.
Spot pointing for a few bad areas
This suits a wall where the damage sits in patches, such as around a hose bib or under a downspout, while the rest of the mortar is still firm. We point only the failed joints and match them to the old ones beside them, so it costs less, though the new joints can stand out a little at first.
Full repointing of a wall or chimney
This makes sense when the joints are worn back across most of the wall, because spot work there leaves you chasing the next failed section. Every joint gets the same mortar and the same finish, so the wall reads as one piece when we're done.
Brick pointing permits and rules in Palm Bay
The Palm Bay Building Department requires a permit at any value for electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work, and brick pointing isn't named on that list, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. The city asks owners to contact it about other exterior projects, and a call with the job details before work starts is what settles it. We check with the office that covers your address before we begin and handle the permit when your job needs one. If yours does, Florida law now allows certain permit exemptions in Palm Bay for small home improvement projects under $7,500 at a single-family home, duplex or townhome, requested by the homeowner or a licensed contractor for them. Homes in a flood zone don't qualify, and a job can't be split into smaller ones to get under that line.
We're based in Palm Bay and work in many of the cities around it, north toward Rockledge and south into the West Vero Corridor. Brick on houses around here is mostly a face over block or trim on chimneys and planters, and older walls often carry patches someone did with a harder mix, so I look for those at the estimate and plan to replace them with mortar that suits the rest of the wall.
What good brick joints look like
Why call us for brick pointing
I look at every job myself
I come out to see every wall, chimney or foundation and write the estimate, and a crew led by our lead mason does the work. You get your questions answered by the person who decided how the job should be done.
In business since 2013
I opened our doors in 2013, after years of running another mason's jobs and crew here in Palm Bay. That time on other people's walls is how I learned to tell joints that only need pointing from joints that are pointing to something worse.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're fully licensed and insured. Under state and local law, anyone you hire under contract for construction work on your property has to be a state certified or registered contractor, and you can check any license with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at (850) 487-1395.
Straight answers before you spend
Most of our calls come from people who've spotted a crack or crumbling mortar and want a straight answer first, and no question about your house is too small for me. Our work comes with one plain promise, satisfaction guaranteed.
On a pointing job, the mortar that goes in your wall matters more than anything else we decide. When you're ready, call (321) 326-1779 or send us a note about your wall.
(321) 326-1779Get a free on-site look at your mortar joints
We reply to every message within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the joints with you and write the estimate, and it's free with no obligation.
Brick pointing questions from Palm Bay homeowners
How do I know if the mortar in my brick wall needs repointing?
Your mortar needs repointing when it's worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles when you rub it, has holes or gaps, or shows hairline cracks or cracks running along the edges of the brick. You can spot most of those from the ground or a short ladder. If you see them, that's the time to have someone look, and I'll come out and tell you what's causing it.
How long does mortar last compared to the brick itself?
Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while the brick lasts about 100 years or more. That's why repointing exists, since the joints wear out long before the bricks do. Needing it on an older house usually means the mortar has reached its age, not that the wall is failing.
How much does brick pointing cost in Palm Bay?
The cost depends on how much of the wall needs new joints and how hard it is to reach, and I give you our number for your wall at the on-site estimate. Walls or a chimney taller than 8 feet need scaffolding, so that setup is part of the job and you'll want room around the house for it. Color matching and any repair behind the damage can add to it too.
Who should I hire to repoint brick on my house in Palm Bay?
Hire someone with real repointing experience, because a mason who builds good walls isn't always qualified to repoint old ones. You can ask to have a contractor's repointing skill tested and looked over before you hire them. Ask any crew which mortar they plan to use, and ask us the same.
Can repointing damage the bricks around the old mortar?
It can, because power tools used to cut out the joints can damage the brick right next to them. Ask any crew how they plan to cut out your joints before work starts. I'll go over how we'll do yours at the estimate, and why.
What is the best way to match new mortar to the old mortar color?
The best way is to choose the sand and the cement with care, because the sand's color and the type of cement both set the color of the new mortar. We choose both by working from the old mortar on your wall. Fresh mortar also looks darker while it's wet, so judge the match once it's dry.
Let's look at your brick pointing and what's behind it
Have photos of the worn joints and the wall or chimney height handy when you call (321) 326-1779, so we start with your wall.
