Brick pointing in Escondido CA - fresh mortar joints that match your brick

Mortar crumbling or worn back from the brick? We cut out the tired joints and refill them with mortar that matches and suits your brick.

Request an estimate (760) 546-4075

Close view of large gray concrete pavers bordered by dark rectangular stones and a bed of rounded river rocks.

When does a brick wall need repointing?

Brick pointing, also called repointing, means cutting out the worn mortar between your bricks and packing the joints with fresh mortar. For a lot of Escondido walls, it's the fix that keeps sound old brick going without tearing anything down.

Most people call us after they notice sandy mortar at the foot of a wall, joints sitting back from the face of the brick, or a few bricks that feel loose, and if some bricks are cracked or broken we handle that as brick repair along with the joints. The price mostly turns on how many square feet need new joints, how deep the old mortar has gone, how hard it is to cut out and how high we have to work. The schedule turns on the size of the wall and whether the city needs to look at it first. I walk the job with you and put the estimate in writing, so you see the number for your own wall before anything starts.

How we do brick pointing on your wall

First I look over your joints for crumbling, gaps and mortar that's worn back from the face of the brick, and I tell you straight whether it's time or whether it can wait. If it's time, we set a sample of new mortar in a hidden spot before we touch the rest, because the sand and cement change the color and we want the new joints to sit right beside the old ones. Then our crew cuts the worn mortar out of the joints, brushes them clean and wets them so the new mortar bonds instead of drying out too fast, and packs fresh mortar back in. We shape each joint to match the rest of your wall and clean the brick faces as we go.

Worn joints are sometimes a sign of something else. If it's your chimney that's losing mortar, we usually fold the repointing into a chimney repair, since the top of a chimney tends to wear along with its joints. And when cracks climb through the joints like a staircase, the house may be moving, so we look at foundation repair first, because fresh mortar won't stay put in a wall that's still shifting.

Spot repointing on the worn sections

This suits a wall where only some joints have gone, often the side that takes the most weather or the bottom rows near the ground. We cut out and refill just those areas, and the hidden sample matters most here because the new joints sit right next to the old.

Full repointing of the whole wall

This suits an older wall where the joints are crumbling all over, or where past patch jobs left a mix of colors. It costs more than patching, but every joint is renewed at once with one even color, so I'd pick it once more than a scattering of joints are gone.

Why Escondido homeowners call Craftsman Escondido Concrete and Masonry for brick pointing

I look at every wall myself

I come out to look at every job myself, so the person sizing up your joints is the same one on site running our crew while the work gets done. You get the same answers at the estimate and on the job, and nothing gets lost in a handoff.

Trained on old walls, on my own since 2020

I spent years as another mason's right hand, running their jobs and learning how to read an old wall and match its mortar, before I started out on my own in Escondido in 2020. Six years in, I'm still on the tools most days.

Licensed and insured for work on your house

We're licensed and insured, which counts on a repointing job where a ladder or scaffold may stand against your house for a while. Call (760) 546-4075 or send photos of your joints through our estimate form, and let us know if your home is on a city historic list.

A written estimate for your brick pointing, after I walk the wall

Send the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book. I'll come out, walk the wall with you and put the estimate in writing. Photos of your joints and a note on whether your home is on a city historic list help me come ready.

Phone: (760) 546-4075
Email: quotes@escondidoconcreteandmasonry.com
Location: Escondido, CA 92025
Hours: Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM

Brick pointing permits and historic homes in Escondido

If you're not sure whether your repointing job needs a permit, the city's Building Division counter staff can help you sort it out, and if it does need one, we handle the application and meet the inspector when the time comes. Older homes get one more step. If your house is on the city's Historic Resource Inventory or Local Register of Historic Places, or sits in the Old Escondido Neighborhood, the city asks you to contact its Planning Division before a home improvement project, and it reviews that work against its guidelines for historic properties. The city also says some projects on those homes may need a Certificate of Appropriateness even when they don't need a building permit, so if your home might be historic, we'll ask you to check with the city before we schedule anything.

We're based in Escondido and work in the cities around it, from Temecula and Murrieta down to Chula Vista, plus plenty of places beyond the ones on our city pages. Around here we mostly repoint brick chimneys, garden and planter walls and the brick fronts on older houses, and the calls are much the same in San Marcos and Vista, where it's usually worn joints on brick that still has plenty of life in it.

Questions about brick pointing in Escondido

How do I know if the mortar on my brick wall needs repointing?

Your joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles, has gaps, shows hairline cracks or has cracked away from the brick. You can check for those signs yourself before you call. If you spot a few, take some photos and send them with your estimate request.

How much does brick repointing cost in Escondido?

Across the US, brick repointing usually costs about $4 to $20 per square foot of wall, and that's a national figure for the work, not our price. The low end tends to be easy-to-reach walls with shallow wear, and the high end tall walls, hard old mortar or careful color matching on older brick. Your written estimate gives you the number for your wall.

Does stronger mortar last longer, or can it harm my brick?

Stronger mortar can harm your brick, so it isn't the better choice. New mortar should be similar to or weaker than the original, because a stronger mortar takes the load on that thin strip and can make the brick face spall and flake off. It's fair to ask any mason which mortar they plan to use before you hire them.

How long do brick mortar joints last before they need repointing?

Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves may well last over 100. That's why an older wall can need new joints even when the brick still looks good. How long yours hold depends on how exposed the wall is and what mortar went in.

How long does brick repointing take, and what's it like during the work?

Repointing is slow, precise work, so plan on our crew being around for a while, with noise while the old mortar comes out and possibly scaffolding on the face of the house for some time. How long yours takes depends on the size and height of the wall, and I'll go over the timing when I walk it with you.

Do I need a licensed contractor for a small brick repointing job in California?

Yes, if the job needs any permit or the person doing it has hired workers, California requires a contractor license even when the work is under $1,000. An unlicensed person can only take on minor work under $1,000 when it needs no permit and they employ no one.