Tuckpointing in Lake Charles LA - tight mortar joints that help keep your brick dry
Mortar crumbling, cracked or sunk back from the brick face? We cut out the worn joints and fill them with mortar that suits your wall.
Does my brick house need tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing, which most masons also call repointing, is how we fix worn mortar on a brick house in Lake Charles. We cut the old mortar out of the joints to an even depth and pack in new mortar, and it's one of the best ways to cut down on water getting into a brick wall.
Most people call us after they find sand at the foot of a wall or notice joints sitting back behind the brick, and that's normal wear, not a house that's failing. The price moves with how many joints need cutting out, how high the work runs and whether we need scaffolding to reach it, and how closely the new mortar has to match the old. The schedule turns on the size of the wall, how much of it we can reach from the ground and the weather on the days we're set to work. I walk the wall with you, show you what I see and send the estimate in writing, so you have your own figure instead of a guess.
How our tuckpointing work goes
Worn joints are normal upkeep on a brick house, so the job starts with me walking your walls and showing you which joints are going and which can wait, and that lets you plan ahead. We cover plants, windows and walks, then cut the old mortar out to an even depth with a grinder and hand tools, going slowly along the brick edges because a chipped edge shows for the life of the wall. We clear the dust from the joints and dampen them so the brick doesn't pull the water out of the fresh mortar. We mix the new mortar to suit the old in color and hardness, pack it in, and tool each joint once it firms up, pressing it smooth to the same shape as the joints around it. Then we brush the face clean and haul off the debris. If you'd like to see how we work first, we're glad to repoint a small spot somewhere out of sight.
Tuckpointing often turns up other work. When a brick is cracked through or its face is flaking off, we replace it as part of our brick repair work before the new mortar goes in, because fresh joints around a broken brick won't hold up for long. If you're fixing up the outside of the house anyway, we also lay driveway pavers, so one crew can handle the brick and the drive.
Spot repointing
This suits a house where the wear sits in a few places, such as under a leaky gutter, around windowsills or along the bottom rows of brick. It costs less, but the new joints can look a shade different from the rest of the wall at first.
Full-wall repointing
This suits a wall where worn joints are spread across most of it, because patching joint by joint takes nearly as long and leaves a patchy look. When more than a few areas are going, this is the one I usually recommend.
Tuckpointing in Lake Charles: permits and historic districts
Calcasieu Parish requires permits before any construction or renovation work begins, and the city's Permit Center at 337-491-1294 answers permit questions, so that's the place to ask whether your repointing job needs one. We find out which office covers your address and what it asks for before we start, and when a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork and tell you where it stands. If your house is in the Charpentier district, the Downtown Development District or Charlestown Cultural District, or the Margaret Place Historic District, the city asks you to read the design guidelines for your district, because they shape renovations and any change to the outside of a house there. Read them before we plan work on your brick, and we'll plan the joints and mortar around what they ask.
We're based in Lake Charles and work across the cities around it, on older brick homes with soft, sandy mortar and newer houses with brick veneer. Worn joints usually show first where water runs down a wall, under gutters, below windowsills and along the base, so we check whether a gutter or the slope of the yard is sending water at the brick, since new mortar wears out sooner if that water keeps coming. We see the same kinds of houses on jobs in Sulphur and Moss Bluff.
Repointed brick up close
Why call us for tuckpointing
You see the worn joints first
I come out myself, walk your walls with you and point at the joints that are going and the ones that still have years left. Knowing the difference keeps you from paying to redo mortar that's still fine.
I check the joints as they go
Our crew does the cutting and pointing, and I'm on site checking the depth of the cut and the fill as the work goes. A bad joint is easy to fix before the mortar sets and hard to fix after.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. In Louisiana, the state licensing board requires a Residential license for home improvement work on an existing house when the job runs over $50,000, which is worth knowing if your project is a big one.
Learned on wet, worn walls
I learned this trade doing upkeep on rental homes and apartments, patching brick and chasing down wet walls next to the masons we brought in. I started this business in 2023 to do that work carefully, and explaining a wall before we touch it is still how every job starts.
On a repointing job, the mortar you choose and the depth of the cut matter more than speed. When you're ready, send us your address and a few photos of the worst joints, or call (337) 502-4212.
(337) 502-4212Get a tuckpointing estimate for your brick walls
We reply within one business day, by phone or message, to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, and I'll walk your walls with you and explain what I see before I write it up.
Tuckpointing questions from Lake Charles homeowners
How do I know my brick house needs repointing?
Look for mortar worn back more than a quarter inch from the brick face, mortar that crumbles, joints with empty pockets, hairline cracks and cracks between the brick and the mortar. Brick industry guidance lists those as the signs that call for repointing. Walk your walls and take photos of what you find before you call, because it shows me where to look first.
How long do mortar joints last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the brick itself may well last more than 100 years. That gap is why repointing is upkeep a brick house comes back to over time. After we finish, keep an eye on the walls that take the most weather, since they usually wear first.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Lake Charles?
Your price comes from how many joints need cutting out, how high the work runs and how closely the new mortar has to match the old, so I give you a written figure after I see the wall. Fixing a few worn areas costs far less than repointing a whole house, and work high enough to need scaffolding costs more than work we can reach from the ground.
What should I ask a mason before hiring for tuckpointing?
Ask how the new mortar will be matched to what's already in your wall, because brick guidance says it should be similar to or weaker than the original so the brick isn't damaged for good. Ask to see past repointing jobs or a test on a hidden part of the wall too, since the same guidance notes a good bricklayer isn't always skilled at repointing. I'm glad to do that hidden test spot for you first.
Can tuckpointing be done in hot weather?
Federal guidance for historic buildings rules out pointing in very hot or hot, windy weather, and in hot weather it calls for working on the shady side or in cooler evening hours. The reason is that fresh mortar needs to keep its moisture while it sets. That guidance is written for historic buildings, but the reason holds for any brick wall, so we talk timing through with you when we schedule.
What is the best way to tell tuckpointing from brick repair?
Tuckpointing fixes the mortar between the bricks, while brick repair replaces bricks that are cracked, loose or flaking. If the brick faces look sound and only the joints are sandy or cracked, repointing is usually all the wall needs. When I walk your walls, I'll show you which one each spot calls for.
Get your mortar joints and brick checked in Lake Charles
Call (337) 502-4212 or use the form, because joints caught early usually mean a smaller job and fewer bricks to replace.
