Brick pointing in Longview TX - fresh mortar joints that keep water out of your walls
Mortar sandy, recessed or cracking between your bricks? We clean out the worn joints with care and pack in fresh mortar matched to your wall.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does your brick need repointing, or something more?
Brick pointing, often called repointing, means raking the worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks and packing in fresh mortar. On a Longview house it tightens up the wall so water has a much harder time getting in behind the brick.
Most folks call me after they notice sandy or missing mortar on an older brick house, a chimney or a garden wall, and the first thing I want to know is whether the trouble stops at the mortar or reaches the brick. The price moves with how many square feet need new joints, how thin the joints are, because thin ones mean slow hand work, and whether the wall is tall enough to need scaffolding. The schedule turns on those same things, plus any brick repair that has to come first and any permit the job needs, and the written estimate I give you after looking at the wall lays out what your job will take.
How can you tell your brick joints are wearing out?
Mortar set back from brick
Run your eye along a wall and you may see grooves where the mortar has worn back behind the brick face. That usually means the mortar is spent, and the longer it goes, the more water sits in those grooves and works into the wall.
Sandy or missing mortar
If mortar rubs out under your finger or there are holes where it's gone, the joint isn't holding much anymore. Waiting lets bricks work loose, and loose brick turns a repointing job into a brick repair job.
Thin cracks along the joints
Hairline cracks in the mortar, or a gap opening up between the brick and the mortar, give water an easy way in. Caught early it's usually a mortar fix, but cracks that start running through the brick mean it's time to look deeper.
How we handle brick pointing
We start by marking the joints that need work, since on most walls it's certain sections and not every course. Then we rake out the old mortar to a sound, even depth, and that's the slow part, because rushing it chips the brick edges, so we take our time and do it by hand where the joints are thin. We clear the dust out, pack in new mortar matched as closely as we can to the color and texture of your old joints, tool each joint to the same shape as the rest of the wall and brush the brick faces clean. If your wall is tall enough to need scaffolding, I'll tell you up front how that changes the job, and when we're done we clean up the mortar and dust so your yard is left the way we found it.
Sometimes the joints are only telling part of the story. If bricks have shifted or cracks run through the brick itself, the wall may have moved, and we look at foundation repair before filling any joints, because new mortar over a moving wall just cracks again. Chimneys stand in the open above the roof and often lose their mortar first, so repointing one usually goes hand in hand with chimney repair on the crown and flashing.
Spot repointing
This suits a wall where the wear shows in a few places, like under a gutter or near the ground. We repoint just those sections and blend them into the rest, which keeps the job smaller.
Full wall repointing
This suits an older house where the mortar has worn evenly across a whole side or the whole house. Doing it all at once gives you joints that match and wear at the same pace.
Chimney repointing
This suits a chimney with sandy or missing joints above the roofline. We repoint it and check the brick and crown while we're up there, since that's where trouble tends to hide.
Get a written brick pointing estimate for your house
We get back to you within one business day. I come out myself to look at your joints and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to book.
(903) 309-1954- Based in
- Longview, TX 75601
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about brick pointing in Longview?
From your first call to the final walk-around, here's how a repointing job runs with us and what you'll know at each point.
Call or send us photos
Call (903) 309-1954 or use the form, and send a few photos of the worn joints with the rough size and height of the wall if you can. We'll reach back out to set a time for me to come by.
I look at the wall
I measure, take photos and check whether the trouble stops at the mortar or reaches the brick. Your written estimate spells out the area, whether scaffolding is needed and how that affects the price, so there are no surprises later.
We rake and repoint
Once you say go, we take care of any permit the job needs, then our crew and I cut out and refill the joints. Expect some noise and dust while the old mortar comes out.
Walk the finished wall
We clean up and walk the job with you before we pack up. You'll see each repointed section and know exactly what we did.
Why Longview homeowners call Superior Longview Concrete and Masonry for brick pointing
I look at every job myself
I come out to see every job before we price it, and I work on site alongside our crew when the work gets done. The person who looked at your joints is the one making sure they come out right.
Brick and mortar work since 2023
I learned the trade hauling brick and mixing mortar for another mason before starting this business in Longview in 2023. Careful brick and mortar repair is what we're known for, so repointing is everyday work for us.
Fully licensed and insured crew
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters when our crew is up on ladders or scaffolding against your house.
Clean yard, plain explanation
Our promise is satisfaction guaranteed on every job. We clean up the mortar dust and debris before we leave, and I explain what we found and why we did what we did.
If your joints are wearing thin, send us a few photos through our contact page or call (903) 309-1954, and I'll come take a look.
Brick pointing and the work around it on Longview houses
Whether a repointing job needs a permit isn't settled for every house, so the city's offices are the place to ask. In Longview, the city's Building Inspection Department takes completed permit applications, and homeowners after a homestead exempt permit call or visit Development Services. If your job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork with the city and set up the inspections, and we'll tell you if anything needs your signature. Bring it up at the estimate if your house is a local historic landmark or sits in a historic overlay district, because the city's Historic Preservation Commission manages those designations, and I'd rather check with the city before we cut out a single joint.
Most of the repointing we do is on older brick houses and chimneys where the mortar has given out while the brick is still good. We see the same thing on jobs in Kilgore and Tyler, and we handle it the same way, checking the brick first and then cutting out only the joints that need it.
Questions about brick pointing in Longview
How do I know if my brick mortar needs repointing?
Your mortar likely needs repointing if it has worn back more than about ¼ inch from the brick face, crumbles, has holes, or shows hairline cracks or gaps between the brick and mortar. You can check by walking your walls and looking closely along the joints before you call anyone. Mortar usually lasts about 25 to 50 years while brick can go 100 years or more, so on an older house it's normal for the joints to wear out first.
Is repointing enough if my brick has stair-step cracks?
Usually not, because repointing only fixes damage that stays in the mortar joints. Stair-step cracks, leaks, loose or cracked bricks and spalling, where the brick face flakes off, point to something going on in the brick or the wall, so the cause gets found and repaired first and the repointing comes after. It's a common find on older houses, and it simply means we look before we fill.
How do I choose a mason for repointing brick in Longview?
Ask about their past repointing jobs specifically, because a mason can lay excellent brick and still not be skilled at repointing. You can also ask a candidate to do a small section on an out-of-sight part of the wall so you see the work first. It's worth asking how they get the old mortar out, too, since federal preservation guidance says power saws on thin brick joints almost always break the brick edges.
How much does brick repointing cost?
Across the US, repointing brick usually costs about $3 to $25 per square foot, and that's a national range, not our price. Walls tall enough to need scaffolding cost more per square foot than low walls, and how worn the joints are and whether any brick needs repair first move the number too. I give you a written estimate once I've seen and measured your wall, with any scaffolding spelled out.
What kind of mortar should be used to repoint old brick?
The new mortar should be equal to or lower in compressive strength than the original, which is how much load it takes before it gives. Mortar that's stronger than the old mortar adds stress where brick meets mortar and can make the brick face spall off, so a softer match protects the wall.
How long does brick repointing take?
Repointing is slow, careful work, and how long yours takes comes down to how much wall needs it, how thin the joints are and whether scaffolding goes up. Expect noise while the old mortar comes out, and on a tall wall the scaffolding may stand across the front of the house for a while. We'll talk through the schedule when I come out.
Related masonry work that often comes with repointing
When cracks run through the brick or a wall leans away from the house, the trouble usually starts below, and fixing that helps keep new mortar from cracking.
A chimney with loose brick, a cracked crown or water stains on the ceiling near it needs more than fresh joints, and we can handle both together.
Service areas for brick pointing around Longview
Superior Longview Concrete and Masonry is based in Longview, TX, and we repoint brick in the cities around it, including Kilgore and Marshall. The 8 cities below have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Longview, TX
Send us photos of your worn joints
A few photos and the rough size and height of the wall let me come out already knowing whether to plan for scaffolding.