Tuckpointing in Clovis CA - Sound mortar joints that protect your brick

Most folks call us once they notice mortar crumbling out of a wall or joints sitting back from the brick face. The price mostly comes down to how many joints have actually failed and how high and hard to reach they are, and the schedule turns on the size of the wall and whether any bricks need replacing first. I come out, look at your wall and write the estimate, so the figure you get is for your wall and not a guess.

I start by walking the wall with you and marking only the joints that have failed, because original mortar in good shape is better left alone than repointed, and since this is labor-heavy work, keeping it to the bad joints keeps your bill to what the wall needs. Our crew then cuts the worn mortar out of those joints and cleans them out so the new mortar has something solid to grab. We refill them with a mix no harder than what's already in your wall, because mortar stronger than the old stuff can crack the face right off the brick, what masons call spalling. Sand and cement both change the color of a finished joint, so where matching matters we try a small patch somewhere out of sight first. And before you sign anything, I'll tell you which kind of tuckpointing the bid covers, since the same word also names an old decorative joint that's a different job altogether.

If some bricks are cracked or flaking, we take care of those with brick repair before pointing around them, so the new joints aren't set against a brick that's on its way out. We also lay driveway pavers, which is handy if you'd like the brick on the house and the drive out front looked at together.

California lets someone without a contractor's license take on small jobs, now up to $1,000 where it used to be $500, but only when the work needs no permit and that person isn't employing anyone on the job. So a handyman who shows up with a helper to point your chimney falls outside that rule, and it's a fair thing to ask anyone who bids your wall whether they're licensed.

We're based in Clovis and work the cities around it, from Madera down to Kingsburg and Reedley. Most of the tuckpointing calls we get are for brick chimneys, planters and garden walls with joints crumbling or worn back, and we see the same thing on jobs in Old Fig Garden and Sanger.