Your home is your safe space; of course, you would do anything to maintain and keep its beauty even years after. Outdoor brick walls are one of the most beautiful additions you can add to your home to increase its curb appeal and resale value. It also has little to no maintenance and a lot of benefits. Still, there’s not a thing that you should not take care of, as all things wear off over time.

Bricks are undeniably beautiful; however, mold joints between bricks can weaken and loosen over time. We can fix the issue with our tuckpointing services. You may avoid water penetration, prevent structural damage, and restore your property’s appearance and integrity by doing tuckpointing on your bricks.

When Should You Tuckpoint

When tuckpointing, the most common reason is evident signs of deterioration like crumbling mortar or cracks in mortar joints or loose bricks. It’s as simple as inspecting your mortar in various brick structures. Tuckpointing may be necessary if you notice cracks or crumbling in your walls. In addition, if you see any gaps in the mortar, this is a red flag.

It’s best to clean the surfaces before doing a thorough inspection thoroughly. Power washing is the best way to get the job done. You can use a small, sharp instrument to scrape the mortar’s edge if desired. You’ll need to call an expert if you notice white powder coming off of your skin. The sooner you identify these issues, the easier and more cost-effective it will be to fix them.

Delaying tuckpointing increases the risk of water infiltration, which can lead to further damage. Bricks may fall off the structure as a result of this. Depending on where you reside, your brickwork may need to be tuckpointed more frequently. Mortar joints need to be fixed every 25 years or so for most masonry construction.

Importance of Tuckpointing

As a homeowner, you should not overlook your bricks, they may seem tricky, but they still need maintenance, too! While it may not appear necessary, tuckpointing is crucial to maintain the aesthetics and structural integrity of your brick structures and buildings. If you neglect this maintenance work, it can have a negative impact on your structures and may even result in the collapse of your brick structures over time.

Cost of Tuckpointing

Some homeowners tend to go the DIY route since they think that tuckpointing is so expensive. The DIY way may be the cheapest option you have right now, but how sure you did the job exactly? Several factors affect the price of the work. And it’s always worth the money to trust the professionals to do their expertise.

Here are some of the reasons for the cost of tuckpointing:

Size of the job

The scope of the work will significantly influence the cost of the project. For example, having tuckpointing done on a tiny section of the masonry wall will probably not cost you much. There is an additional fee for tuckpointing the entire house.

Repair work needed

If the contractor or mason needs to fix a lot of mortar, the price will go up. Decorative tuckpointing is simple, but repairing or replacing old mortar requires a lot more labor and money. However, if you have never repaired your masonry walls, you may need to perform a lot of work to make your home safe and attractive.

Location

Contractors charge various rates in different parts of the country, so where you live will affect the project’s cost. For example, if you’re going to get tuckpointing done, you should find out how much it would cost to do so in the spring or summer rather than the fall.

It would be helpful to ask for estimates from the contractors near you.

Electric grinder or hand tucking

If you have a multi-story home that must be tuckpointed, the contractor or mason will likely utilize an electric grinder to ensure the job is done quickly and uniformly. However, you won’t get the offline-tuned precision tucking you need to modify your home’s appearance truly.

While hand tucking is helpful for small sections or aesthetic tuckpointing, hand tucking allows the builder or mason to be more accurate and meticulous. That increases labor costs, so it’s only a viable option for a small area like the front of the home or a side wall facing the street. Hand tucking is an option for single-level homes. 

Labor

The labor cost is the most significant component in determining the final price of tuckpointing for your property. Hand mixing and handwork are still required, even if a contractor or mason has electrical equipment at their disposal. You’ll have to pay a lot more for tuckpointing if you’re remodeling your entire house. The size of your house will also play a role in labor expenditures. The bigger the house, the higher the payment.

Materials

When only a few areas of your masonry walls need to be repaired and tuckpointed, the cost is far lower than when the entire wall has to be fixed. If you want to keep your home for at least another ten years, tuckpointing may be worth the investment now rather than waiting. Additionally, supplies will make for a significant portion of the overall cost. In order to utilize contrasting mortar, someone must physically construct the opposite-colored bricks you’re now using. And you’ll need someone to mix the mortar to match your current bricks as well.

Read more: How Much Does Tuckpointing Cost

What To Expect After Tuckpointing

Here are some of the things you should expect after a tuckpointing project in your home.

Structural value-added

Your bricks will be fresh as new again, and there will be added structural value to them. In addition, it will provide a kind of preventative maintenance to ward against degeneration that might lead to structural problems.

Relying on the old and deteriorated mortar will just worsen the damage and cost you more money.

More insulated value

Tuckpointing can provide insulation factors like it will serve as a barrier to undesired growth, bugs, and other pests. Maple trees may sprout in an open 3/4′′ mortar joint, as well as tiny mice, birds, rats, and bats, so long as the mortar joint isn’t too narrow. There have been reports of chipmunks or squirrels making their homes in the crevices of stone constructions. However, don’t expect that your electricity costs will be lower.

Curb appeal

There’s nothing more rewarding than living in a home with beautiful and strong bricks. After the tuckpointing, your bricks will look brand new, and it can add more curb appeal to your house.

Weather-proofed

Once tuckpointing is done, you can expect your bricks to prevent water intrusion and further deterioration. Remember, if left unattended, tiny cracks and holes can grow into significant brick movement, resulting in ultimate collapse. Falling fragments of masonry or other debris Prevent damage to your masonry construction from any form of weather.

Call an expert

Even if reading it appears to be straightforward, not everyone can do it effectively, which leads to further problems. The best course of action is to hire a masonry tuckpointing contractor. Incorrectly completed tasks may result in additional effort in the future. Your contractor may be able to guide how to maintain the tuckpointed area properly.