Tuckpointing in Santa Fe NM - fresh mortar joints that keep water out of your brick
Crumbling, cracked or sunken mortar between your bricks? We replace only the worn joints so your wall sheds water again.
Do my brick joints need repointing?
Tuckpointing in Santa Fe, which most masons call repointing, means raking the worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks and packing in fresh mortar. Done on the joints that need it, it's one of the most effective and lasting ways to stop water getting into a brick wall.
You've probably noticed mortar sitting back from the face of the brick, sand on the ground under the wall or a crack running along a joint, and you want to know if it's a problem before it gets worse. The price mostly comes down to how many joints are worn, how high the wall goes and how easy it is to reach, and whether any bricks need replacing too. The schedule mostly turns on whether your house needs a permit or historic approval first. The written estimate I give you after seeing the wall puts your own figure and plan on it.
What our tuckpointing work includes
The job starts with a walk along the wall together. I mark the worn joints with you and leave the sound ones alone, because good original mortar holds up better than anything we put back. Then we rake the bad mortar out by hand down to solid material, mix a mortar to suit your brick, pack the joints in layers, tool them to match the joints around them and clean the brick face as we go. Tuckpointing can also mean an old decorative finish, a flush joint colored like the brick with a thin contrasting line down the middle, so the estimate says plainly which kind of work you're getting.
I'd rather find out why the joints failed before we fill them, since a leaking gutter, a bad sill or water standing at the base of the wall will wear out new mortar the same way. If some bricks have cracked or lost their faces, we handle that as brick repair on the same job, and if the ground in front of the house needs redoing too, we also lay driveway pavers.
Repointing and historic approvals in Santa Fe
In Santa Fe, the first question is which approval comes first. The city's Land Use Department issues building permits, which most construction work here needs, and its list names roofing and re-stuccoing but not tuckpointing, so I ask about your job instead of guessing. If your house sits in one of the city's historic districts, which are Downtown and Eastside, Don Gaspar Area, Westside Guadalupe, Historic Transition and Historic Review, the Historic Preservation Division has to approve the work before any construction permit, so that application comes first. We file the paperwork the job needs, and the work waits until approvals are in hand.
Many of the brick homes we work on are older ones in and around those districts, and the joints usually go first wherever water sits or runs, like under sills, along the base of the wall and below gutters. We're based in Santa Fe and work across the cities around it, and we repoint the same kind of worn joints on jobs in Española and Los Alamos.
How tuckpointing works with us
Call or send us photos
Call (505) 303-0434 or use the form, and if you can, send photos of the worst joints, your address and whether the house is in a historic district. That lets me check which office covers your address before I come out.
I look at the wall myself
I come out, measure the wall and mark the worn joints with you, then tell you plainly what I'd do and why. You get a written estimate that names which joints we'll repoint, which kind of tuckpointing it is and what it costs, so there's nothing to guess at.
We file permits and approvals
Once you say go, we file the paperwork for whatever permits and historic review the job needs. Nothing starts until those approvals are in hand, so this is usually the part that sets the start date.
Repoint, clean up, walk through
My crew and I do the work with me on site. When we're done, I walk the wall with you before we pack up.
Get a free estimate for repointing and brick repair
Expect a reply within one business day. After we talk, I come out myself to look at the wall and measure it, and you get the estimate in writing, free and with no obligation.
Common questions about tuckpointing old brick
How do I know if my brick mortar needs repointing?
A joint needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles, has holes, or shows hairline cracks in the mortar or along the edge where it meets the brick. Joints without those signs can stay, and I mark which are which with you before we start.
Can new mortar damage old brick?
Yes, if it's stronger than the original. New mortar should be similar to or weaker than the old mortar, because a harder mix takes the stress itself and can cause spalling, where the face of the brick breaks away, and that damage can't be undone. I'll tell you how the mix I plan to use compares with what's in your wall now.
How long does repointing last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the brick itself can last more than 100. That gap means a brick house will usually need some joints redone now and then over its life, so repointing is upkeep, not a one-time fix.
Does tuckpointing in a Santa Fe historic district need approval?
Plan on it, because approval comes before work in the city's historic districts. Repairs like repointing usually go to the Historic Preservation Division's staff through a Maintenance and Repair Application emailed to hpdsubmittal@santafenm.gov, and staff can approve it without a hearing. If staff can't approve a request, it goes to a public hearing before the city's review board, and we file the paperwork either way.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Santa Fe?
The cost comes down mostly to how many joints need work, because repointing is slow hand work done one joint at a time. Height and access, matching your mortar, any bricks that need replacing and historic approval all add to it, while leaving sound joints alone keeps it down. You'll get a written figure after I've looked at the wall.
What is the best way to choose a mason for tuckpointing?
Ask to see repointing jobs they've done, not just walls they've built. A good bricklayer isn't always skilled at repointing, so it's worth checking past repointing work before you hire anyone, and I'm glad to show you ours.
Why Santa Fe homeowners call Sterling Santa Fe Concrete & Masonry for tuckpointing
I come out and stay on site
I look at the job and write the estimate myself, and my crew and I do the work with me on site. The person who told you what the job needs is the one watching it get done.
In business since 2013
I grew up mixing mortar and hauling brick on my father's jobs and started this business in 2013. Repairing older brick so you keep the wall you have is what we're best known for.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll show you the paperwork when I write the estimate. If something goes wrong on your property, you're not the one left holding it.
Historic district homes are routine
Many of our calls come from older homes in Santa Fe's historic districts, where the city's approval comes before any work. We plan around that review from the first visit, so the wait doesn't catch you off guard.
On a repointing job, the mortar we put back and the joints we leave alone matter as much as the work itself. Call or send a message and I'll come take a look.
Other work that often goes with repointing
Brick repair
When a brick has cracked, crumbled or lost its face, new mortar around it won't help, so we cut it out and set a matching brick.
Driveway pavers
If your driveway is cracked or sinking, pavers on a packed base give you a surface you can fix one piece at a time.
Send us photos of your brick and mortar
Every open joint keeps letting water into the wall, and water is what ruins brick, so call (505) 303-0434 or use the form while it's still a joint repair.
