Brick pointing in Huntsville, AL - joints that keep water out and brick intact
Crumbling or sunken mortar lets water into your wall. We rake it out and repack it with a mix matched to your brick.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What is brick pointing and does my house need it?
Brick pointing in Huntsville means raking the worn mortar out of your brick joints and packing them with fresh mortar, so water stops getting into the wall and the brick stays tight and sound.
Most people call us after they find sand along the base of the wall or notice joints that look sunk back from the brick face. If it's only the mortar, pointing fixes it, and if some bricks are cracked or loose we fold in brick repair on the same visit. The price turns on how much wall needs work, how deep the joints are worn, how high we have to reach and how closely the new mix has to match old mortar. The schedule turns on the size of the wall and whether your house needs a review before work can start, and the written quote I send after I look at it gives you your own number.
How can you tell your brick joints need pointing?
Mortar crumbling to the touch
If you rub a joint and sand comes off, or you find grit along the bottom of the wall, the mortar has lost what held it together. It's still holding the brick for now, but water is getting in, and the longer it does, the more likely you're replacing brick instead of just mortar.
Joints sunk back from brick
Joints that sit well behind the face of the brick leave little ledges where water sits and soaks in. Caught early it's a mortar job, but left alone the brick edges start to wear too.
Hairline cracks in the joints
Thin cracks in the mortar, or a gap where it has pulled away from the brick, are easy to miss from the yard. They let water run straight into the wall, and they usually keep spreading along the same row.
Holes and missing mortar
Open holes or empty joints mean the mortar has washed or fallen out. Water and wasps both move in, and loose brick around the gap usually follows.
How we do brick pointing on your house
I start by looking at what's in your joints now, because the old mortar tells me what the new mix has to be. We rake the worn mortar out down to sound material without chipping the brick edges, then pack fresh mortar into the joints and tool them to match the shape of the ones around them. On older brick we match the new mortar to the old and keep it softer than the brick, because a mix that's too hard ends up cracking the brick instead of the joint, or flaking the face right off it. That matters most on houses from the early 1900s or older, since their original mortar has no portland cement, the binder in modern mortar, and is far weaker than what goes in a wall today. Before we leave, we clean the mortar smears off the brick.
Worn joints often show up next to other trouble. A chimney with loose brick or a cracked crown needs chimney repair, not just fresh joints, and we can handle both at once. If cracks step diagonally through brick and mortar, the house has likely moved, and I'll tell you to look at foundation repair first, because new mortar on a wall that's still shifting just cracks again.
Spot repointing
This suits a house where the mortar has failed in a few places, like under a window or beside a downspout, while the rest is sound. We match the color and shape of the joints around it so the repair blends in.
Full wall repointing
This suits a wall where the joints are worn across most of the face, because patching it piece by piece usually costs more over the years than doing it once. It also gives you one even look across the whole wall.
Soft-mix repointing for older brick
This suits older houses with soft original mortar and softer brick. Getting the match right takes more time up front, and that time is what protects the brick for the long run.
Get a written brick pointing estimate
We reply within one business day to set a time. I'll look at your joints in person, then send a free written estimate, with no pressure and no obligation. Photos and your home's age help.
- Based in
- Huntsville, AL 35801
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about brick pointing in Huntsville?
Here's how a brick pointing job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send us a note
Call (256) 417-4326 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to tell us the age of your house and whether it's in a historic district.
I look over your wall
I come out, look the wall over, take photos and tell you what I see, including any joints that can wait. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what we'll repoint and what it costs before any work starts.
We line up permits and reviews
If you go ahead, I check the permit and historic district steps with the office that covers your address. When your house sits in a district, that review goes first.
We repoint and walk it together
Our crew lead runs the job on site with our masons. When it's done, I walk the finished wall with you.
Why Huntsville homeowners call Capstone Huntsville Concrete and Masonry for brick pointing
I do every estimate myself
I sold brick, block and stone for years before I picked up a trowel, so I know which mortar jobs fail and why. You get a straight answer from the person writing the quote, even when the answer is that your joints can wait.
In business since 2021
We started this business in 2021, and mortar work on older brick homes is what we're best known for. It's the work this page is about, not a side job for us.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. Huntsville requires anyone paid for contractor work in the city to be licensed with its Inspection Department and says to call before you hire to check, so go ahead and check us.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise, and it covers brick pointing the same as everything else we do. I'd rather lose a job than sell you work you don't need, so the estimate covers only what your wall needs.
If your joints are crumbling or worn back, send us a note or call (256) 417-4326 and I'll come take a look.
Brick pointing alongside chimney and foundation work in Huntsville
If your home is in one of Huntsville's historic districts, any project that changes the outside of the building needs approval from the Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission before the city will issue a building permit. The city lists exterior routine repairs as eligible for a faster staff review that can be filed any time without going before the full Commission. Whether your job fits that is the city's call, so we get that review moving first, before anything else is scheduled.
Most of the brick we repoint is on older houses, chimneys and garden walls, and the joints are usually worst under gutters and beside downspouts where water runs down the face. We see the same thing on older brick in Madison and Decatur, and we treat it the same way, by fixing the joints and pointing out where the water's coming from.
Questions about brick pointing in Huntsville
How do I know when my brick needs repointing?
Brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, or when joints are crumbling, hollow, cracked or pulling away from the brick. Past that point water gets into the wall faster than it dries out. Send us photos of the worst spots and I'll tell you if it's time.
How long does brick repointing last?
Preservation guidance says a good repointing job should last at least 30 years, and preferably 50 to 100. That only happens when the mix suits the brick and the joints are cleaned out properly, so it's a repair worth doing once and doing carefully, not patching every year.
How much does brick pointing cost in Huntsville?
The cost comes down to how many square feet of wall need new joints and how much work each joint takes. Spot work on a few problem areas runs far less than a whole house, while scaffolding on a two-story wall or a careful match to soft old mortar adds to it. I give you a written quote after I see the wall, with what's included spelled out.
Do I need a permit for brick pointing in Huntsville?
It can need one. The city's Inspection Department requires a building permit for work over $250 in material and labor or any structural work, and its list of exempt work names painting, wallpapering, fencing and floor covering, not repointing. We check with the office that covers your address before work starts and handle the permit when the job needs one, and you can call the department at 256-427-5331 with questions about your own house.
How do I choose a mason for repointing an older brick house?
Ask about their past repointing jobs, because an excellent bricklayer isn't always skilled at repointing, and ask how they'll match the old mortar and get it out of the joints. The same preservation guidance warns that power saws on thin brick joints almost always break brick edges and overcut the vertical joints. Some owners also have candidates do a small test section on a part of the wall nobody sees.
How long does brick repointing take?
It takes longer than most people expect, because repointing is slow, precise work. It's also noisy, and scaffolding may stand in front of the wall for a while, so plan for some blocked doors, windows or walkways. I'll talk through what to expect for your wall at the estimate.
Related work on brick, chimneys and foundations
Chimney repair
A chimney sits above the roofline where its joints, crown and flashing wear fastest, and loose brick up there needs fixing before it falls or leaks.
Foundation repair
If cracks step through brick and mortar or doors start sticking, the house may have moved, and that needs fixing below the wall before any joint work lasts.
Service areas for brick pointing near Huntsville
Capstone Huntsville Concrete and Masonry is based in Huntsville, AL, and we do brick pointing in the cities around it, including Madison and Athens. The 10 cities below each have their own page. If yours isn't listed, call and ask anyway.
Get your brick joints looked at
Catching worn joints early usually means a mortar job instead of replacing brick, so call or send the form while it's still just mortar.