Brick pointing in Redondo Beach CA - fresh joints that go easy on old brick
Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks? We cut out the worn joints and fill them with mortar that suits your wall.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Does my brick need repointing, and what does the job involve?
Brick pointing, also called repointing, means we cut the worn mortar out of the joints in your brick to an even depth and pack fresh mortar in its place, so the wall sheds water again while the bricks stay right where they are. In Redondo Beach we do it on chimneys, house walls and garden walls, usually a whole section of wall at a time.
Most people call me after they've rubbed a joint and watched it turn to sand, or noticed the mortar sitting well back from the face of the brick. The price moves with how much wall needs it, how high we have to work, how deep the wear goes and how soft the old brick is. The schedule turns on the same things, plus any permit steps with the city, and the estimate I give you on site puts a figure on your own wall. If some bricks are cracked or loose too, that's brick repair, and it can be done on the same visit.
How can you tell your brick joints are wearing out?
Mortar sitting back from the brick
The joints look recessed, like a shallow groove between each brick. That usually means weather has been eating the mortar away, and the longer you wait, the more water gets in and the closer the wear gets to the brick itself.
Joints that crumble or have holes
Mortar that turns to powder under your thumb, or has gaps where pieces have fallen out, has lost its grip on the brick. Left alone, the bricks around it start to loosen, and a pointing job can grow into a rebuild.
Thin cracks along the bricks
Hairline cracks through the joints, or a fine gap where the mortar has pulled away from the brick, let water run straight into the wall. A crack that zigzags across many rows is worth a closer look before anyone patches it, because it can point to movement rather than plain wear.
How we do brick pointing on your wall
First I work out how far the wear runs, and we usually repoint the whole affected area rather than scattered joints, because it's hard to tell which joints are actually letting water in. On older brick we cut the old mortar out by hand to an even depth. It's slower, but it's much easier on the edges of the brick than a power saw, and a chipped edge stays chipped. Then we brush and dampen the joints, pack new mortar in thin layers so it fills to the back, and tool each joint to match the shape of the old ones before we clean the brick face. The mortar itself is mixed to suit your wall, and I explain why that matters in the questions further down.
Pointing renews the joints, but it doesn't fix whatever made them fail. A crack that runs up through brick and mortar alike can mean the house has moved, and I'd want to look at foundation repair before we fill anything. Chimneys take more weather than any other brickwork on a house, so when their joints are going we look at the rest of the stack too, which is where chimney repair comes in.
One worn section
This suits a wall where the wear sits in one spot, often under a downspout, beside a sprinkler or along the top rows. We repoint that whole section out to sound mortar so the new joints don't sit right next to failing ones.
A whole wall or chimney
This suits brickwork where the joints are worn all over, which is common once the mortar reaches the end of its life. It's a bigger job, but it saves you coming back to chase the next weak patch.
Get a free on-site estimate for your brick joints
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to look at your wall. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation.
Call (424) 265-1368What happens after you call us about brick pointing?
Here's how a pointing job runs from your first call to the last clean joint, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call us or send the form
Call (424) 265-1368 or use the form, and we'll set a time to come out. Tell us which wall or chimney it is and roughly how high the worn joints go, so I know what access to plan for.
Walk the wall with me
I check how deep the wear goes and how soft the old mortar is, and I answer whatever you want to ask, since no question is too small. You come away with an estimate for the section that needs work and a clear idea of what's driving the price.
Sort out the permit steps
If you go ahead, we check with your city or county office what the job needs before work starts. When it needs a permit, we take care of it.
Our crew repoints, I check
Our crew cuts out and refills the joints while I check the work as it goes. Cutting out mortar is noisy work, and we clean the brick face and the ground before we call it done.
Why Redondo Beach homeowners call CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry for brick pointing
A repair has to suit the wall it goes into, because mortar that's too hard or work that's rushed can do more harm than the wear it replaced. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee, and you can ask for an estimate or call (424) 265-1368 to get started.
I come out and check the work
I look at the job and give the estimate myself, and I'm on site checking while our crew does the work. You deal with the same person from the first visit to the last joint.
Careful repointing since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, 9 years now, and careful repointing and brick repair are what we're best known for in Redondo Beach and the cities around it. That matters because laying new brick and repointing old brick take different skills.
Licensed and fully insured masons
We're licensed and fully insured. California's Contractors State License Board has a masonry license, the C-29, covering brick and other baked clay products and masonry walls set with or without mortar, so it's a fair thing to ask about with any mason you're weighing.
Brick pointing and city permits in Redondo Beach
There are a couple of city steps to settle before work starts here. Redondo Beach Building & Safety answers whether your job needs a building permit and what the fees are, and you can reach them at (310) 318-0636. Permit applications in Redondo Beach go in online through the city's Citizen Portal. If your house is a designated landmark, the city's historic preservation program has its own designation and review process, so tell us up front. We check all of this with the city before we start, and we take care of the permit when the job needs one.
Much of the brick we see around here is on older chimneys, garden walls and the lower walls of older houses, where the original mortar is soft and the brick edges chip easily. We're based in Redondo Beach and work across the cities around it, and we take the same care on jobs in Torrance and Hermosa Beach.
Questions about brick pointing in Redondo Beach
How do I know when my brick needs repointing?
Brick industry guidance says it's time when the mortar has worn back more than a quarter inch from the face, crumbles, has holes, shows hairline cracks or has cracks between the brick and the mortar. Look for those signs first and take a few photos, because describing what you see helps me size up the job before I come out.
What kind of mortar should be used to repoint old brick?
The new mortar should be no stronger than the old, meaning it takes the same crushing force or less, which is what brick industry guidance calls for. Mortar that's harder than what's around it pushes stress into the edges of the brick and can make the face flake off, and that damage is permanent. I check the old mortar before we mix anything so the joints, not the bricks, take the wear.
How long does repointed mortar last?
Older brick industry guidance, from 2005, says mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks may well last over 100. So it's normal for a wall to need its joints renewed during its life even when the brick is still sound.
Do I need a permit for brick pointing in Redondo Beach?
The city's Building & Safety office decides that, and it answers whether your job needs a building permit and what the fees are. We check with the city before work starts, and the office's phone number and the online portal are in the permits section above.
How much does brick pointing cost in Redondo Beach?
The cost comes down to how much wall needs repointing, how high we have to work, how deep the old mortar is worn and how much of it has to come out by hand. A chimney or second-story wall costs more than a low garden wall because of the access, and I'll give you a figure for your own wall when I look at it on site.
How do I choose a mason for repointing brick?
Ask any mason you're considering for repointing work they've done, or for a small sample on a part of the wall nobody sees, because brick industry guidance points out that a good bricklayer isn't always good at repointing. I'm happy to walk you through how we'd handle your wall before anything is decided.
Related work when brick joints wear out
- Foundation repair
If doors stick or a crack zigzags across many rows of brick, the ground under the house may have shifted, and that comes first.
- Chimney repair
A chimney with loose bricks, a cracked cap or water stains inside the house usually needs more than its joints refilled to stay sound.
Brick pointing service areas around Redondo Beach
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is based in Redondo Beach, California, and does brick pointing across the cities around it. The 12 cities below each have their own page, including Manhattan Beach and Lomita, and they aren't the only places we work.
Redondo Beach, CA
Send us photos of your worn joints
A few photos and a note on whether your house is a city landmark help me plan the visit and bring the right tools.