Signs you need this
- A key or screwdriver rakes the joint and brings it out as loose sand
- Joints have receded more than about a quarter inch behind the brick face
- Sand and mortar crumbs collect in the beds below the wall after a storm
- White powdery efflorescence is showing on the brick face
- Damp patches or bubbling paint on the plaster inside an exterior wall
- Earlier repointing sits proud of the brick and is cracking away from it
What tuckpointing actually fixes
A brick wall keeps water out through its joints. When the mortar in those joints turns to sand, rain runs straight into the wall and stays there. Repointing rebuilds that barrier. It is a repair to the mortar, and it does nothing for cracked brick, a rusted lintel or a bad roof detail, so we look at all of those before quoting a square footage.
Most walls do not fail evenly. On a St. Louis two-family flat the south and west elevations take the weather and give out first, the chimney above the roofline goes before anything else, and the north wall can still be sound after a century. Quoting the whole house when one elevation needs work wastes your money. Our estimates break the price down by face so you can stage the work over two or three seasons if that suits you better.
Why the mortar mix is the whole job
The rule that governs everything here is simple. The mortar has to be softer than the brick it sits between. Brick and mortar both move with heat and moisture, and the wall needs somewhere for that movement to go. If the joint is the softer material, it absorbs the stress and slowly wears, which is why mortar is called the sacrificial element. That is a joint you can renew for a few thousand dollars.
Turn it around and you get the damage we see across this city. A portland-heavy mix runs several times stronger than soft common brick. The joint refuses to move, so pressure lands on the brick face instead, and the face pops off. Spalled brick cannot be repointed away, it has to be cut out and replaced at $12 to $28 apiece. A lot of what looks like weathering on St. Louis flats is really 1970s and 1980s repointing with a mix that was too hard for the wall.
Sand, color and the joint profile
Mortar color comes mostly from sand. We source local sand, mix small boards with and without pigment, let them cure, and hold them on the wall in daylight before anything gets cut. Matching the profile matters just as much as matching the color. A concave joint, a weathered joint and a flush joint each throw a different shadow line, and a wall repointed with the wrong profile reads wrong even when the color is perfect. We copy what the building already has.
Working through a St. Louis winter
Mortar cures by hydration and that stops near freezing. Standard cold weather masonry practice is to hold off placing mortar below 40 degrees Fahrenheit unless materials are heated and the work is kept covered and above freezing for the first day or two. Our winters swing back and forth across the freezing line rather than staying frozen, which is hard on masonry and hard on scheduling. We take crowns, small repairs and protected work in cold spells, and hold full elevations for spring.
How the work runs
- 1
Walk the elevations and probe the joints
We check each face of the building, probe joints at several heights, and note where water is entering. South and west walls almost always need work before the north side does.
- 2
Match the mortar to the brick
We take a sample of sound original mortar, look at the sand color and grain, and set a mix that stays softer than your brick. On pre-1930 common brick that means a lime-heavy mix.
- 3
Cut back, repoint and tool
Joints are cut to roughly twice their width, flushed of dust, dampened, then packed in layers and tooled once the mortar takes a thumbprint. Rushing the tooling leaves a weak, open joint.
- 4
Cure, wash and walk the wall
Fresh mortar is kept damp while it cures, then the masonry is washed down. We walk the finished elevation with you in daylight before the final invoice.
What it typically costs
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Tuckpointing, per sq ft Ladder work on a garage or first floor sits low. Scaffold access and lime mortar sit at the top | $9 to $22 per sq ft |
| Single elevation on a two-family flat Depends on height, how much of the wall has failed and whether the scaffold can stand on flat ground | $3,500 to $11,000 |
| Spot pointing, small areas Sills, a parapet run or a failed patch. Small jobs carry a minimum charge | $600 to $1,800 |
| Mortar color sample boards Mixed with local sand, cured, and held on the wall in daylight before you approve | Included |
| Chimney above the roofline, pointed only Where the stack is still sound and only the joints have gone | $700 to $2,200 |
Typical ranges for St. Louis and the surrounding area , reviewed September 2026. Every quote is written and fixed before work starts.