Brick pointing in Lafayette LA - tight mortar joints that keep water out of your walls
Mortar crumbling, cracked or worn back from the brick? We cut out the bad joints and refill them with a mix that suits your wall.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Do your brick joints need pointing?
Brick pointing in Lafayette, LA, is the job of cutting worn mortar out of your brick joints to an even depth and packing new mortar in its place, and it's one of the best ways to keep water out of a brick wall.
Most people call us after they spot sandy grit at the foot of a wall, joints sunk back behind the brick or a thin crack running along a row. The price turns on how much wall needs work, how many joints have actually failed, how high we have to reach and which mortar your brick calls for, and the schedule mostly turns on the size of the job and getting dry, mild days to work in. If some bricks are cracked too, we fold brick repair into the same job, and the estimate tells you what I'd point now, what can wait and what it comes to.
Is brick pointing what your walls need?
Joints worn back from brick
When mortar wears back from the brick face, water pools in the joint until new mortar fills it.
Crumbling or sandy mortar
Mortar that rubs out under your thumb has quit holding the joint and is ready to come out.
Gaps and holes in joints
Empty spots in joints let water into the wall, so they're worth filling while the brick is sound.
Hairline cracks in joints
Hairline cracks in the mortar, or a gap between brick and mortar, mean the joint has let go.
How we do brick pointing
I start by going over the wall joint by joint and marking the ones that have failed, because sound original mortar is better left where it is. We take the old mortar out to an even depth with care, since a power tool run carelessly chips the brick edges and that damage doesn't come back. Then we mix new mortar to suit your old wall, pack the joints in layers so there are no hollow spots, tool them to match the joint shape on the rest of the wall and brush the face clean.
Pointing sometimes turns up other work, and we handle that too. Chimneys get the same careful joint work as part of our chimney repair, and when a wall is cracking because the ground under it has moved, we take care of the foundation repair first, since fresh mortar on a wall that's still moving won't hold for long.
Spot pointing on the bad joints
This suits a house where the damage sits in one area, like under a leaky gutter or along the ground, because we fix those joints and leave the sound mortar alone. It costs less and keeps more of your original wall.
Repointing a whole wall
This suits a wall where most of the joints are worn back or crumbling, since patching one joint at a time on a wall like that just chases the problem. Done across the whole face, the joints weather together and look like one wall.
Pointing with brick replacement
This suits a wall with a few cracked or broken bricks among the bad joints. We cut out the damaged bricks, set ones that match as closely as we can find and point around them so the patch blends in.
What happens when you call us for brick pointing?
Call or send a message
Call (337) 216-1882 or send a message through the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time. Tell us which walls worry you so I come out ready to look at them.
I look the walls over
I come out myself, check the joints wall by wall and tell you what I'd do and what I'd skip. You get a written estimate with the work and the price laid out, so you can compare it with anyone else's.
We handle permits and work
If you go ahead, we take care of the permit side with your city before anything starts. Our crew does the pointing, and I'm on site running it.
We walk the finished wall
Once the joints are done and the wall is brushed clean, we walk it together. You see every repaired section up close before we pack up.
Choosing the mortar for brick pointing
Match the old mortar, or go a little softer.
New mortar should be as strong as the original or weaker, because mortar that's too hard for the wall can make the brick spall, which is when the face of the brick flakes off in chips. Once that happens the brick has to be replaced, so the mix matters more than most people expect.
Pointing mortars come in different strengths. A standard mix is generally the pick for modern brickwork, and the weakest mix is generally kept for historic masonry. I look at the age of the house, the brick and the old joints before I choose, and I'd rather go a step softer than put the brick face at risk.
Examples of masonry work
Look through these examples of brick, block, stone and concrete work to get a feel for finishes, joint styles and materials before we talk.
Get a brick pointing estimate for your walls
Tell us which walls have worn joints, add photos, and say if your house is in a historic district. We reply within one business day, and I come out myself for a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
Why Lafayette homeowners call K&D Lafayette Masonry and Concrete for brick pointing
I look at every wall myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running the crew while the work gets done. The person who told you what your wall needs is the one checking every joint.
Ask to see our pointing
Repointing is its own skill, and a good bricklayer isn't always a good pointer, so ask and we'll show you pointing we've done before you hire us. You'll see how new joints sit next to old brick before we touch yours.
Trained on inspected public work
I learned masonry on a municipal crew, where the work had to pass inspection, and I started this business in Lafayette in 2020. Six years on, brick and mortar repair is still what we're best known for.
Fully licensed and insured crew
We're fully licensed and insured, which is worth asking any mason about before they put a ladder against your house. When you're ready, call (337) 216-1882 or send us a message.
Brick pointing questions we hear
How do I know my brick needs repointing?
Your brick likely needs repointing if the mortar has worn back more than ¼ inch from the brick face, crumbles, has holes in it, or shows hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. You can check for these yourself with a flashlight along the joints before you call. When I come out, I'll show you which joints need work and which are fine.
How much does brick repointing cost in Lafayette, LA?
Brick repointing across the US usually costs about $3 to $15 per square foot of wall, for cutting out the worn mortar and filling the joints with new. The size of the job, the mortar your wall needs and the time of year move that number, and the same cost guide says most contractors lower the rate after the first 1,000 square feet. I'll measure your wall and give you a written figure for it.
How long do mortar joints last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the bricks themselves may well last over 100 years. That means the joints on a brick house usually need work long before the brick wears out, so repointing is upkeep to expect on an older home.
Do I need a permit to repoint brick in Lafayette?
Most construction work in Lafayette needs a permit before it begins, and the city's Development and Planning department handles all of that permitting. We check with the permit office before your job starts and take care of any permit it calls for.
What is the best time of year to repoint brick?
One national cost guide points to spring or fall, when daytime temperatures stay between 40 and 90 degrees for at least 24 to 72 hours. The same guide says emergency work in winter or a heat wave will likely cost more, so if your joints can wait a little, planning ahead usually pays.
Is tuckpointing the same as brick pointing?
Yes, tuckpointing is another name people use for repointing, the job of removing worn mortar to an even depth and putting new mortar in the joint. Call it whichever you like when you phone us, and I'll know what you mean.
Want someone to look at your joints?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come to your house, look over the brick and write up what I'd do.
Other work that comes with pointing
Brick pointing on older Lafayette homes
If your house sits in a historic preservation district, Louisiana law requires a certificate of appropriateness, a design approval from the district commission, before a building there is altered or restored. That review looks at color and the kind and texture of the material, while ordinary repairs that keep the design, material and look unchanged fall outside it. We match the old mortar's color and texture anyway, but we don't assume, so we check with the same city office that handles permits, since it also handles historic property designations. Lafayette also has buildings and districts on the National Register of Historic Places that may qualify for historic rehabilitation tax incentives from the National Park Service and the State Division of Historic Preservation, and an approved application generally comes before work starts, so tell me early if you think yours might qualify.
Around Lafayette we point everything from older houses with soft brick to newer homes built with harder brick, and the mix follows the wall, not the address. We do the same work in Broussard and Youngsville, and across Scott, Carencro and the other cities around Lafayette.