Brick repair in Lafayette LA - sound bricks and tight joints that keep water out
Crumbling joints or cracked, flaking bricks? We cut out the bad ones, repoint the joints and leave a wall that sheds water again.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Can cracked bricks and crumbling mortar be fixed?
Yes. Brick repair in Lafayette, LA means cutting out cracked or flaking bricks, setting in replacements that fit your wall and repointing worn mortar joints, so the wall keeps water out again. Usually it's one section that needs the work, not the whole house.
You've probably noticed mortar sanding out of the joints or a brick face coming off in flakes, and you want to know if it's a patch or a big job. The price comes down to how many bricks need replacing, how much wall needs new joints, how deep the old mortar is worn and how high we have to work. The schedule turns on finding brick that matches yours and on any permit the city calls for, which we handle. When I come out, I'll tell you what I'd fix now and what can wait, and write it up so you have it in front of you.
Does your house need brick repair?
Mortar crumbling from joints
When mortar rubs out under your finger or sits back from the brick face, the joints need redoing.
Cracked or flaking bricks
A brick with a broken or flaking face lets water into the wall, so it gets cut out and replaced.
Cracks, gaps and hollow joints
Hairline cracks, gaps beside the brick or holes in a joint all let water into the wall.
Old patches coming loose
Mortar smeared over old joints tends to pop off, so those joints need raking out and repointing properly.
How we do brick repair
We start with the bricks. We cut out the cracked or flaking ones and set in replacements that fit the wall in size and color, since a broken brick lets water in just like a bad joint does. Then we rake the worn mortar out of the joints down to sound material, pack in new mortar matched to the old, tool the joints so they look like the rest of the wall and clean the brick face before we leave.
Some calls turn out bigger than a few bricks. If the joints are going across a whole wall, tuckpointing redoes them all at once instead of patch by patch. A yard wall holding back soil that's cracked through or leaning needs retaining wall construction, with the footing and drainage done right underneath. And if you're fixing up the front of the house anyway, we also lay driveway pavers that sit well with brick.
Spot repairs
For a few cracked bricks or a short run of bad joints, we fix that spot and blend it into the wall. I'd rather tell you a small repair will do than sell you a big one you don't need.
Repointing one wall
When one side of the house is worn and the others are sound, we repoint that side and leave the good joints alone. It costs less and keeps as much of the original work as possible.
Hand tools or power tools
A hammer and chisel clears old mortar slowly but keeps the brick edges clean, while power tools go faster on big walls and can nick the brick beside the joint. On older or softer brick, I lean toward hand work because a chipped edge is there for good.
What happens after you call about brick repair in Lafayette?
Call or send a message
Call (337) 216-1882 or use the form and tell us which wall is giving you trouble. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look the wall over
I come out myself, check the bricks and joints, and tell you what I'd do and what I'd skip. You get a written estimate for that work, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We handle permits and repairs
If you go ahead, we take care of the permit side with your city first. Then our crew cuts out the bad bricks and repoints the joints, with me on site running the job.
We walk the job together
We clean the brick face and walk the finished wall with you. You see every new brick and joint before we call it done.
Which mortar goes into a brick repair?
One no stronger than what's already there.
New mortar has to be equal to or weaker than the old mortar in strength, because a harder mix can damage the brick face beyond repair. When the joint is harder than the brick around it, the brick takes the stress the mortar should have taken, and that's damage you can't patch later.
Before anyone touches your wall, ask how they'll match the new mortar to the old. I'll tell you how I'd match yours when I come out, color included, and I'd rather go to that trouble than leave you with a tough-looking joint that ruins the brick beside it.
Examples of masonry work
Look through these examples of brick, block and stone masonry to get a feel for finishes, joint styles and the repairs masons take on.
Get a brick repair estimate for your wall
Tell us what you're seeing and add photos of the cracked bricks or crumbling joints, plus a rough size of the wall. We reply within one business day, and I come out for a free estimate with no obligation.
Why Lafayette homeowners call K&D Lafayette Masonry and Concrete for brick repair
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at the wall and write the estimate myself, then I'm on site running the crew while the work gets done. The person who priced your repair is the one checking the joints.
Trained on inspected public work
I learned masonry on a municipal crew, laying brick and patching walks on public work that had to pass inspection. I started this business in 2020 to bring that standard to houses, and six years on, the parts you can't see still get the most care.
Licensed and insured for Louisiana
We're fully licensed and insured. The state contractor licensing board requires a Residential license for home improvement work on an existing home over $50,000, so on a big job, ask any crew to show theirs.
Guaranteed work, one call away
Our brick repair is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (337) 216-1882 or send the form on this page with a few photos, and I'll come take a look.
Brick repair questions we hear
How much does brick repointing cost in Lafayette, LA?
Across the US, professional brick repointing usually costs about $400 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall, and that's a national figure, not our price. Where your job falls depends on how deep the joints are worn, how many bricks need replacing and how high we have to work. I'll give you a price for your wall when I come out.
How do I tell if my brick needs repointing?
Your joints need repointing once the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face. Crumbling mortar, holes in the joints, hairline cracks and cracks between the brick and the mortar mean the same thing. Note what you see and where, and send it along when you ask for a quote.
How long do mortar joints last on a brick house?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves may well last past 100. Over the life of a brick home, expect to redo the joints and keep the original bricks. That's why we replace only the bricks that are actually broken.
Do I need a permit for brick repair in Lafayette?
Lafayette requires a permit before most construction work starts, and whether your brick repair needs one is the city's call. We check with the city before work starts and take care of any permit the job calls for, as covered in the Lafayette section below.
What causes white powder on brick after repointing?
That white powder is usually efflorescence, a bloom of salts that sometimes shows up in the first few months after repointing and usually weathers away. If it hangs on, the safest way to get it off is dry brushing with a stiff bristle brush, then wet brushing. Muriatic acid generally doesn't work on it and isn't suited to the job.
How do I choose a good contractor for brick repointing?
Ask to see repointing they've done, because a good bricklayer isn't always good at repointing. You can also have them repoint a small, hidden patch of your wall first and judge it before you hire. We're glad to do either one.
Want me to look at your wall?
Ask for a free estimate and I'll come look at the bricks and joints and write up what I'd do.
Other work that goes with it
Brick repair rules and older homes in Lafayette
In Lafayette, the city's Development and Planning department handles permits for construction, and most construction work needs one before it starts. Whether your brick repair is one of them is up to the city, so we check with the permit office before work starts and take care of any permit the job calls for. The same department handles historic designations, so if you own an older home, ask it about your property. A building on the National Register may qualify for rehabilitation tax credits and abatements from the National Park Service and the state's historic preservation office, but it generally needs an approved application before the work starts, so get that settled before we put you on the schedule.
Most brick calls here are the same few things: joints worn back on older brick homes, a few flaking bricks where a downspout or sprinkler keeps hitting the wall, and old patch jobs coming loose. We see the same on jobs in Broussard and Scott, and I'll point out where the water's coming from before we fix the brick.