Mortar repair: the art of marksmanship

If you have an older home or have had a recent settlement on your home foundation, you are probably a candidate for mulch. What is tuckpointing, you ask? Good question.

Tuckpointing is the process of filling missing, cracked, or deteriorated mortar joints in masonry walls. In this process, the installer removes damaged mortar if necessary, then installs fresh shoring mortar into the open mortar joint by ‘poking’ or pushing it into the damaged joint with a ‘pointer’ or ‘pointing tool’. It will also mix the color of the new shoring mortar to match the color of the existing mortar as closely as possible. Once the mortar has been “pushed” into place, the installer will use several different tools to “tool” or finish the fresh shoring mortar so that the joint finish matches the existing mortar joint finish.

Sounds tedious, right?

Well it is and while the average homeowner can get mortar from a DYI center and push it into a joint, it can and does result in a sloppy or stained finish. Although this will seal the mortar joint from the elements, which is good, the unsightly finish may or may not be acceptable to a homeowner depending on the location and situation.

If you want the joint to “go away” with repair, you can contact an experienced masonry repair professional. You will want to look for someone who is not only an expert, but also artistic and capable of matching and mixing colors so that the final color of the mortar matches the existing one. You must also have the knowledge to understand the proper time to “carve” fresh shoring mortar, as well as the proper tooling sequence to achieve a perfect final appearance.

Who would need this service?

If you see cracks in your brick, block or stone, it needs to be repaired. Whether you choose to do this repair yourself or hire a professional will depend on the end results you are looking for.

For a perfect ‘go away’ repair, we recommend that you contact your masonry repair professional for further evaluation.

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