Brick pointing in Billings, MT - new mortar joints that keep water out of your wall
Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks lets water in. We rake out the bad joints and refill them with mortar that suits your brick.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Do the mortar joints in your brick need repointing?
The short answer: Brick pointing in Billings, which most masons also call repointing or tuckpointing, means cutting the worn mortar out of your brick joints and packing in fresh mortar. It's one of the best ways to keep water out of a brick wall.
Most folks call after they find sand on a window sill or a joint they can push a key into. The price comes down to how much of the wall needs cutting out, how soft the brick is, how closely the new mortar has to match the old and how high the wall goes, since walls that need scaffolding cost more per square foot. The schedule turns on mild weather, because mortar shouldn't go in during a hard freeze or real heat, and on any permit or historic review your house needs first. You'll get the number for your own wall when I come out and write the estimate.
How can you tell your brick joints are going bad?
Mortar turning to sand
You rub a joint and it comes away as grit, or you keep sweeping sand off the sills. That usually means the mortar has given up, and every wet spell it lets a little more water into the wall behind it.
Joints sunk behind the brick
The mortar sits back from the brick face and leaves little ledges where water collects. Water that sits there soaks into the wall, so the longer it goes, the more joints need cutting out.
Thin cracks and small gaps
You see hairline cracks through the mortar, holes in it, or mortar that has pulled away from the edge of the brick. Each one is a straight path for water, and fixing joints now costs a lot less than replacing bricks later.
How we do brick pointing on your house
I start by looking at the old mortar and the brick, because soft brick and hard brick need different handling. Where the brick is soft, we take the old mortar out by hand. It's slower, but a grinder in a hurry can do more harm than the weather ever did. The Brick Industry Association says to cut the joints back to an even depth, or until you reach sound mortar, and that new mortar must be equal to or lower in strength than the original, because a stronger mix can make the brick face flake off. Repointing mortar should also let water pass out of the wall as liquid and as vapor, so it doesn't get trapped inside, freeze and break up the masonry. Then we pack the joints, tool them to match the rest of the wall and clean the brick before we leave.
Sometimes the joints aren't the whole story. If cracks step through the brick and keep reopening, the wall may be moving, and that calls for foundation repair before any new mortar goes in. Chimneys often have the worst joints on a house, and when the brick up there is loose too, we take it on as chimney repair.
Spot pointing a few joints
This suits a wall where the damage is in one patch, like under a leaky gutter or around a sill. A few bad joints don't call for a whole new wall, so we cut out and refill just those.
Repointing a full wall or chimney
This suits a wall where the wear is spread all over. Doing it in one go keeps the color even and saves you chasing failing joints every few years.
Matched mortar for older brick
This suits older houses with soft brick and soft original mortar. It takes more care with the mix, the color and the removal, but it protects brick you can't easily replace.
What happens when you call us about brick pointing in Billings?
Here's how a pointing job goes with us, from the first call to the walk-through at the end. You deal with me from the estimate on, and our crew does the work.
- Step 01
Call or send us a note
Call (406) 318-2106, email sales@billingsconcreteandmasonry.com or use the form, and tell us where the brick is and what you're seeing. We'll set a time for me to come out.
- Step 02
I look at the wall
I come out myself, look at the brick and mortar, and ask a few plain questions, like how old the house is and whether it's in a historic district. Then I write up an estimate that shows what the wall needs and what it'll cost.
- Step 03
Our crew does the pointing
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit paperwork first, then our crew cuts out and repoints the joints. I'm usually right there on the wall with them.
- Step 04
We walk the finished job
Before we pack up, we walk the finished wall with you and clean up. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Permits and older homes for brick pointing in Billings
The City of Billings Building Division issues permits here, and every application goes in online through its public portal. Whether a pointing job needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, so the division is the place to ask, and when a permit is needed we help with the paperwork, can file it for you and keep you posted on where it stands. If your house is in a Historic District or on the Local Register, the city needs to certify the work before it issues a building permit. The city's preservation rules also offer owners advice on restoring and maintaining older buildings if you ask for it.
Plenty of our pointing calls are for older brick homes, where the brick is softer than what's made now, so the mix and the removal both take more care. We see the same kinds of houses in Lockwood and Laurel, and we work across the other cities around Billings too.
Get an estimate for repointing your brick
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at your joints and give you a free estimate on site with no pressure to book. A few photos of the worn joints, the rough size of the wall and whether the house sits in a Historic District help me come prepared.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at your wall and write the estimate myself, and I'm usually working right alongside our crew on the job. The person who saw the problem is the one making sure it gets fixed.
Licensed and insured in Montana
Montana requires construction contractors to be licensed with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, and you can check any contractor there before you hire. We're licensed and insured.
Only the joints that need it
A few bad joints don't call for a whole new wall, and I'd rather tell you that than sell it to you. Small job or large, the promise is the same, satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Careful with older brick since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, and careful repair on older brick is what we're best known for. That matters on pointing, because soft old brick is easy to damage and hard to replace.
If your joints are starting to go, send us a note or call (406) 318-2106 and I'll come out and take a look.
Brick pointing questions from Billings homeowners
How do I know if my brick needs repointing?
Your joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than a quarter inch, crumbles, has holes in it, shows hairline cracks or has cracked away from the brick. That's the Brick Industry Association's list, and spotting it early lets you plan the work before water gets into the wall.
How much does brick pointing cost in Billings, MT?
Repointing 100 square feet of brick usually costs about $500 to $2,500 across the US, according to one national cost guide. That's a national market figure, not a Billings price and not ours. Your wall's number depends on the things covered up top, like height and how much needs cutting out, and it comes from the estimate.
How long does new mortar last after repointing?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the brick itself can last well over 100. So the joints are the part of a brick wall you plan to renew now and then, and the brick is the part you're protecting.
Who should I hire to repoint brick in Billings?
Hire someone with real repointing experience, because the Brick Industry Association points out that an excellent mason isn't always qualified for repointing. It advises testing a contractor's skills before you choose, so ask to see joints they've repointed and ask how deep they plan to cut out the old mortar. Check the state license mentioned above too.
What is the best time of year to repoint brick?
Spring or fall, according to one national cost guide, which advises planning for daytime temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees for at least 24 to 72 hours. The same guide says emergency work in winter or extreme heat will likely cost more, so it pays to get on the schedule early.
What causes mortar joints to crumble?
Mostly water and time. Mortar is the softer part of the wall and it's meant to wear out before the brick does, but water soaking into cracked or sunken joints speeds that up. A gutter or downspout dumping water on one spot can wear out a patch of joints years ahead of the rest of the wall.
Other work that often goes with pointing
Foundation repair
When the floor or walls inside are cracking along with the brick outside, the trouble is usually underneath, and repointing alone won't stop it from coming back.
Chimney repair
A chimney sits up in the wind and rain with nothing sheltering it, so its joints, crown and flashing often need work before the walls below do.
Call us about your worn mortar joints
Mortar costs a lot less to replace than brick, so call (406) 318-2106 or use the form while the damage is still in the joints.