As a premier Midwest masonry tuckpointing contractor, there are a few things that go into our processes that make us successful and the choice of so many general contractors, corporations, government entities, educational facilities and historical preservation societies for their building restoration projects.
Skilled Masons Deliver Quality
One of our first points of customer success is dependent upon employing skilled bricklayers and restoration masons. The teams that we employ not only understand the high level of attention to detail and skill that are required on projects we take on, but understand that taking the time to ensure the quality and final product we deliver will meet the expectations of our customers.
Our crews are certified, experienced bricklayers and restoration masons who showcase their skills on projects by:
- Removing existing mortar back to the correct depth to ensure lasting repairs of the mortar joints.
- Experienced, steadied hands remove the mortar with mechanical grinders or chisels, leaving cleanly prepared joints between brick without damaging the bricks themselves.
- Selecting the correct replacement mortar based upon the age of the building, the type of units (brick, block, or stone), porosity and strength of the units, and aesthetic considerations.
At client request, or for historic preservation projects, mortar analysis by acid digestion or petrographic analysis can be performed to get an exact match of the original mortar for historic buildings.
When dealing with historic buildings, proper mortar selection is HUGE. We are experts in composition and color matching and are highly skilled inlime-based mortars (lime putty or hydraulic lime).
- Selecting replacement brick, block or stone as close to the original as possible. Where replacement units are not the best option, we make use of Jahn and US Heritage patching mortars.
- Where replacement brick can be matched in size and texture but color is just not quite close enough – our sister company, TNT Masonry Staining, can stain the brick to get a near exact match.
- The repaired areas are blended in with the original, matching the mortar color, texture and tooling to make a seamless transition from the original areas to the restored areas.
Choosing the Right Tuckpointing Contractor
We are easily able to adapt to small or large building restoration projects throughout Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Learn more about our experience , projects , and history.
What Is Tuckpointing?
In a brick building, the units (brick, block or stone) are designed to last the life of the structure, and the mortar is designed to be the maintained periodically. The mortar is designed to be “sacrificial” and be softer than the units so that the mortar can be repointed (also referred to as tuckpointed) as needed. There is no hard and fast rule for how often a building needs to be tuckpointed. There are buildings less than 20 years old we have come across that need tuckpointing and buildings over 100 years old with original mortar that is still performing well.
When Is Tuckpointing Necessary?
The cause of mortar deterioration can range from weather exposure, freeze-thaw damage, building movement, and poor workmanship. Tell-tale signs that a building is in need of tuckpointing are:
01
mortar weathered back ¼” or more from the face of the units
02
cracks or broken mortar caused from movement
03
moisture getting inside the building through the units
04
brick or stone faces that are falling off (“spalling” brick or stone)
The longer you leave deteriorated mortar joints un-repaired, the more you risk the structure of the building or wall and the costlier it can be to repair or rebuild a section, wall, or even an entire building.
We hope you’ll give us the opportunity to prove to you why we have so many loyal customers, and that you’ll be our next.