Brick repair in Bellingham WA - fresh mortar joints that keep your old wall intact
Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks? We clean out the worn joints with care and refill them, so you keep the brick you have.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Do I need brick repair or repointing for crumbling mortar?
Brick repair in Bellingham, WA is mostly repointing. We take the worn mortar out of the joints between your bricks and put new mortar in, so the wall holds together and sheds water again and you keep the brick that's already there. The job often comes with a little chimney work or replacing a few bricks whose faces have flaked off.
We're based in Bellingham and work in many of the cities around it across Whatcom and Skagit counties, and most brick calls start the same way, with joints that have gone soft and sandy or a chimney that's started letting water in. What you'll pay depends on how much of the wall needs new joints, how high it goes, since a tall wall or chimney needs scaffolding, and how slowly the old mortar has to come out to keep the brick edges whole. The schedule mostly turns on what the office for your address needs before we start, which we check for you. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate once I've seen the wall.
How can you tell your brick needs attention?
Joints worn back from the face
If the mortar sits well behind the face of the brick and you can catch a fingernail on the brick edge, it's wearing away. Water sits in those recesses and the wear speeds up, so waiting usually means more of the wall needs new joints later.
Mortar that crumbles to sand
When you can scrape mortar out with a key or it trickles out as sand, it has lost its strength. The bricks around it start to loosen, and a loose section can turn a repointing job into taking brick down and laying it again.
Cracks along the bricks
A crack running between the brick and the mortar can let water into the wall. It isn't always a reason to repair right away, but it's worth having me look so we know whether to repoint now or keep an eye on it.
Other work that often comes up
Driveway pavers
A worn driveway next to repointed brick stands out, and pavers in a color picked to sit well with your brick tie the front of the house together.
Retaining wall construction
If you're planning a wall to hold up a slope or a raised bed, it needs its base and drainage worked out before the first block goes down.
How we handle brick repair
I start by walking the wall with you and looking at the mortar that's in it now, because the new mortar has to suit both the old joints and the brick. Our masons then take the worn mortar out down to sound material, and how that's done decides how much of your original brick survives. Most brick walls have thin joints, and a power saw run down a thin joint almost always breaks the brick edges, so we take our time there and keep the edges whole. Then the joints get cleaned out, packed with new mortar, tooled to match the joints around them, and the wall is cleaned up before we leave.
Brick work on the house often leads out to the yard. If your front steps or entry wall are getting new joints, it's a good moment to look at driveway pavers for the approach, and if a brick wall in the yard is being pushed over by the ground behind it, new mortar won't hold it, so that's a job for retaining wall construction.
Repointing worn spots
This suits a wall where the wear is in a few places, like under a downspout or along the top. We match the new joints to the old ones so the repair blends in as well as it can.
Repointing a whole wall or chimney
This suits a wall where most joints are worn back or crumbling. Doing it all at once gives you joints of the same age and look instead of a patchwork.
Replacing damaged bricks
This suits a wall with a few cracked or flaked bricks among sound ones. We cut out just those bricks and set new ones as close to the originals as we can find.
Get a written estimate for your brick repair
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to look at your wall, and the written estimate is free with no obligation. You can also call (360) 255-7006.
Call (360) 255-7006Why Bellingham homeowners call us for brick repair
I look at every wall myself
I come out, look at the brick with you and write the estimate myself, then check in with our masons and with you while the work goes on. You're talking to the person who decided what to do, not passing questions along.
Careful repointing since 2013
We've been doing this since 2013, and careful repointing on older brick is what we're best known for. Before that I spent years selling brick and stone, so I'd rather explain why a mortar suits your wall than ask you to take it on faith.
Licensed and insured for this work
We're licensed and insured. The job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Permit questions checked before we start
Rules differ between Bellingham, the county and each city we work in, so before work starts we check with the office that covers your address and tell you what it says. In Bellingham the city's permit center takes applications by email to permits@cob.org, and if a permit is needed we help you sort out the application.
If your mortar is wearing back or cracking, send me a few details or call (360) 255-7006 and I'll come take a look.
What happens after you call about brick repair in Bellingham?
Call or send a request
Call (360) 255-7006 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time. Tell us roughly where the wall is and what you're seeing.
I walk the wall with you
I look at the joints, the brick and the height of the wall or chimney with you and answer what you ask. You get a written estimate that says what I'd do, which mortar we'd use, how the old mortar comes out and what it costs, so you can compare it with anyone else's.
We check rules and set a start
Once you're ready, we check what the office for your address needs and set a start date. If your home needs city review first, that comes before any mortar comes out.
Our masons do the work
Our masons repoint the wall while I keep you posted on how it's going. When they're done, the joints are tooled to match and the wall and the ground around it are cleaned up.
Common questions
How do I know when my brick needs repointing?
Your brick needs repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the face, crumbles, has holes in it or has cracked away from the brick. You can check for those signs yourself before you call anyone. A small crack can let water in, but it isn't always a reason to repair right away, so I'd look at it before telling you to spend money.
What kind of mortar should be used to repoint old brick?
Use a mortar that's equal to or weaker than the original, because mortar stronger than the old joints can make the face of the brick flake away, what masons call spalling. We look at what's in your wall now and write the mix we'd use into the estimate, so you know before we start.
Does my historic Bellingham home need city review before brick repair?
If your property is on Bellingham's register of historic places, or is a contributing home in a historic district, repairs need a certificate of alteration from the city before work starts. The city lets ordinary repairs and maintenance and emergency repairs go ahead without one. We check with the city which side of that line your job falls on and help with the application if it's needed.
Who can do brick repair in Washington?
In Washington, any contractor doing repair work on a building has to be registered with the state Department of Labor & Industries and be bonded and insured. A good bricklayer isn't always skilled at repointing, so it's fair to ask any mason to show you repointing jobs they've done.
How much does brick repair cost in Bellingham?
The cost comes down to how many joints need new mortar, how high the work goes and how slowly the old mortar has to come out to save the brick edges. Walls and chimneys over 8 feet need scaffolding set up, and a few worn spots cost much less than a whole wall. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen it.
How long does repointed mortar last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the brick itself can last well over 100. That's why repointing makes sense, since you renew the joints when they wear out and keep the brick you have.
Send photos of your worn mortar joints
If you call (360) 255-7006 or use the form with a photo of the worn joints, a rough height of the wall or chimney and whether the house is on Bellingham's historic register, I can come out ready to give you a clear answer.