Masonry restoration in Auburn, AL - new joints that protect your old brick
Crumbling mortar, sandy joints or loose brick? We find out why it's wearing, fix that, then repoint with a mortar that suits your wall.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does masonry restoration involve on an older brick house?
Masonry restoration in Auburn, AL usually means repointing, which is raking the worn mortar out of your brick joints and packing new mortar in its place so water stays out and the brick keeps its shape.
Most people call us because the joints on an older brick house have gone soft or sandy, or a patch someone did years ago has started cracking again. Before we price anything I want to know why the mortar wore out, since whatever wore out the old joints will wear out the new ones too. The price mostly turns on how many square feet need repointing, how deep the joints have worn, whether drainage has to be fixed first and how tall the wall is, because anything that needs scaffolding costs more per foot. The schedule turns on the weather mortar needs to cure and, if you're in a historic district, on the city signing off. If the bricks themselves are cracked or broken, that's brick repair, and we often do both on one wall. Your estimate spells out which of these apply to your house.
How can you tell your brick needs restoring?
Mortar that rubs out like sand
If you can scrape a joint with a key and it comes out as sand, the mortar has done its job and worn out. Left alone, water gets in behind the face and starts working on the brick itself, which costs more to fix than the joints.
Cracks that step up the wall
A crack that zigzags up through the joints usually means something moved, often the ground under the wall, and new mortar alone won't stop it. I look at the foundation first, and on bigger cracks I'll tell you plainly when it's time for an engineer, because the crack keeps opening until the cause is fixed.
Brick faces flaking off
When the faces of bricks chip or peel off in flakes, water is usually getting into the brick and can't dry back out. A face that's gone can't be put back, so each one you lose turns a repointing job into a brick replacement job.
How we handle masonry restoration on your house
I start by finding what wore the joints out, and if it's a leaking downspout or water running down the wall, we get that fixed first so the new joints don't wash out too. Then we rake the old mortar out by hand to an even depth, because a grinder in a hurry nicks the edges of old brick and makes the joints look wider. On older homes I lean toward soft lime mortar, matched in color and texture to what's there, so the joint gives before the brick does. We pack it in layers, shape it to match the old joints and clean up with water and a soft brush rather than sandblasting or grinding, since those take some of the brick face off with the dirt.
Restoration sometimes leads to other work on the same house. A firebox that's too far gone inside can be rebuilt as a new fireplace installation, and a block or concrete wall that never had a finished face can get stone veneer installation so it sits well beside the restored brick.
Lime mortar for older brick
This suits houses with soft, older brick, because lime mortar stays softer and more porous than the brick and lets moisture out through the joint. It takes more care to mix and cure, and on these houses it's worth it.
Cement-lime mortar for newer brick
This suits the harder brick on newer homes, where a stronger mix matches the brick instead of fighting it. We still pick a mortar no harder than the brick, so the joint is the part that wears.
One section or the whole wall
If the wear is in one spot, usually under a gutter or near the ground, we repoint that section and blend it into the rest. When most of the wall has gone sandy, doing it in one go saves setting up twice.
Get a free estimate for your brick restoration
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come look at the wall myself, and the estimate is free with no pressure and no obligation. Photos of the worn joints help.
(334) 780-0060- Based in
- Auburn, AL 36830
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call us about your brick?
Here's how a restoration job runs, from your first call to the last walk around the house with you.
Call or send the form
You reach us at (334) 780-0060 or through the form, and we set a time to come out. Photos of the worn joints help me know what to look for.
I look the wall over
I come out myself, look at the joints, the brick and where the water goes, and ask a lot of questions. You get an estimate that says what we'll do and why, so you can see what you're paying for before any work starts.
We handle paperwork, then repoint
If your address needs city approval, we take care of the permit paperwork first. Then we fix any drainage problems and repoint the wall a section at a time, cleaning up as we go.
Walk the finished wall together
When we're done, we walk the wall with you and look at every section we touched. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Why Auburn homeowners call United Auburn Concrete and Masonry for old brick
The owner comes out first
I look at every job myself and work alongside our crew on it. The person who worked out why your joints failed is on the wall when it's being fixed.
Learned brick from my dad
I grew up handing brick to my dad on his jobs and started this business in 2020. Six years in, the jobs I like best are still the ones where nobody's sure why the wall cracked.
Licensed and insured in Alabama
We're licensed and insured, and the state's Home Builders Licensure Board covers anyone repairing or improving a home when labor and materials run over $10,000, which a full restoration can. State law also leaves you free to do this work on your own house yourself.
Repairs that suit the house
Most of our calls come from owners of older brick homes, and I want a repair to look like it belongs on the house it's on. That means matching the color, sand and joint shape of the old mortar, not just filling the gap.
On a restoration, what matters most is that the fix matches whatever wore the joints out. Reach us through the contact page and I'll come take a look.
Restoring older brick homes in Auburn
If your house sits in one of Auburn's historic districts, the city requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior work visible from the street in front, unless city staff count the job as routine maintenance. Whether a repointing job counts is the city's call, so we don't guess. We check with the office that covers your address and take care of the paperwork when the job needs it.
Outside the districts, most of what we see on older brick homes is the same two things: joints worn sandy under gutters, and old patches done in hard cement that cracked again. We see it on jobs in Opelika and Tuskegee too, and we fix it the same way, cause first.
Questions about masonry restoration in Auburn
How much does masonry restoration cost in Auburn, AL?
Repointing 100 square feet of brick usually costs about $500 to $2,500 across the US, according to one national cost guide, and that's the going rate, not our price. Where your job lands depends on the area, the wall height and the shape the joints are in, and your estimate gives you your own number.
What is the best way to choose mortar for an old brick house?
Pick a mortar that's softer than your brick, and on older homes that's often a lime mortar. Federal preservation guidance says lime mortar is soft, porous and barely changes size as temperatures swing, while hard portland cement mortar that lets less moisture through than soft brick has trapped water in walls and badly damaged them. Ask any contractor what mix they plan to use and why.
What causes the mortar between bricks to crumble?
Mostly age and water. Mortar is meant to wear out before the brick does, so it protects the brick, and water from a leaking downspout or gutter can leach it out of the joints much faster than normal.
When is the best time of year to repoint brick?
Spring or fall, because mild weather gives fresh mortar the best conditions to cure. One national cost guide notes that emergency work in winter or a heat wave will likely cost more, so if your joints are worn but not failing, booking a mild season keeps the job off an emergency schedule.
How long does repointed brick mortar last?
One national cost guide puts it at about 25 to 30 years between repointings for brick and stone. That makes it a long-range job you plan for, not a yearly repair.
Can I paint the brick on my house in an Auburn historic district?
Not if the brick is unpainted and in good condition, because the city's historic district design standards say that masonry shall not be painted. If your brick looks worn enough that paint seems like the fix, repointing and gentle cleaning are worth looking at first.
Related masonry work on older homes
Fireplace installation
If your old fireplace is past saving or you want a new one, we build the firebox and surround in brick or stone to suit the room.
Stone veneer installation
When a block foundation or a concrete wall needs a finished face, thin stone veneer gives it the look of a stone wall without the weight.
Cities we serve around Auburn
United Auburn Concrete and Masonry is based in Auburn, Alabama, and we work across the cities around it, including Valley and Lanett. Below are seven of the places we work, each with its own page.
Auburn, AL
Send us photos of your worn joints
A few photos, the wall's height and whether you're in a historic district let me come out ready, so call (334) 780-0060 or use the form.