Driveway pavers
Paver driveways installed or repaired to handle Spokane's freeze-thaw cycles without the cracking that affects poured concrete.
Learn moreServing Spokane, WA and surrounding areas. (509) 418-9962
Cracked bricks and crumbling mortar get worse every winter in Spokane. We diagnose the real cause, use the right materials for your home, and fix it before the next freeze makes it a bigger problem.
Brick repair in Spokane covers a range of fixes - replacing cracked or broken bricks, refreshing crumbling mortar joints, and rebuilding sections that have shifted or collapsed - most jobs take one to three days and can be done while you stay home. The goal is to seal water out and restore the structural bond that holds your masonry together before the next hard winter makes the damage worse.
Brick walls look solid but are not waterproof on their own. When mortar cracks or bricks chip, water finds its way in, freezes, and pushes the wall apart from the inside. Spokane's freeze-thaw cycle accelerates this process, and homes built before World War II are especially vulnerable because older brick tends to be softer than modern material. If you are dealing with widespread mortar failure rather than individual broken bricks, our masonry restoration service may be the better fit.
Catching damage early is almost always cheaper than waiting. Visible mortar damage and cracked bricks are also the kind of thing buyers notice and inspectors flag during home sales. The Brick Industry Association recommends inspecting mortar joints every few years as standard maintenance for any brick home.
Walk up to any brick wall, chimney, or planter and press your thumb into the mortar joints. If the mortar feels soft, flakes off, or leaves a powdery residue on your finger, it is past its useful life. This is the most common sign Spokane homeowners notice after a hard winter, and it is the easiest problem to fix before it becomes a bigger one.
Chalky white streaks or patches appearing on your brick after rain or snowmelt are called efflorescence - it is salt being carried out of the brick by water moving through it. In Spokane, this shows up most often in spring after the freeze-thaw season has done its work. It is a clear sign water is getting into the wall somewhere, often through failing mortar joints.
Spokane's repeated freeze-thaw cycles can turn a small crack into a noticeable gap over a single winter. If you noticed a crack last fall and it looks wider or longer now, that is the freeze-thaw cycle at work. Diagonal cracks that are wider at one end can also point to foundation settling, which is worth mentioning to your contractor.
Stand back and look at your chimney or brick wall from a distance. The surface should look flat and even. If any bricks appear to be bulging outward, sinking inward, or sitting at a slightly different angle than their neighbors, the wall has shifted. This is more serious than mortar wear and needs a mason's assessment sooner rather than later.
Brick repair is not a single procedure. For walls where the mortar is failing but the bricks are still intact, we use targeted repointing techniques to remove the damaged material and pack in fresh mortar matched to the age and hardness of your brick. For walls where individual bricks are cracked, spalled, or frost-damaged, we remove and replace only the affected bricks while preserving the surrounding masonry. We also offer driveway pavers and related hardscape repair for homeowners dealing with damage that extends beyond the walls.
For more serious situations - walls that have bulged outward, sections that have collapsed, or chimneys that have shifted - we rebuild the affected area from scratch using materials that match the original construction as closely as possible. Matching brick color and texture on older Spokane homes takes some effort, but it is part of the job. Structural repairs that involve rebuilding wall sections or chimney sections will typically require a City of Spokane building permit, which we handle on your behalf.
Best for walls and chimneys where the mortar is failing but the bricks themselves are still intact and structurally sound.
Best for areas with cracked, spalled, or frost-damaged bricks that need to be removed and replaced with matching material.
Best for areas where bricks have shifted, bulged outward, or collapsed and need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.
Best for chimneys that have weathered multiple Spokane winters without maintenance and show mortar deterioration or cracked bricks on any face.
Spokane averages around 25 days per year with temperatures that dip below freezing at night and climb above it during the day. Each one of those cycles pushes a tiny bit of water into any crack in your mortar, freezes it, and widens the gap. Over several winters, what starts as a hairline crack becomes a real problem. This is why Spokane homeowners tend to see mortar damage faster than homeowners in milder climates, and why getting ahead of the damage is so much cheaper than waiting. Homes in Spokane and Spokane Valley with brick construction should be inspected at least every few years, especially if the home was built before 1960.
Spokane's volcanic basalt and loess soil also plays a role. Loess compresses under load when it gets wet and can pull away from foundations when it dries out, causing uneven settling that sometimes appears first as diagonal cracks in brick walls or chimneys. If cracks are wider at one end than the other, or if bricks are pushing outward from the wall, that pattern can signal foundation movement rather than just surface wear. Eastern Washington's soil conditions are specific enough that local experience matters - a mason who has worked in Spokane knows the difference between settlement cracking and freeze-thaw damage, and will tell you which one you are looking at. Washington State DNR has detailed information on Eastern Washington geology.
Tell us what you are seeing - crumbling mortar, cracked bricks, a stain on the wall. We respond to all requests within 1 business day and schedule a free on-site estimate, usually within a few days.
The mason walks the area with you, looks closely at the mortar joints and bricks, and checks for signs the damage goes deeper than the surface. You receive a written estimate that breaks down what work is recommended and what it will cost.
The crew removes damaged mortar or broken bricks, cleans the area thoroughly, and applies new material. We assess your brick age and type before mixing anything, so the mortar is compatible with your original masonry.
Before leaving, the crew cleans the site and walks the finished work with you. We explain the curing window - typically 24 to 48 hours before the area should get wet - and what to avoid during that period.
We respond to all estimate requests within 1 business day. No obligation, no hard sell - just a clear written quote and a straight assessment of what your brick actually needs.
(509) 418-9962Spokane's South Hill, Browne's Addition, and Peaceful Valley neighborhoods are full of homes built before World War II with softer brick than modern construction uses. We assess your brick type before mixing anything, so the repair does not cause new damage down the road.
Some cracks are cosmetic. Some are signs of something deeper. We tell you which category you are in before recommending any work. Spokane's volcanic and loess soil can cause foundation movement that shows up first as cracking in brick walls - we know the difference.
You can verify our contractor registration with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries in about two minutes. That registration is required for any masonry work in this state, and we maintain it. If a contractor cannot be verified, walk away.
Structural masonry repairs in Spokane - including chimney rebuilds and wall section replacements - typically require a permit from the City of Spokane Development Services Center. We handle the application on your behalf so you do not have to navigate the process yourself.
Every one of these commitments shows up in how we work. When we leave your property, the repair is done correctly, matched to your original masonry, and built to handle what Spokane winters throw at it. Verify any Washington contractor registration at the L&I website.
Paver driveways installed or repaired to handle Spokane's freeze-thaw cycles without the cracking that affects poured concrete.
Learn moreFull restoration of aging brick and stone surfaces - cleaning, repointing, and refinishing to bring weathered masonry back to its original condition.
Learn moreSpokane's freeze-thaw season starts earlier than most homeowners expect. Lock in your repair now so your brick is sealed before the ground freezes and the damage has a chance to grow.