Brick repair
Cracked or displaced bricks replaced alongside fresh mortar work so your wall is sound inside and out.
Learn moreServing Spokane, WA and surrounding areas. (509) 418-9962
Crumbling mortar lets Spokane's hard winters push water into your walls. We remove the damaged material and pack in fresh mortar matched to your brick so the joints hold for decades.
Tuckpointing in Spokane removes old, crumbling mortar from the joints between your bricks and replaces it with fresh material - most residential jobs on a single wall or chimney are completed in one to three days. The work seals the gaps that let water in and restores the structural bond that holds your masonry together.
Mortar is softer than brick by design. It is meant to absorb movement and moisture so the bricks themselves do not crack. Over time, water works its way in, freezes, expands, and slowly breaks the mortar apart. Spokane's hard winters accelerate this process, especially on chimneys and north-facing walls. Many homeowners discover they need tuckpointing during the same inspection that reveals they need brick repair, since failing mortar and damaged bricks often go together.
Catching mortar deterioration early is almost always the least expensive path. A wall that needs tuckpointing today will need brick replacement or interior water damage remediation if left another few winters. The Brick Industry Association recommends routine inspection of mortar joints every few years as standard home maintenance.
Stand back and look at your brick wall or chimney from a few feet away. If the lines between the bricks look sunken, crumbly, or have visible gaps, the mortar is failing. Small chunks of mortar on the ground below the wall after a hard rain or a cold snap are a clear sign that material has already broken loose.
A chalky white residue on the surface of your bricks - called efflorescence - is a sign that water is moving through the wall and carrying mineral salts to the surface. In Spokane, this often shows up after the spring thaw when winter moisture works its way out. It is a reliable signal that water is getting in and the mortar joints are worth inspecting.
Chimneys in Spokane take the hardest freeze-thaw punishment of any part of the house. If you can safely view your chimney from a window or roofline, look for mortar that appears lighter in color, recessed, or flaking compared to the brick. Chimney mortar often fails five to ten years before the rest of the house in this climate, and catching it early prevents far more expensive repairs.
If a wall inside your home that backs up to an exterior brick surface feels damp, shows water stains, or has paint that is bubbling or peeling, water may be getting through failing mortar joints. This is a later-stage sign - it means water has already made it past the brick and into your wall cavity. Acting quickly at this point can prevent mold and structural damage.
Not every tuckpointing job is the same. A chimney that has been through twenty Spokane winters needs a different approach than a short retaining wall that is just beginning to show wear. For most walls, we remove the old mortar to a consistent depth before packing in fresh material that is mixed to match the age and hardness of your brick. For homes built before 1960 - common in neighborhoods like Browne's Addition, South Hill, and the Garland District - we use softer, lime-compatible mortar rather than modern high-strength mixes that can crack original bricks. We also offer brick pointing for homeowners who want the finished joints profiled and tooled to match the original appearance of the wall.
Chimneys are their own category. They are exposed on all four sides, heat and cool rapidly, and tend to fail years ahead of the rest of the house in Spokane's climate. Our chimney tuckpointing work covers all four faces and the mortar crown, so the repair is complete rather than partial. Spot repairs are also available for homeowners who have isolated failing sections and want targeted work without full-wall repointing.
Best for brick walls, retaining walls, and exterior facades where the mortar is crumbling but the bricks themselves are still sound.
Best for chimneys that have not been inspected recently or show visible mortar deterioration after Spokane winters.
Best for pre-1960 homes in Browne's Addition, South Hill, or Garland where original soft brick requires a flexible mortar match.
Best for homeowners who have isolated failing sections and want targeted repair without full-wall repointing.
Spokane averages around 25 days per year where temperatures swing above and below freezing within the same 24-hour period, and the city regularly sees overnight lows in the single digits during winter. Every time water trapped in a mortar joint freezes, it expands and chips the joint a little further apart. This means Spokane brick homes tend to need tuckpointing more frequently than homes in milder climates - and waiting through another winter on a failing joint almost always makes the damage worse. A large share of the city's housing stock was built before 1960, especially in neighborhoods like Browne's Addition and South Hill, and those homes were built with softer lime-based mortar that behaves differently from modern mixes. Using the wrong replacement mortar on an older Spokane home can crack the original bricks within a few years. Homeowners in Spokane and Spokane Valley should have their mortar joints inspected if they have not done so in the past five years.
Spokane's dry July and August weather is ideal for tuckpointing, because fresh mortar needs several days without rain or frost to cure properly. The window closes fast once fall rains and early frosts arrive, sometimes as early as late September. Much of Spokane also sits on volcanic soil and basalt bedrock that can pool water against foundations and retaining walls in some areas, depending on grading. Homes where water consistently sits against a brick foundation will see mortar fail faster than average. If your tuckpointing contractor notices drainage issues while working on your foundation walls, that is worth taking seriously.
We ask a few basic questions - where the wall or chimney is located, how much of it looks affected, and whether you have noticed interior water damage. We schedule an on-site visit and respond to all requests within 1 business day.
We walk the wall or chimney with you, identify which joints are failing and which are still sound, and assess the age and type of your brick to select the correct mortar mix. You leave with a clear written estimate.
The crew uses angle grinders or hand chisels to cut out old mortar to a consistent depth of about three-quarters of an inch before packing in fresh mortar. This is the noisiest part of the job - expect grinding for several hours.
Once new mortar is packed in, the crew tools the joints to match the original profile and cleans any residue off the brick face. We walk the finished work with you before leaving - joints should be fully filled, smooth, and consistent.
We respond to all estimate requests within 1 business day. No obligation, no hard sell - just a clear written quote and an honest look at what your brick actually needs.
(509) 418-9962Spokane has a large stock of pre-1960 brick homes in neighborhoods like Browne's Addition, South Hill, and Garland. These homes require softer, lime-compatible mortar, not modern high-strength mixes. We assess your wall before we mix anything, so the repair works with your original brick instead of cracking it.
Spokane averages around 25 days per year where temperatures swing above and below freezing within the same 24-hour period. We schedule, mix, and cure mortar with that climate in mind. Work done outside the proper temperature window fails - we do not cut that corner.
You can verify our contractor registration with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries in about two minutes at no cost. That registration is the legal minimum for masonry work in this state, and we maintain it year-round.
We walk every job with you before and after, in plain language, so you understand what failed, why, and what we did about it. Your written estimate breaks down the scope and cost clearly - no surprise charges when the job is done.
Every one of these commitments shows up in how we work. When we leave your property, the mortar joints are sealed, correctly mixed, and built to handle what Spokane's freeze-thaw winters will throw at them. The Mason Contractors Association of America sets the standards we follow.
Cracked or displaced bricks replaced alongside fresh mortar work so your wall is sound inside and out.
Learn morePrecision finishing of mortar joints to restore the clean, tight look of original masonry on Spokane homes.
Learn moreSummer booking slots fill fast. Lock in your date now while the weather is on your side and your mortar can cure without interruption from frost.