Brick Pointing in Norwood, the Bronx

Why Does Brick on Norwood Buildings Lose Its Mortar?

Mortar is meant to give way before the brick does. On Norwood’s pre war buildings the joints have faced many decades of rain and frost. Water gets in, freezes and pushes the mortar out. Once it crumbles, water reaches the brick and the wall behind it.

Norwood is a neighborhood of pre war apartment buildings and walk ups, plus some older detached and attached houses. Brick is on nearly every one of them, from facades to stoops to parapets.

Keeping joints in good order is what carries an old wall through many more winters. Maintenance costs far less than rebuilding.

Street level brick has an added problem. Sprinklers, snow piles and road splash on busy corridors like Bainbridge Avenue and East 204th Street keep the lowest courses wet.

How Is Repointing Done on Older Norwood Brick?

The mason grinds or chisels out failed mortar to a set depth, cleans the joints, replaces any broken brick and packs new mortar in layers. The joints are tooled to match the original look. Done properly, the wall sheds water and keeps its character.

Old brick is soft. A mortar that is too hard can crack the brick edges, so we choose a mix that suits the wall. Before the work spreads, we show you a sample for color and finish.

Is any permit or approval involved?

Pointing on your own wall does not use the DOT sidewalk permit. A scaffold on the public sidewalk, structural work or larger facade work can need city approval. Check with the city on what your building needs before you order scaffolding.

Landmark rules have not applied to Norwood pointing jobs we know of. Local Law 11 covers buildings taller than six stories, so a tall apartment building may have inspection duties that overlap with pointing.