Brick Pointing in Williamsbridge, the Bronx

Why Does Mortar Fail on Williamsbridge Brick?

Mortar wears out faster than brick. Rain, wind and freezing water eat away at the joints, and once they open, water reaches the wall behind them. Williamsbridge has brick houses on its side streets and brick apartment buildings along White Plains Road and Gun Hill Road, and all of them need their joints renewed over time.

Brick is hard and holds up for decades. The mortar around it is softer by design, so it takes the wear. A joint that looks sandy or recessed has stopped doing its job.

Open joints let water into the wall in winter. When it freezes, it expands and pushes the face off nearby bricks. That is how a mortar problem turns into a brick problem.

Brick chimneys are the most exposed part of a house. They stand in the wind with rain hitting from every side, so their mortar often fails before the walls below.

How Is Brick Repointed in Williamsbridge?

The crew grinds or chisels out loose mortar to a safe depth, cleans the joints and packs in new mortar. The new mortar is tooled to match the old profile. Done properly, the wall looks the same but sheds water again.

The mortar mix matters. Old brick needs mortar that is not harder than the brick, or the brick faces will crack at the edges. We choose the mix to suit your wall.

Color is the other test. We match the new joints to the old ones by sample, since mortar changes color as it cures.

Does repointing need a permit?

A small repointing job on a house usually does not. Work that involves scaffolding on a public sidewalk generally needs a DOT permit. Taller buildings, those above six stories, come under the Local Law 11 facade program. Landmark review is not a concern here that we know of. Confirm current rules with the city.