Repointing for Row Houses
Brick Pointing in South Slope, Brooklyn
Worn mortar joints on row house fronts, walk up facades, parapets and chimneys repointed to keep water out of the wall.
- Old mortar cut out and replaced
- Parapets, chimneys and front walls
- Free visit and a written price
What Mortar Problems Do South Slope Brick Buildings Have?
Most are joints that have eroded with age. Row house fronts, walk up facades and side walls lose mortar to rain and freeze and thaw, leaving sandy, recessed or cracked joints. Parapets and chimneys fail first because they are wet on every side and get no help from the building beneath.
South Slope is built largely of brick and frame row houses and walk up apartment buildings. Brick is durable, but the mortar between the bricks is designed to wear before the brick does. Over decades, that job gets done, and the joints need to be renewed.
- Recessed joints you can feel with a fingertip
- Cracks that run along the horizontal joints
- Loose bricks at the parapet or cornice
- Efflorescence, a white powder on the wall
- Old patches in a mismatched gray
- Chimney stacks with missing mortar
On a hilly block, water coming off the roof and running down the facade reaches the lower courses with more force. The first floor front wall often shows the problem before the upper floors do.
Crumbling Mortar on Your Row House Front?
Photos of the wall are enough for a first opinion. We follow up with a visit and a written price.
How Is a Brick Wall Repointed?
We remove the old mortar to a proper depth, clean out the dust, pack new mortar into the joints in layers and tool each one to match the profile of the wall. Loose or damaged bricks are reset or replaced. Done well, repointing renews the wall without changing its look.
The mortar we use matters. Older brick is softer than much modern brick, and a mortar that is too hard can damage it. We match the mix to the wall, and we test the color in a small area first so you can see the result before we continue.
Depth is where cheap work fails. A thin skim over old joints looks tidy for a season and then falls out. Proper repointing means cutting back until we reach sound mortar, then filling every joint fully.
Frame houses in the neighborhood have brick chimneys, foundations and sometimes brick trim, so repointing is not only a job for brick fronts. The same skills apply to a chimney rising through a wood frame roof or a brick base under a wood porch.
On a row house front, the job is usually a matter of setting up a scaffold or lift, working from the top down and cleaning as we go. Walk up buildings are larger, so we stage the work in sections to keep entrances open for residents.
Parapets and Chimneys
The Roofline Comes First
If a section of your wall is going to fail, it is probably at the roofline. Parapets are the short walls above the roof, chimneys are tall thin stacks, and both stand in the open. Rain, wind and frost hit them every day, and there is no roof to protect the top edge.
A loose brick at height is a danger to people walking below. On tree lined streets near 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue with steady foot traffic, we treat that as urgent. If you see a brick out of line or a wall cap that has shifted, call before the next storm.
We work from the top down. Repointing the parapet and cornice first means loose mortar and dust fall onto joints that are still to be done, not onto finished work. Then we move down the facade course by course, brushing and rinsing as we go, so the wall is clean when the last joint is tooled.
Leaks inside the building sometimes start there too. A stain on the top floor ceiling below a parapet can trace back to open joints and failed flashing. We check both.
Do the Rules Affect Brick Pointing in South Slope?
Sometimes. Under Local Law 11, the facade inspection program, buildings above six stories are inspected every five years. Most South Slope row houses are shorter. Work in a historic district or on a landmarked building can need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Confirm with the city.
We cannot confirm a historic district for South Slope, but you should check whether your building is individually landmarked before you change how the front looks. Repointing to match the original joints is the easiest kind of work to get approved.
Taller condo buildings along 4th Avenue may fall under the facade program. If your engineer has issued a report, we can carry out the repair items it lists and give you photos of the finished work for your records.
A note on timing: mortar cures best in mild weather, so plan facade work for spring, summer or early fall where you can.
Scaffolds over a public sidewalk need their own approvals, and we plan for that when the job requires it. We tell you at the visit whether the setup can sit on the building side or must cover the walk.
Why Us
Why South Slope Owners Call Us for Repointing
25+ years in the trade
We have repointed walls on many kinds of buildings and know how old brick behaves.
Clear scope in writing
Your estimate lists areas, access and any brick replacement, with warranty terms attached.
Sample before we start
We test a mortar color on a small area so you can approve it first.
Nearby
Brick Pointing Near South Slope
We repoint brick in the neighborhoods next to South Slope as well.
FAQ
South Slope Repointing Questions
There is no fixed schedule. It depends on the mortar, the exposure and past repairs. Check the joints every few years and act when they turn sandy or recede.
It should not. We match the joint style and mortar color to the existing wall. New mortar looks fresh at first, then weathers to blend in.
Yes. Many owners repoint the street facade first. We can also price the sides and rear separately.
That is efflorescence, salt left behind when water moves through the wall and dries at the surface. It signals moisture, so we look for the source.
A chimney or a small wall takes a few days. A full facade takes longer and depends on weather. Timing is laid out on the written price.
Yes. Call (718) 468-8803 for a no cost visit to your South Slope wall, then a written price for the repointing.
Free on site estimate
Renew Your South Slope Brick
A free look at the wall and a written price with clear scope.
Contact
Tell Us About Your South Slope Brick
Tell us about the building and where the mortar looks worst. Photos of the wall and roofline help.
- Call us(718) 468-8803
- HoursMon to Sat, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Free on site estimate with a written price
- Licensed and insured, 25+ years in business
- We handle DOT sidewalk permits
- Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
Get Your Free Estimate
Takes about a minute. No cost and no obligation.