Tuckpointing in Las Cruces NM - fresh joints that protect the brick you have
Mortar crumbling or worn back from the brick? We clean out the bad joints and pack in new mortar suited to your wall.
Request an estimate
Is it time to tuckpoint my brick wall?
Tuckpointing in Las Cruces is cutting the worn mortar out of the joints in a brick wall and packing new mortar in. Most masons also call it repointing, and because only the joints get replaced, the wall itself stays right where it is.
Most people call after they notice sandy mortar at the foot of a wall or joints that look sunk in behind the brick, and they're worried the wall is failing. Often it isn't, but those joints are what keep water out, so they're worth catching. The price mostly turns on how many square feet of wall need work, how deep the mortar has worn, how easy the wall is to reach and how much of the cleanout has to be done by hand. The schedule depends on the size of the wall, whether any bricks need replacing first and whether a permit or historic review has to come before we start. Your written estimate spells out the work and the cost for your wall.
How we handle tuckpointing on your wall
People use the word tuckpointing for two different jobs, so our estimate says plainly which one you're getting. Then we clean the old mortar out of the joints. Where the brick is soft we do it by hand, even though it's slower, because a grinder or power saw is quicker on a big wall but can chew up the brick around the joint. Before we mix anything, I look at what's already in the wall. New mortar should be about as strong as the old or weaker, because a harder mortar takes the load on that thin strip and can make the brick spall, its face flaking off, and that damage can't be undone. On older brick that often points to lime mortar, which is soft and porous, moves little as temperatures swing and can seal its own hairline cracks. Lime that dries too fast bonds poorly, so we don't rush the fresh joints.
Repointing only fixes the joints, so when a brick has cracked or lost its face, we handle that with brick repair before the new mortar goes in. We also put in driveway pavers when the old slab beside the house has cracked or sunk.
Tuckpointing in Las Cruces, from permits to older brick
Before we touch a wall, we check whether the job needs a permit, because the City of Las Cruces reviews applications for most building projects before it issues one, and those applications go through its Citizen Portal. If yours needs one, we find out which office handles your address, take care of the application and set up the inspections. We do the same on jobs in Anthony and Canutillo, since we work across the cities around Las Cruces on both sides of the state line.
Most of the city's historic homes sit downtown or in the Mesquite, Alameda-Depot and Mesilla Park historic districts. A house on the Las Cruces Register of Cultural Properties follows city rules that include design review by the Historic Preservation Committee, so I want to know about a listing before we settle on mortar or a start date. On older brick houses around here, the joints usually give out long before the brick does.
- Call (575) 222-9031
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
What happens when you call D&R Las Cruces Concrete & Masonry in Las Cruces?
Call or send a request
Call (575) 222-9031 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time for me to come look at the wall. Tell us where the worn joints are so I know which walls to check first.
I look at the wall
I come out myself, check how deep the mortar has worn and how soft the brick is, and work out what's causing the trouble. You get a written estimate that names the job, the work and the cost, so there's nothing to guess at.
We handle paperwork and work
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before we start. Then our crew and I clean out the joints and repoint the wall.
Walk the finished wall together
When the last joint is done, we clean up and walk the wall with you so you can see the work up close. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Why Las Cruces homeowners call D&R Las Cruces Concrete & Masonry for tuckpointing
I look at every wall myself
I come out to every job myself, and the work is done by me and our crew. The person who reads your joints at the estimate is the same one standing at the wall when the mortar goes in.
In business here since 2013
I learned masonry from my father, carrying block and mixing mortar long before he let me lay a course, and I started this business in Las Cruces in 2013. I still work the way he did, slow enough to get it right, which matters on a wall where one bad joint lets water in.
Licensed and fully insured contractor
New Mexico requires a business to hold a license to work as a contractor, and that license covers only the kind of contracting shown on it, so it's fair to ask any mason what theirs covers. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to talk through what that means for your job.
If your joints are starting to go, send us a request or call (575) 222-9031, and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written tuckpointing estimate for your wall
We respond to every request within 1 business day, and I come out myself to look at the joints, check the brick and find what's causing the wear. Estimates are free, done at your property and come with no pressure and no obligation.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (575) 222-9031
- Location
- Las Cruces, NM 88001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
Questions about tuckpointing in Las Cruces
What is the difference between tuckpointing and repointing?
Most of the time there isn't one, since people usually say tuckpointing when they mean repointing, which is replacing the worn mortar in the joints. Strictly speaking, tuckpointing is also an older finish where the joints are filled flush in a color close to the brick and topped with a thin line of contrasting mortar. As noted above, our estimate names which one you're getting.
How do I know my brick needs repointing?
Your wall likely needs it if the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, crumbles when you rub it, or shows gaps, hairline cracks or cracks between the brick and the mortar. Look for those signs first, because knowing what you're seeing makes it easier to describe the job when you ask for an estimate.
How much does tuckpointing cost in Las Cruces?
Across the US, tuckpointing or repointing brick usually costs about $3 to $25 per square foot, and that's the general market range, not our price. Where your wall falls depends on the things covered at the top of this page, like how deep the joints have worn and how much hand work the brick needs, and the written estimate gives you the figure for your wall.
Does a historic home in Las Cruces have extra rules for tuckpointing?
It can, since a house on the city's register goes through the design review mentioned above, and a house listed with the state may qualify for a tax credit. For a house listed at the state level on its own or as a contributing house in a listed district, the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division offers a credit against state income tax owed, up to $25,000 per project, once the approved project is complete. Tell us about either listing when you call so we can plan around it.
How long does tuckpointing last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and what mortar was used, while the bricks can go well past 100 years. A brick wall may need repointing several times over its life, so it makes sense to plan for it like any other upkeep.
When is the best time of year to tuckpoint a brick wall?
One national cost guide suggests planning repointing for spring or fall, because that's the best weather for mortar to cure. The same guide says emergency work in winter or an extreme heat wave will likely cost more, so if your joints are only starting to wear, it pays to plan ahead rather than wait.
Other masonry work around your house
Brick repair
We swap out bricks that are cracked, loose or crumbling, matched as close as we can to the rest of the wall so the patch blends in.
Driveway pavers
A paver driveway gives you a surface that's easy to look after, and it's only as good as the base we dig out and pack beneath it.
Send us photos of your worn joints
A few photos, the wall's rough size in square feet and whether the house is on a historic register let me show up ready to talk about your wall.
Request an estimateCall (575) 222-9031