Masonry Restoration in Tallahassee, FL - Brick and Stone Made Sound Again
Crumbling joints, loose brick or a wall gone dark with grime? We repoint and clean it gently, so the old brick comes through unharmed.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What does masonry restoration involve on an older Tallahassee home?
Masonry restoration in Tallahassee means taking the worn mortar out of your brick or stone walls, putting new mortar in that suits the brick, and cleaning the wall gently so it sheds water again and keeps its looks.
You may have noticed sandy mortar in the flower bed, joints sitting back from the face of the brick, or a few bricks near the chimney that rock when you press them. Mortar is meant to wear away so the brick doesn't have to, so worn joints are normal on an older house, but once they open up, water gets behind the face and the list of brick repair starts to grow. The price moves with how much wall needs raking out, how stubborn the old mortar is, how high we have to work and how much cleaning there is. The schedule turns mostly on the size of the job and whether your house needs a permit or a historic review first. After I've looked the wall over, the written estimate I give you spells all of that out in plain words.
How we handle masonry restoration
I look the wall over joint by joint first, because the job is only as good as the reading of it. We make the joints sound before any water touches the wall, so a wash can't push water inside. On soft or old brick, the old mortar comes out by hand with a chisel and mash hammer. It's slower than a grinder, but a grinder in a hurried hand can chip the edge of a soft brick, and that mark stays for good. Preservation guidance written for older, soft brick favors hand tools for this, and so does the old mason who taught me, who made me tear out and relay any joint that wasn't right. The new mortar is chosen to be softer than your brick so it does the wearing, and we pack and tool each joint to match the ones around it. Cleaning comes last, with the gentlest wash that does the job, and we only go stronger if we must, because high pressure can scar brick and soft stone.
Restoration sometimes turns up other work. When an old hearth is too far gone to save, or you'd like a working fireplace in a room where the brick has just been brought back, we handle fireplace installation too. And where a wall is better given a new face than restored, stone veneer installation puts real stone on it, laid with the same care.
Repointing the worn joints
This suits a house whose brick is still sound but whose joints have gone sandy or sit back from the face. New mortar closes the joints before water can work its way behind the brick.
Repointing with a gentle clean
This suits a wall that's also dark with dirt or staining. We finish the joints first, then wash at the lowest pressure that lifts the grime, so the face of the brick isn't harmed.
If mortar is falling out or a brick has worked loose, call rather than wait, since open joints let water in. We reply within one business day.
What happens when you call us about masonry restoration?
Here's how a restoration job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who you'll be dealing with at each step along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (850) 391-6065 or use the contact form, and let us know roughly how old the house is. We'll set a time for me to come by that suits your week.
We look it over together
I come out myself, look the walls over with you and explain what I see before I write anything down. You then get a written estimate in plain words covering which joints need work, the mortar I'd use and how we'd clean, so you can weigh the cost before you decide.
We set a start and begin
If you go ahead, we pick a start date that suits you and take care of the permit side where one applies. The small crew I trained works alongside me, joints first and washing last.
Walk the finished work together
We clean up as we go and walk the finished walls with you before we call the job done. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Get a written estimate for restoring your brick
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out myself for the free on-site estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(850) 391-6065Masonry restoration in Tallahassee: permits, historic homes and licenses
Inside the city, the Growth Management Department's Building Inspection Division issues the permits needed to build, renovate or expand a structure. Whether your restoration needs one is a question for them, and I'd rather ask than guess, so where a permit applies we help you confirm which office handles your property and take care of the paperwork for our part. If your house sits in the city's Historic Preservation Overlay, the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation reviews applications for a certificate of appropriateness there, and that's worth asking about before work is scheduled. On licenses, Florida issues contractors either a certified license, good anywhere in the state, or a registered one, good only where the holder has a local certificate of competency, so it's fair to ask any mason which kind they hold. We're licensed and fully insured.
Most of the restoration calls we get here come from owners of older brick homes. The trouble is usually years of worn joints, sometimes patched along the way with a harder mortar than the brick ever wanted, and we find those patches and take them out with care. We see the same kinds of houses on jobs in Bradfordville and Crawfordville, along with the other cities around Tallahassee.
Masonry restoration questions from Tallahassee homeowners
How often does brick need repointing?
One home cost guide says brick and stone walls and chimneys normally need repointing every 20 to 30 years as ordinary maintenance. That makes it something to plan for over the life of the house rather than a surprise, and when I look at your walls I'll tell you plainly whether they're due.
What is the best way to clean old brick without damaging it?
Start with very low pressure, even a garden hose, and go stronger only as needed. Water at power-washer pressure is abrasive enough to etch marble, other soft stone and some types of brick, so a wash that looks quick can leave marks you'll see for years.
How do I choose the right mortar for an older brick house?
Choose a mortar that's softer and more breathable than your brick, so the mortar wears instead of the brick. In one documented case, a hard portland cement mortar that let less moisture through than the soft bricks trapped water and badly damaged the wall. Lime mortar is soft, porous and changes little as temperatures swing, which is why it suits historic buildings, and it's fair to ask any mason what they plan to use and how it compares with your brick.
Who handles building permits in Tallahassee?
The city's Building Inspection Division, part of Growth Management, issues them. For questions about a specific permit type, call 850-891-7001, choose option 2 and then option 1. Where your job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork for our part, as described above.
How much does masonry restoration cost in Tallahassee?
I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the wall, because the price rests on how much of it needs raking out, how stubborn the old mortar is, how high we have to work and whether it needs cleaning too. Taking mortar out by hand on soft brick takes more labor than a grinder, and I'll show you where that's worth it on your house. The estimate is free and written in plain words.
Is tuckpointing the same as repointing?
For most homeowners, yes. Repointing means taking worn mortar out of the joints and putting new mortar in, and you'll often hear it called pointing or tuckpointing, though tuckpointing is a somewhat inaccurate name. Our tuckpointing page covers the joint work on its own.
Related masonry work for older homes
If restoring your walls has you thinking about a working hearth, or the old firebox is beyond saving, we can build a new fireplace in brick or stone.
When a block wall, foundation or chimney would look better with a stone face than bare or patched, veneer gives it one without building a full stone wall.
Send us photos of your worn joints
If you call (850) 391-6065 or use the contact form with a few photos, the home's age and whether it's in a historic district, I can arrive at the visit already knowing what to look for.