How Much Does Repointing Brick Cost? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $400 - $2,500
The cost to repoint brick is $1,450
on average, but normally costs between $400
and $2,500
and up to $40,000
, depending on how extensive your project is.
There's nothing like a beautiful brick home in all its glory! A brick facelift using repointing is often necessary to get older brick looking on point again. Repointing involves replacing old, decaying mortar with fresh mortar. Depending on how in-depth your project is, you could spend up to $40,000
for repointing, though most homeowners pay closer to $1,450
. A number of factors can affect the total project cost when repointing a brick house. These include home size, accessibility, scaffolding requirements, and special detailing needed for chimneys. In this cost guide to repointing brick, we’ll help you figure out what your project will cost and provide some tips to save money along the way.
Average Cost of Repointing Brick (100 Square Feet)
The average cost to repoint brick is around $1,450 for 100 square feet of brick. However, it’s not uncommon for some project costs to go as low as $400 or as high as $2,500 per 100 square feet, depending on a few different factors. The results you get from repointing brick in and around your home can last up to 30 years, making repointing an affordable way to improve your home’s aesthetic.
Mortar Composition Analysis Cost
Brick repointing typically starts with a mortar composition analysis that allows masonry experts to properly match new mortar with your home's existing mortar. Costing between $200 and $500, this step is important because using the wrong mortar can potentially cause or promote structural damage down the road.
If you don't have a home built before 1900, your local masonry contractors may recommend a mortar color analysis costing between $100 and $300 instead. This process provides you with lab-matched color results to ensure your new mortar matches the existing mortar perfectly. Homeowners living in historical or landmark districts may be required to complete professional color matching in order to get district approval for a repointing project.
Matching your mortar may not be necessary if you’re planning on painting the brick, but any other finish, like acid wash on your brick exterior, will lead to different coloration of the mortar if the color isn’t matched exactly before the treatment begins.
Brick Repointing Labor Costs
When charging hourly for repointing services, masonry rates range from $50 to $100 per hour in most cases. Most masonry companies charge per project based on the size of your home, which takes the expected completion time into consideration.
You can expect most masonry work professionals to charge a minimum job fee for smaller "patch-up" jobs that can range anywhere from $300 to $2,000 if they don’t charge by the square foot.
Factors That Affect the Cost to Repoint Brick
Any extra attention or touches needed to repoint your home successfully will add to your project costs. While some extra touches are aesthetically minded, others are necessary because they are restorative.
Intricacy of Masonry
If you're selecting decorative or thematic repointing, expect to pay more for any work that needs to be chiseled by hand. Intricate repointing work can increase the overall project cost by anywhere from 25% to 100%. If your home's design has extra corners, borders, and joints, this can also increase costs by 25% to 50% because these areas will require handcrafting.
Waterproofing
Expect your masonry contractor to suggest waterproofing your brick or stone as part of your project. Waterproofing after repointing extends the lifespan of mortar in climates with heavy snowfall levels, rainfall, moisture, or humidity. Waterproofing costs between $1 and $4 per square foot and is often well worth the added investment.
Brick Repair
If you need brick wall repairs done, most masons typically charge $20 and $40 per square foot. That cost covers repairing chipped or flaking bricks. Structural cracks can cost well over $1,000 to repair, especially if you need foundation repairs to correct the underlying problem.
Chimney Crown Repair
When repointing your brick, masonry contractors are likely to take a look at your chimney crown to see if it needs repairs. While repairing a cracking chimney crown costs between $300 and $2,200, the range rises to between $1,800 and $3,000 if you need a replacement.
Scaffolding
If you have exterior walls or a chimney above 8 feet tall, your masonry pro is going to need to set up some scaffolding to complete the project. Most masons charge between 20% and 40% more for work above 8 feet than they do for ground-level work due to the scaffolding, extra time, and extra equipment needed.
Accessibility
If areas are blocked or difficult to access, your mason may also add a premium for the extra time and labor needed to repoint these spots. These include exterior areas above bump outs or landscaping features that make setting up scaffolding a challenge.
Power Washing
Your masonry expert is likely to inform you that your new mortar won't set properly unless you clean your bricks before starting your repointing job. The average cost to power wash a whole house is $280. You could opt to do this yourself, although the equipment cost could end up being higher than the price to hire a professional.
Cost to Repoint Brick Yourself
An 80-pound mortar bag costing around $10 should be enough to cover 45 square feet of brickwork. In addition, DIY repointing requires you to spend what might amount to $100 to $200 on basic tools like a brick hammer, pointing chisel, pointed trowel, bucket, finishing trowel, and margin trowel.
With expertise and time being the two things you're really paying for when you hire a mason to repoint your brick for you, a DIY repointing job is relatively inexpensive. However, repointing brick yourself is a time-consuming and challenging process, so what you’ll save in upfront costs, you’ll pay for with your time and sweat equity.
DIY vs. Hire a Repointing Pro
Repointing a home can be a tedious and delicate process that requires careful craftsmanship. Doing repointing work incorrectly can result in a wall splitting and additional damage that makes your home look even more unsightly than the cracked and crumbling mortar you started with. It can also be difficult to accurately match your new mortar to your existing mortar without help from a professional.
Most homeowners choose to hire masonry experts for these reasons. While a DIY job is definitely possible, we think the relatively low cost of hiring a masonry company near you is well worth the investment, especially since you’ll be able to rest assured that the work will be done properly the first time around.
Frequently Asked Questions
The telltale signs that your home is ready for repointing include visibly damaged bricks, crumbling bricks, flaking bricks, loose mortar, cracked mortar, gaps between brick and mortar, leaking inside your home, and visible water damage. Consider repointing when going over brick house pros and cons if you're buying a new home. Repointing is also a good idea if you plan to paint, acid wash, or stain your brick home, as it will give you a good base for coloration and prevent repairs after the work is done.
Repointing is the process of removing old and decaying mortar from the joints between bricks before adding new mortar that matches the previous mortar color. While tuckpointing is similar, it is a much more expensive process because it involves replacing the removed mortar with new mortar that is followed by a line of contrasting putty to create the aesthetic of fine joint lines.
Repointing brick is recommended every 25 to 30 years. Professional repointing can easily last this long if you're following all basic brick and stone maintenance tips. However, you may find that you need repointing more often if you live in an area that sees harsh weather or if the construction of your home was rushed. Additionally, if you DIY your brick repointing, you’re more likely to find that you need additional repointing more often, so every 10 to 15 years might be more appropriate.
Repointing helps to stop cracks and deterioration in a home's bricks before the bricks become loose or cracked. It may help to keep walls from crumbling and falling. Repointing is mostly an aesthetic home improvement, but it can also add stability to your brick walls. The bricks are only as strong as the mortar that supports them, so deteriorating mortar can eventually cause structural issues for your home if left unaddressed.
Repointing takes expertise and precision to be done properly, especially when it comes to matching your mortar color exactly and working around corners in your home’s exterior. In addition to helping to preserve the structural integrity of your home, repointing also adds aesthetic value for both newer and historic homes, so the cost is usually worthwhile.