Tuckpointing
We grind out crumbling mortar joints and pack in new mortar matched to the old. We tuckpoint brick, block and stone walls, chimneys, foundations and steps around Racine.
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Masonry repair is the work past the mortar joints. Maybe the face of the brick is flaking off, which masons call spalling, or the front steps are coming apart. M.O.E Masonry replaces spalled and broken brick, block and stone, and rebuilds sections that have failed. When only the mortar has worn out, tuckpointing is the repair instead.
We are based in Mount Pleasant on the south side of Racine and work about 40 miles around it. That covers Racine County, Kenosha County and the south side of Milwaukee County, up to Milwaukee itself. Call or text (262) 744-4688, send photos if you like, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, foundation or steps and where the job is. We look at it and put the quote in writing.
A steel lintel is the L-shaped bar that carries the brick over a window or door. When water gets through the brick and reaches the steel, the steel rusts. Rust can fill up to 10 times the space of the steel it came from, per the Brick Industry Association.
As the rust builds, it presses on the brick around it until the brick cracks or spalls. Those cracks can let in more water, and more water means more rust. The association lists heavy rust on a lintel as a sign for a professional engineer to check.
Brick lintel repair means taking out the brick over the opening and the rusted steel, with the brick above braced. The new lintel goes in with flashing over it and weep holes that let water drain out. The brick industry's lintel note also suggests galvanized steel for harsh climates. Then the brick goes back up to match.
Brick that stays wet through freeze-thaw cycles can crack or spall, per the Brick Industry Association. Mortar harder than the original can spall the brick face too. We cut out each damaged brick and set a new one, with the joints tooled to match.
Brick steps usually sit on a concrete base. When the base settles or heaves, the brick cracks and the treads work loose. Brick steps repair can mean resetting a few loose treads or rebuilding a stoop or porch pier. Treads go back with a slight slope, so water runs off instead of sitting in the joints.
We rebuild parapets, sills, caps and copings, which take harder weather than the wall below. A cap or coping should hang past the wall face with a drip, so water falls clear. A sill should slope away from the window; a flat or back-sloped sill is a structural warning sign. The crown on a chimney does the same job and is covered under chimney repair.
The Secretary of the Interior's standards for historic buildings include a simple rule: repair before you replace. When a piece must be replaced, the new work should match the old in color and texture. The standards also rule out sandblasting and other treatments that damage old brick. Racine's preservation code uses the same standards.
In Racine, exterior changes to local landmarks and local historic districts go before the Planning, Heritage, and Design Commission. City staff can approve minor repairs that follow the city's design guidelines. In Milwaukee, the owner of a locally designated property needs a certificate of appropriateness before exterior repairs start. Even tuckpointing needs one there, though most small projects are approved quickly.
Racine's north side has a National Register district of cream brick workers' cottages, listed in 1994. On its own, a National Register listing puts no federal limits on a private owner, per the National Park Service. Where city review applies, the owner gets approval first, and we do the masonry it approves. The same brick restoration goes into churches and older storefronts, part of our commercial masonry work.
Call or text for a written quote anywhere across Racine County, Kenosha County and the south side of Milwaukee County.
(262) 744-4688From the first call or text to the finished work, here is how it goes.
Call or text (262) 744-4688 and tell us about the job. Photos help, so send a few if you can.
We come out and look at the masonry and the mortar joints. Good photos can stand in for that first look.
You get the quote in writing, with the work spelled out. Once you say yes, we set a start date.
The brick, block or stone is delivered to the site, and scaffolding goes up where the height calls for it. Then we lay the new masonry or make the repair.
We take a final look at the work with you. The site is cleaned up before we leave.
Common questions about masonry repair across Racine County, Kenosha County and the south side of Milwaukee County. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
We grind out crumbling mortar joints and pack in new mortar matched to the old. We tuckpoint brick, block and stone walls, chimneys, foundations and steps around Racine.
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We repair and rebuild brick chimneys around Racine, with brick and mortar matched to the old. New crowns and rain caps are part of the work too.
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Concrete block foundations and frost walls for new houses, additions, garages and outbuildings. Block foundation repair on the masonry side: tuckpointing, new block, parging and rebuilt sections.
Learn MoreWe lay all three, for new work and for repairs. You deal with one masonry company, whatever the wall is made of.
A repair should look like part of the wall. We match the mortar to the old joints and pick brick to match the wall around it.
We look at the job before we price it, in person or through your photos. The quote comes to you in writing before any work starts.
Mount Pleasant sits on the south side of Racine, in Racine County. From there, we work in Racine, Kenosha and the south side of Milwaukee County.
What stair-step, vertical and horizontal cracks in a block foundation mean in southeast Wisconsin, who fixes each one, and what repairs cost.
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Chimney repair costs in Wisconsin from national cost guides: crown repair, tuckpointing, partial and full rebuilds, rain caps and what moves the price.
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National cost guides put tuckpointing at $5 to $25 per square foot. See the ranges for walls, chimneys, foundations and steps, and what drives the price.
Read more →Tell us about the job and where it is, and send photos if you have them. Call or text (262) 744-4688, or use the form, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, foundation or steps and where the job is. We look at it and put the quote in writing.