5 Signs Your Kansas City Brick Needs Tuckpointing

Brick lasts for a century or more, but the mortar between the bricks does not. In Kansas City, our freeze-thaw winters are hard on mortar joints, and once they start to fail, water gets behind the brick and the damage speeds up. Tuckpointing, replacing that worn mortar, is the fix. Here are the signs it is time.

1. Crumbling or powdery mortar

If you run a key or screwdriver along a joint and the mortar flakes away or turns to sand, it has lost its bind. Powdery, crumbling mortar is the clearest sign that the joints are past their life and need repointing.

2. Gaps, cracks, or missing mortar

Visible gaps between bricks, hairline cracks running through the joints, or spots where mortar has fallen out entirely all let water in. In our climate that water freezes, expands, and pries the joint open a little further every winter.

3. White chalky staining

That white, powdery residue on the brick face is efflorescence, salts left behind as water moves through the masonry and evaporates. It is a sign moisture is getting into the wall, which usually traces back to failing joints.

4. Loose or shifting bricks

If a brick wiggles when you press on it, the mortar is no longer holding it. Left alone, loose bricks lead to bigger movement and, eventually, sections that have to be rebuilt instead of simply repointed.

5. Damp spots or musty smells inside

When the mortar stops keeping water out, it often shows up indoors as damp patches on interior walls, peeling paint, or a musty smell near an exterior wall or the chimney. The chimney is frequently the first place it appears in KC homes because it takes weather on all sides.

A quick inspection of the joints tells you whether you are looking at simple repointing or something more involved, and it is a lot cheaper to handle before the water has done its work.

Frequently asked questions