Tuckpointing Tips for You and Your Foundation

Many of our homes, whether they be Arts & Crafts bungalows or a more modern house, have brick foundations. A key component of any brick foundation is the mortar that bonds the bricks together and prevents moisture from entering. If allowed to work its way between the bricks, the water will turn to ice when the temperature drops and will expand, cracking additional mortar or even the brick itself.

The process of replacing missing or crumbling mortar is called tuckpointing, and is an easy do-it-yourself project that only requires a couple of inexpensive tools and a few basic steps:

1.) Use a stiff bristle brush, a wire brush or a masonry chisel to remove any loose mortar. Brush away all dust.

2.) Mix a small amount of mortar to the consistency of pudding. While mixing, add the recommended amount of a 'liquid latex binder.' This will aid in adhesion and will reduce cracking.

3.) Mist the joint, then hold a 'hawk' (a masonry term for a large trowel or flat piece of metal or wood that you load with mortar, then hold against the brick - see top photo) and use a narrow 'pointing trowel' to carefully pack the mortar into the joint.

4.) Neatness counts! Mortar smeared across the porous face of the brick will leave an unsightly, permanent stain (see lower photo). Take your time, go slowly and keep a small bucket of water and an old paint brush within reach to immediately rinse any mortar off the brick.

5.) Allow the mortar to begin to dry, then run a narrow 'joint striking tool' along the fresh mortar to smooth it out and make it blend in with the adjacent mortar.

6.) Shade the fresh mortar with black plastic for three days, misting occasionally. If the mortar dries too quickly, it will shrink and crack.

It is always a good idea to first do a small test in an area that is not very noticeable. Let the mortar dry completely so that you can check the color against that of the original mortar. If it does not match, you either need to switch to a tinted mortar or experiment with tinting it yourself.

Good Luck!

Bruce Johnson

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