Metro Detroit’s Masonry Q&A Hub

Most of my brick wall looks fine, but after a heavy rain I occasionally notice a few mortar joints seem to stay damp longer than the others. Could that indicate a problem?

Answer

It can. Mortar joints are supposed to help keep water out. When certain areas consistently stay wet longer than the rest, it may mean those joints are beginning to fail. It doesn’t automatically mean you need the entire wall tuckpointed, but it’s definitely something I’d keep an eye on because water usually doesn’t make problems better.

The mortar on my wall where my gutter leaks is brittle & falling apart. Does that mean I need to have the entire brick wall rebuilt or is there an alternative method to repair it?

Answer

Tuckpointing is a likely alternative to rebuilding the wall. If would have to be looked at by a professional to know for sure but it’s definitely possible that could solve your problem. We’ve done quite a few tuckpointing jobs in your neighborhood in Grosse Pointe Park where a leaking gutter caused the mortar to break down, but the wall itself was still in good shape. If the bricks are still solid, repairing the mortar and fixing the gutter is often enough. A full rebuild is usually only needed when the bricks themselves have suffered a lot of damage from the water. The longer the gutter problem continues, the more likely it is that additional repairs will eventually be needed. That’s why we typically recommend fixing both the masonry issue and the source of the water at the same time. If you don’t fix the leak in the gutter you’ll end up right back where you started and end up fixing the wall again.