The brick retaining wall along my driveway has spots where the mortar looks worn down and brittle. What's the worst that can happen if I leave it like that?
Answer
Brick retaining walls take a beating from rain, snow, and water runoff. When the mortar starts wearing away, the bricks slowly lose their grip on each other. The mortar is the “glue” that holds the bricks together.
The “worst” that could happen is given enough time the mortar no longer holds the bricks together which will lead to bricks coming loose, falling apart and eventually the wall could come tumbling down. It doesn’t sound like you’re anywhere near walls tumbling down but you did ask what’s the worst that could happen.
A more realistic solution if you want to consider getting in front of the problem before the worst happens is getting some tuckpointing done.
Tuckpointing that wall puts fresh mortar back where it belongs and locks everything in tight again. It’s much cheaper to maintain a retaining wall than to rebuild part of it after it shifts or worse falls over. Think of it like getting an oil change. It’s cheaper to change the oil in your car than it is pay for a new engine because you never get an oil change & just continue to drive it without a care in the world. Not smart.
