The mortar between my bricks has cracks that look like steps going up the wall. What causes that?
Answer
We’ve done a lot of tuckpointing in Rochester.
Those stair-step cracks usually show up in the mortar joints, not the bricks. The mortar breaks down over time from exposure, and once it weakens, you start seeing that step pattern.
A lot of homeowners think the whole wall is going bad, but typically the bricks are still in good shape. We grind out the failing mortar and replace it, which tightens everything back up and keeps it from continuing to spread.
