I recently had some tuckpointing done & I'm not sure it was done right. Is there a certain depth the mortar should be ground out or is just skimming the surface sufficient?
Answer
A good rule of thumb is to grind out the mortar joints about 1 inch or more. Just skimming the surface doesn’t fix the bad mortar joints. Barely skimming the surface of a mortar joint with a grinder and applying a tiny bit of mortar over it won’t hold, especially in colder climates like Bloomfield Hills due to temperature shifts. After one winter, the mortar will begin to flake off and you will have potentially spent a few thousand dollars for nothing. Grinding the mortar joints an inch deep or more ensures it’s deep enough for the mortar to stay securely in place and will last for many years to come, making your investment in tuckpointing your home well worth it.
Now the “elephant in the room”… whether the mortar was just barely skimmed or ground out an inch deep, once the work is complete they both look the same on the surface. Without knowing what’s going on behind the new mortar, even a professional can’t tell how deep the mortar was ground out, let alone a homeowner. You’ll have an idea what was done after a winter because poor tuckpointing will begin to flake off, but by that time the damage is done.
Point being… when you hire someone to perform tuckpointing on your home, get a clear understanding of their process. After you get an understanding, ask yourself if you trust them to do it properly. Otherwise, your only other option would be to supervise whoever is doing the tuckpointing so you can witness for yourself if they’re grinding the mortar out deep enough.
