Masonry restoration in Gilroy CA - solid joints that keep water out of your walls
Crumbling mortar, loose brick or stains under a downspout? We fix the water problem, then repoint with mortar that suits your brick.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
When does old brick need restoring, and what's involved?
Masonry restoration in Gilroy, CA brings worn brick and stone walls, chimneys and house fronts back to sound shape, mostly by repointing, which means cutting the worn mortar out of the joints and packing them with new mortar so water stays out of the wall.
Most people call me after they've noticed sandy joints or a chimney that looks rough, and they want someone to explain what they're seeing before they spend money. You'll also hear the work called tuckpointing. The price mostly comes down to how much wall there is, how deep the mortar has worn, how hard the wall is to reach and whether a water problem has to be fixed first. The schedule turns on that water work and on the weather, because new mortar needs mild days to set. I'll put your figure in a written estimate once I've seen the wall.
How can you tell your brick or mortar needs restoring?
Mortar crumbling to sand
If you can scrape a joint with a key and sand falls out, the mortar has done its job and worn away. Once the joints sit back from the brick face, rain collects there and starts working on the brick edges, so waiting can turn a repointing job into a brick replacement job.
Stains under a downspout
A white crust, green growth or a patch that stays dark after rain usually means water is running down the wall from a leaking downspout or gutter. That water keeps washing mortar out of the joints, and the longer it runs, the more of the wall you end up repointing.
Brick faces flaking off
When the face of a brick pops off in chips or sheets, water is usually getting trapped inside, often behind a hard cement patch or after a harsh cleaning. Joints can be redone, but a brick that has lost its face has to be cut out and replaced.
How we handle masonry restoration
We start with the water. If a downspout is leaking or rain is being sent against the wall, we sort that out first, because new joints won't last if the same leak keeps washing them out. Then we clean the brick gently, and we don't use a high pressure washer on it, since that can tear up the face of old brick. After that we rake out the worn mortar, repoint the joints with a mortar suited to your brick, replace any brick that's too far gone and clean up as we go. Whoever you hire, ask how they'll clear the old joints, because the park service has seen a mechanical grinder chip the edges and corners of old brick.
Restoration often runs into the work next to it. If an old fireplace is past saving or you want one where there wasn't one, that's fireplace installation, and if a plain block or concrete wall needs a better face, stone veneer installation can give it one.
Repointing worn joints
This suits a wall or chimney where the brick or stone is still sound and only the mortar has worn back. It's the simplest fix, and it's the one I'd hope to find when I look at your wall.
Full restoration on an older wall
This suits older houses where you've got several things going on at once, like a drainage leak, stained brick, worn joints and a few cracked or flaking bricks. We take care of them in order so each fix holds up.
Get a written estimate for your brick or stone restoration
We reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at your walls with you and put a free estimate in writing, with no obligation to go ahead.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call us about restoring your brick in Gilroy?
Here's how a restoration job runs from your first call to the final walk around, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (669) 205-6449 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Tell us where water runs when it rains, because that's often where the trouble starts.
I walk the wall with you
I look at the joints, the brick and the downspouts with you and explain what I see and what I'd do about it. You get that in a written estimate, so you know the price before anything starts and can compare it with anyone else's.
Our crew does the work
Our lead mason and crew do the work, and I check in while it's going. When it's done I walk the finished wall with you and point out what to keep an eye on.
Why Gilroy homeowners call Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry for restoration
From supply yard to mason's crew
I started behind the counter at a masonry supply yard, kept hearing what went wrong after the brick left, and learned the trade on a local mason's crew. We've been in business since 2021, and I still explain what I'm looking at before I talk about price.
Licensed and fully insured masons
We're licensed and fully insured. California's contractor board describes masonry work as installing brick, block, natural and manufactured stone, terra cotta and fire brick, which covers the walls, chimneys and stone faces we restore.
Changes go in writing first
State contractor law says any change to a home improvement contract has to be in writing, easy to read and understand, and has to tell you about your right to cancel. So if we open a joint and the mortar behind it is worse than it looked, you see the change on paper before we go further.
On old brick, what matters is stopping the water, not just dressing up the joints you can see. Ask for an estimate and I'll come walk the wall with you.
Restoring older brick and stone around Gilroy
Some older brick buildings were built without reinforcing to brace the masonry, and unreinforced masonry like that is a safety hazard in an earthquake. The local paper reported a while back that the push to retrofit downtown Gilroy's historic buildings was coming to an end, with crews working on the last building on the city's unreinforced masonry list. For us that means careful work on older walls, and if a wall looks like it needs more than new joints, I'll tell you that plainly instead of selling you a repoint.
Around here we mostly see brick chimneys, garden walls and older house fronts where soft brick has been patched over the years with hard cement. We're based in Gilroy and see the same mix on jobs in San Martin and Morgan Hill.
Questions about masonry restoration in Gilroy
(669) 205-6449Mortar is meant to wear out first, because it's the sacrificial part of the wall that takes the weather so the brick doesn't have to. Fresh joints take over that job again, which is why repointing on time protects the brick itself.
Old soft brick usually does best with a soft mortar, and lime mortar is the usual choice. Hard portland cement mortar lets less moisture through than soft brick, so it can trap water in the wall and badly damage the brick, while lime mortar is soft, porous and moves little as temperatures change, which is why the park service calls it a good choice for historic buildings. I'll look at your brick and talk mortar through with you at the estimate.
One national cost guide says brick and stone walls and chimneys normally need repointing every 20 to 30 years as general maintenance. It's worth planning for on that cycle, the way you'd plan for a new roof, and if your house is older than that and you've never seen the joints redone, it's worth having someone look.
Spring or fall is the best time, according to one national cost guide. It calls daytime temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees for at least 24 to 72 hours ideal curing weather, which is the time new mortar needs to set, so a long hot spell isn't the moment for it.
High pressure washing isn't safe for brick. The Brick Industry Association says water cleaning at more than 800 psi isn't appropriate for brick and may damage the brickwork, so if anyone offers to blast your wall clean, ask what pressure they plan to use.
The cost depends on how much wall there is, how deep the mortar has worn, how high or hard to reach it is and how many bricks need replacing. A leaking downspout or other drainage problem that has to be fixed first adds to it too. I'll give you a written estimate after I've seen your wall.
Related masonry services for older homes
Fireplace installation
When the firebox or surround is too far gone to repoint, a new fireplace may make more sense than chasing repairs year after year.
Stone veneer installation
Good for a sound block or concrete wall that looks tired, or for matching new stone to an older stone face on the house.
Service areas for masonry restoration
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is based in Gilroy, CA and restores brick and stone in the 12 cities listed here, including Hollister and Watsonville. We work in other cities around Gilroy too, so call if yours isn't on the list.
Gilroy, CA
Have your worn mortar joints looked at
Send photos of the worn joints, the rough age of the house and any downspout leaks with your message, so I know what to look at first when I come out.