If you’re in the market for a home and you’re considering buying a brick or stone home, before you buy you need to consider tuckpointing. That’s especially true if you’re thinking of buying one of the beautiful, historical homes in our area. And when you think of tuckpointing, we hope you’ll call Fortune Restoration as we’ve worked as tuckpointing contractors in Oak Park and other areas of Chicagoland for decades.
What is tuck pointing?
A brick or stone structure can easily last a century or more, but the weak point is the mortar. Depending on how exposed masonry is to water and other harsh conditions, the mortar holding the masonry together lasts about 35 years. After that it starts to crumble and weaken, threatening the integrity of the structure to the point of possible collapse.
That’s where a tuckpointing contractor comes to the rescue. In general, tuckpointing refers to the process of scraping or raking out the old mortar to a certain depth and replacing the old with new mortar to restore the strength of the structure. Tuckpointing is a labor-intensive project, but our masonry experts at Fortune Restoration can determine the scope of the work that needs to be done.
When to tuckpoint?
There’s an easy way to determine the need for tuckpointing. Take a screwdriver or a key and scrape it across a mortar joint. If the mortar’s still good, you shouldn’t be able to scratch it. But if your scratching produces a powdered material, it’s probably time to call in a tuckpoint contractor like Fortune Restoration.
So, why tuckpoint?
When mortar is in a weakened condition, it causes moisture to break down the brick or stone masonry wall and possibly lead to moisture problems behind it. Done properly, tuckpointing provides a relatively waterproof mortar joint that extends the life of the wall.
Also, tuckpointing saves money in the long run if you do it before it’s too late. If you don’t tuckpoint when your brick or stone wall needs it, the wall will deteriorate to the point that the only fix is to tear it down and replace it.
So if you’re thinking of buying a masonry home, especially one of our historical homes, call us at (847) 647-2500 and set an appointment for one of our masonry experts to give you a free, no-obligation inspection of the property to determine if there’s a need for tuckpointing.