Heights aren’t as scary as water entry problems… Notice the open deep joints in the space between the brick. Water enters these areas and makes it through to the interior walls.

Tuckpointing Problems: Water Entry

Water is the most essential element to life on Earth. It is also the most destructive natural force on earth. Water follows the most least resistant path, carving rivers, canyons, moving earth and even deteriorating your brick home.

When fall turns into winter and winter turns to spring, water freezes and then it thaws. These Freeze-Thaw cycles cause water to expand and contract throughout the days and seasons.

Brick and mortar are “breathable” materials.

They naturally retain some amount of water after normal rainfall. When the retained water goes through the freeze-thaw cycles, the water expands and contracts causing deterioration over the years.

Common deterioration is at the (Tuckpointing) mortar joints

This causes them to ‘pop out’ or whither to sand. When this deterioration occurs it causes holes and voids in the brick work. When holes and voids get large enough, the brick walls start to retain more and more water until water eventually finds itself at your interior wall, causing damage to paint, plaster, drywall, and anything else it will touch.

Bubbling pain and plaster chipping from interior walls is a common sign of water entry

Pictured here is common damage associated with a need for tuckpointing on the exterior wall.

True masonry homes are built with brick(1-2 courses thick) or block back-up walls with a brick facade (the brick we see on the outside) Water can take years, sometimes decades to make its way through.