How often does brick need repointing, and when is the best time for masonry work?
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
How often does brick need repointing?
No authority read for this guide gives a number of years. The National Park Service (NPS) advises inspecting exposed masonry periodically for cracking, spalling, bulging, leaning and mortar deterioration, and treating what you find. Mortar is designed to wear before the brick does: the NPS calls it the softer, replaceable part of the wall that sacrifices itself for the system. So the right time to repoint is when the joints have worn, not when a calendar says so.
Cost surveys publish lifetimes for repointing, but they are marketplaces, and their figures are not used here. If a contractor tells you a wall is due because of its age alone, ask to see the failing joints.
How often should you inspect?
The NPS does not set an interval either. A practical rhythm is to look after the events that cause damage: the end of winter, when freeze-thaw and deicing salt have done their work, and after heavy storms, which Penn State Extension says can flood basements and crack foundations. Penn State Extension says chloride from salt causes freeze-thaw effects in concrete that lead to cracks and crumbling, so walks, steps and driveways are worth a look each spring.
Keep notes and photos. The NPS advises monitoring a crack over time to see whether it is active, and a dated photo is the simplest monitor there is.
When can mortar work be done?
Mortar is sensitive to weather while it cures. The General Services Administration's specification for repointing historic masonry sets limits that show why:
| Condition | GSA repointing specification |
|---|---|
| Cold | No pointing on frozen surfaces, or unless the temperature will stay above 40 degrees F for at least 8 hours after application |
| Heat | No pointing above 100 degrees F, or above 90 degrees F with wind over 8 mph |
| Rain | Not within 24 hours after rain, or when rain is expected within 6 hours |
| Curing | Keep the mortar damp for at least 72 hours |
Below 40 degrees F, the GSA has mixing water heated and forbids anti-freeze admixtures. In hot weather it moves work to the shady side of the building or to cooler evening hours. These are federal rules for historic buildings, not a code for your house, but they explain why a careful mason may decline to repoint in January or reschedule after a storm.
What about concrete repair and cleaning?
The GSA's specification for patching concrete allows patching only when the air is between 40 and 86 degrees F and will stay there for at least 48 hours, with no precipitation expected, and says deicing salt should not be applied near the patch until it is fully cured.
For cleaning historic masonry, the GSA works only when air and surface temperatures are 40 degrees F and rising, or below 90 and falling, and not when rain, snow or freezing temperatures are expected within 24 hours. It also has the cleaning done before repointing, not after.
No source read sets a best month. What the limits do is rule out freezing days, very hot or windy ones and wet spells, which in Pennsylvania means planning exterior mortar and concrete repairs around the weather rather than the calendar.
What should you think about before winter?
Two things: new concrete and salt. The GSA's patching specification says deicing salt should not be applied on or near repaired concrete until it is fully cured, so a late-autumn repair to a step or walk may need sand or another traction material for its first freeze. Penn State Extension lists sand, kitty litter and bird seed as alternatives for small areas.
For older concrete, the same extension service's advice cuts the amount of salt that reaches it: spread deicer before snow and ice build up, shovel first, keep it to the paths people actually use, and follow the label, because more salt is not more effective. Its separate article on road salt says chloride is what drives the cracking and crumbling in concrete, so using less of it is the maintenance step that costs nothing.
How far ahead should you plan?
Allow for the steps before the work:
- 811. Pennsylvania 811 asks for a locate request three to ten business days before digging, excluding weekends and holidays. To dig on a weekend, it suggests calling on Monday or Tuesday.
- Permits. In Philadelphia, L&I gives 15 business days for alterations to a one- or two-family house. Suburban townships set their own process; Lower Merion, for example, requires a highway permit and a pre-pour inspection of the forms before a sidewalk is replaced.
- Historic review. If a Philadelphia property is on the city's historic register, review comes before the building permit.
What order should jobs go in?
The NPS says structural repairs come before minor or cosmetic ones. The GSA has masonry cleaned before it is repointed. And any cause of water, such as a downspout emptying against a wall, is best fixed before the masonry it has damaged.
To spot what needs doing, see the warning signs. What happens once a crew arrives is in what to expect on the day. Contractors are listed on the masonry contractors page.
Sources
- Common Problems with Brick Masonry, U.S. National Park Service
- Mortar, Unsung Hero of History, U.S. National Park Service
- Repointing historic masonry, U.S. General Services Administration
- Cleaning historic masonry, U.S. General Services Administration
- Installation of concrete patching compounds, U.S. General Services Administration
- Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)
- FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)
- Get a Building Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Sidewalk Installation and Replacement Guide, Lower Merion Township
- Road Salt Pollution - Moving from Monitoring to Action, Penn State Extension
- Watershed-friendly Deicing, Penn State Extension
- Is Stormwater Damaging My Property?, Penn State Extension