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Serving Orem, UT and surrounding areas. (385) 486-0154
Worn mortar joints let water in. Once Orem winters take over, that water freezes and expands - and a small repair becomes a much bigger problem.
Worn mortar joints let water in. Once Orem winters take over, that water freezes and expands - and a small repair becomes a much bigger problem.
Brick pointing in Orem means removing deteriorated mortar from the joints between your bricks and packing in fresh mortar that is matched to your existing bricks - most chimney and wall section jobs are completed in one to two days, and properly done work can last 25 to 50 years.
Mortar is softer than brick by design - it acts as a cushion and sacrificial layer, absorbing stress so the bricks themselves do not crack. Over 20 to 30 years, Orem's freeze-thaw cycles and dry summers wear it down. When the mortar goes, water finds its way in, and water is the main enemy of any masonry wall. A large share of Orem's brick homes were built between the 1950s and 1980s - many are now at or past the natural lifespan of their original mortar without anyone knowing it.
If the damage has gone beyond the mortar joints and you are also seeing cracked or spalling bricks, our foundation repair or tuckpointing services may be the right next step. We will tell you honestly which direction makes sense after a site visit.
Run your finger along the mortar joints on your chimney or exterior wall. If the mortar crumbles, flakes off, or feels sandy rather than solid, it is breaking down. In Orem's climate, this kind of surface deterioration accelerates quickly once it starts - what looks like a cosmetic issue in spring can become a water intrusion problem by the following winter.
Those white deposits - called efflorescence - are a sign that water is moving through your wall and leaving minerals behind as it dries. It is especially common on Orem homes because of the area's hard water and alkaline soil. It does not always mean the mortar has failed completely, but it is a reliable early warning sign that water is finding a way in.
Chimneys take the most weather exposure of any masonry on your home - exposed on all four sides with no shelter. If the mortar on your chimney looks darker, more recessed, or more worn than the mortar on your walls, the chimney almost certainly needs attention first. Orem's freeze-thaw winters hit exposed chimneys especially hard.
If you see water marks on the inside of an exterior brick wall, or on the ceiling near your chimney, water is already getting through. This is past the early-warning stage - the mortar has likely failed in at least one area, and the longer you wait, the more the water damage spreads to the wall structure behind the brick.
We repoint brick chimneys, exterior walls, retaining walls, and garden walls throughout Orem and the surrounding area. Every job starts with careful removal of deteriorated mortar to a consistent depth - then we pack in fresh mortar matched in strength and flexibility to your existing bricks, and tool each joint to match the original profile. For homes with both mortar wear and brick damage, our tuckpointing service addresses the full scope of the repair in one visit.
We do a small test patch and let it dry before proceeding - dried mortar looks noticeably different from wet mortar, and you should see and approve the color before we work across the whole surface. This step matters particularly for Orem's mid-century brick homes, where the original mortar often has a specific warm tone. If there is any structural concern beyond the mortar joints - cracks suggesting movement in the wall itself - we will tell you, and if it points to a deeper issue, we can assess whether foundation repair is the right path.
Best for homeowners whose chimney mortar shows more wear than the surrounding walls, or who have noticed staining or smoke smell near the fireplace.
For homes with brick veneer exteriors where mortar is crumbling or where white staining indicates water movement through the wall.
Suited to homeowners with mortared stone or brick landscape walls where joint gaps are beginning to widen and let water collect behind the structure.
For homeowners who want a professional assessment before the freeze-thaw season begins - we identify areas of concern and prioritize what needs immediate attention versus what can wait.
Orem sits at roughly 4,700 feet elevation in Utah Valley, and temperatures regularly drop below freezing from November through March, then swing back above freezing during the day in shoulder seasons. That repeated freezing and thawing is exactly what breaks mortar down fastest - water gets into a tiny crack, freezes, expands, and makes the crack bigger every cycle. The Brick Industry Association recommends using mortar that is softer than the bricks it fills - a detail that matters here because too-hard mortar will crack the bricks themselves rather than absorbing stress, turning a manageable repointing job into a more expensive brick replacement. Utah County's alkaline soil and mineral-heavy water also accelerate efflorescence on exterior walls, which is an early signal worth catching before the mortar fails completely.
We see this in neighborhoods across the service area - from homeowners in Provo with brick homes dating to the 1960s, to newer construction in Spanish Fork where mortar failures show up earlier due to site drainage issues. The window to act is late spring through early fall, and booking before the summer rush means better availability and often better pricing.
We reply within one business day. A photo of the area helps - even a phone photo gives us enough to ask the right questions before the site visit and give you a realistic sense of the scope.
We walk the area with you, check how deep the mortar damage goes, and look for any signs of water intrusion or brick damage. You get a written estimate before we do anything - no verbal quotes that shift later.
We grind or chisel out the old mortar to a consistent depth, clean the joints, and pack in fresh mortar by hand. This is the noisiest part - plan to close windows on that side of the house. Most chimney and small wall jobs finish in one to two days.
Fresh mortar needs 24 to 48 hours before it can get wet, and up to a week to reach full strength. In Orem's dry summer heat, we may mist the fresh mortar to slow curing and prevent cracking - this is intentional and a sign of careful work. We do a final walkthrough and answer any questions before we leave.
Free estimate, written quote, no obligation. We get back to you within one business day.
(385) 486-0154We take the time to match mortar strength and flexibility to your existing bricks before starting. Too-hard mortar transfers stress to the bricks themselves and causes cracking - especially damaging in Orem's freeze-thaw winters. We do a test patch first so you can approve the color and texture before we work across the whole surface.
Utah requires masonry contractors to hold a state license, and you can verify ours online before signing anything - the Utah DOPL contractor lookup takes about two minutes. A licensed contractor carries insurance, which means if something goes wrong on your property, you are protected.
We look at the full picture and tell you honestly whether repointing is the right fix or whether the damage has progressed to something that needs more work. Orem's mid-century brick homes sometimes have mortar failures alongside brick damage - we will not repoint and leave a bigger problem unaddressed.
Grinding out old mortar creates fine dust, and sloppy repointing leaves mortar smeared across brick faces. We clean as we go, vacuum joints before packing them, and wipe brick faces clean before the mortar sets - because the appearance of the finished work matters as much as the structural result.
Getting the mortar right is the whole job - not just removing the old and packing in the new. These details are what determine whether your repair holds through ten Utah winters or starts showing problems after two.
If mortar failures are accompanied by wall movement or cracks pointing to structural shift, foundation repair may be the right starting point.
Learn MoreWhen mortar deterioration extends to brick damage or the wall needs a two-tone finish, tuckpointing addresses the full repair in one scope of work.
Learn MoreOrem's freeze-thaw season starts in November - the time to seal mortar joints is now, while the weather is still on your side.