Mason pressing fresh mortar into a raked-out joint of an old red brick wall with a tuckpointing trowel near Aurora, IL

Sound mortar first, finish second

Aurora Limewash: Tuckpointing and Repointing in Aurora

Limewash will not hold a crumbling joint together. This is the masonry work that has to come first.

Aurora and ten towns within 20 miles
Written price before work starts
Licensed, insured local contractors
Historic district rules covered

Aurora Limewash arranges tuckpointing and repointing for brick houses around Aurora through local masonry contractors, both as preparation for limewash and as a repair on its own. Repointing means raking out failed mortar from the joints and packing new mortar in its place. On many older walls it is the job that decides whether any finish will last.

Repointing failed joints runs $8 to $30 a square foot; leave them open under a fresh limewash and water gets in behind it, which a national guide prices at $20 to $50 a square foot in brick repair.

$8 to $30 a square foot

A national cost guide puts repointing at $8 to $30 a square foot, or $20 to $50 a row. Small patches of failed joints around a downspout or a chimney top cost little; a whole elevation of soft, recessed mortar is a project in its own right and should be priced before the limewash, not with it.

Get a price: (630) 528-2808

Signs the mortar needs attention

Joints are recessed, so the brick edges stand proud of the mortar
Mortar crumbles to sand when you scratch it with a key
Cracks follow the joints in a stair-step pattern
Daylight or gaps show around window frames and lintels

Soft mortar for soft brick

The new mortar should be no harder than the brick around it. On old, soft brick a hard modern cement mortar holds while the brick around it cracks, which is the opposite of what anyone wants. Lime-rich mortars are the traditional match for older brick, and they share limewash's breathability. Ask what mix is going in the joints.

Matching colour and joint profile

On a wall that will be limewashed, mortar colour matters less, because the wash covers both. On a wall that will be left bare, or only lightly washed, the colour and the shape of the joint, flush, concave or raked, have to match the original to look right.

Not sure what your brick will take? Describe the house, the brick and the look you want, and get a straight answer on coats, prep and a typical price.

Call (630) 528-2808

Historic districts care about this

In St. Charles, the city's project table sends tuckpointing and repointing in a historic district to the full Historic Preservation Commission, not staff. Aurora's list of work needing a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness includes masonry walls, chimneys and foundations. On houses in those districts, or in Geneva and Batavia, ask the city first.

Then the limewash

New mortar needs time to cure before limewash goes over it. The contractor sets the wait for the mortar used. After that, the repaired wall is limewashed with the rest, and the repair disappears under the same finish, covered on the exterior limewash page.

Tuckpointing without a finish

Not every repointing job ends in limewash. Plenty of owners repoint simply to keep water out of the wall, and leave the brick bare. In that case mortar colour and joint profile matter more, because nothing will cover them. A small test section of new mortar, left to cure, shows how the colour will settle before the whole wall is done.

Questions people ask

How much does tuckpointing cost?

A national cost guide puts repointing at $8 to $30 a square foot, or $20 to $50 a row.

What are the signs my brick needs tuckpointing?

Recessed joints, mortar that crumbles to sand, stair-step cracks, or gaps around windows and lintels.

Do I need to tuckpoint before limewashing?

Where joints have failed, yes. Limewash is a finish, not a repair, and will not hold loose mortar in place.

What mortar should be used on old brick?

One no harder than the brick. Lime-rich mortars are the traditional match for older, softer brick.

Is tuckpointing reviewed in historic districts?

In St. Charles it goes to the full commission. In Aurora, masonry work needs a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness.

Often done together

Exterior brick limewash

A breathable lime finish over the whole brick exterior, from a faint wash to near-solid white.
Chimney limewash

A breathable finish for the one piece of masonry that takes the worst of the weather and the heat.
Stone limewash

Lime on stone is the oldest pairing there is, and it settles into the joints in a way paint never can.

Talk it through before anyone opens a bucket

Say what the brick is, whether it has ever been painted or sealed, and how much of it shows from the street. You will hear what the job usually involves, what it tends to cost, and whether your town needs a sign-off first.