Serving West Des Moines, IA and surrounding areas. (515) 706-9183
Crumbling mortar joints let Iowa's freeze-thaw cycles push water deeper into your walls every winter. Repointing now - with the right mortar mix for your home - is almost always a fraction of the cost of waiting until bricks start spalling.
Brick pointing in West Des Moines is the process of removing crumbling mortar from the joints between your bricks and replacing it with fresh mortar that keeps water out - most jobs run one to five days depending on how much of the wall is affected and whether scaffolding is needed for upper-story work.
Mortar is softer than brick by design - it absorbs movement and stress so the bricks do not crack. That softness is also why mortar wears out first, typically after 25 to 50 years depending on weather exposure and the original mix. A large share of West Des Moines homes were built between the 1950s and 1970s, which means mortar from that era is reaching or past the end of its useful life in many neighborhoods right now. Once mortar fails and water gets in, Iowa's freeze-thaw cycles do the rest - water expands as it freezes, widening the crack a little more each winter. Catching this early is almost always cheaper than waiting. If the damage has already spread to the stone or foundation, our foundation repair service may need to be part of the conversation as well.
The Brick Industry Association publishes detailed guidance on mortar selection, repointing techniques, and how to identify when brick pointing is needed - useful reading if you want to understand what your mason should be doing before you hire anyone.
Run your hand along the mortar joints on a section of your exterior wall. If the mortar feels soft, crumbles when you press it, or has visible gaps deeper than a quarter inch, it is time to call a mason. This is the clearest sign that water is already getting in or will be soon - and in West Des Moines, that water will freeze and expand every winter until the joints are sealed.
If the lines between your bricks look more ragged or recessed in spring than they did the previous fall, freeze-thaw damage is at work. This is especially common on north-facing walls and chimneys, which stay frozen longer and dry out more slowly. Catching this pattern early - before it becomes a full-wall problem - can save you a significant amount of money.
White, chalky streaks on brick - called efflorescence - are a sign that water is moving through the wall and carrying dissolved salts to the surface. It is not dangerous on its own, but it is a reliable indicator that water is getting in somewhere. Failing mortar joints are the most common entry point, and after a wet Iowa spring, this staining often points directly to the joints that need attention.
Chimneys take more weather abuse than any other part of a brick home - exposed on all four sides, heating and cooling rapidly, and often the last thing homeowners inspect. If the mortar on your chimney looks darker, more recessed, or more crumbled than the mortar on your walls, the chimney needs attention first. A chimney with failing mortar is also a fire safety concern, not just a water issue.
We repoint brick walls, chimneys, garden walls, and other masonry structures for West Des Moines homeowners. The process starts with grinding or chiseling out the old mortar to a depth of about three-quarters of an inch - far enough to get a solid bond with fresh material, but without damaging the bricks. We then pack in fresh mortar by hand, tool it to match the original joint profile, and clean the brick face when the section is done. Matching the color and hardness of the new mortar to the original is one of the most important steps - and one of the most often skipped. If the new mortar is harder than the original, it can cause bricks to crack over time because the wall can no longer flex the way it was built to. If your home's exterior has broader issues beyond mortar joints - cracked or spalled bricks, or a chimney that needs structural attention alongside the repointing - our masonry restoration service handles the full scope in one visit.
We also handle chimney repointing as a standalone service for homeowners who have noticed deterioration on the chimney but the rest of the home is still solid. Chimneys are exposed on all four sides and tend to fail faster than wall sections - if yours has not been looked at in the last decade and your home was built before 1980, it is worth having it assessed before heating season. If you are also considering tuckpointing or a related mortar service, our foundation repair team can check the foundation at the same time, since failing mortar at the chimney base and foundation cracks often share the same root cause.
Best suited for homes where mortar has failed across a large section of wall - often homes built before 1980 that have never had the joints addressed.
Best suited for homeowners who notice chimney mortar deteriorating before heating season and want the structure sound before lighting the fireplace.
Best suited for a localized section of wall - a single face, a problem corner, or a garden wall where only part of the mortar has failed.
West Des Moines sits in a climate where temperatures regularly swing above and below freezing dozens of times each winter. Every time water in a mortar joint freezes, it expands slightly. When it thaws, it contracts. Over years, that cycle works like a slow wedge - cracking and loosening mortar faster than in warmer climates. What looks fine in September can be visibly crumbling by April. This is especially true on north-facing walls and chimneys that stay frozen longer. Homeowners in the older sections of West Des Moines - the streets near Valley Junction and surrounding neighborhoods that were developed through the 1950s and 1960s - deal with this every spring. Many of those homes have never had their mortar joints addressed since original construction. Homeowners near Windsor Heights face the same issue - postwar brick homes on small lots where the brick is original and the mortar is well past its useful life.
Iowa's wet springs compound the problem. Once mortar starts to fail, heavy May and June rains drive water deep into the wall cavity quickly. Homeowners who notice crumbling joints in late winter should prioritize getting an estimate before the spring rain season - not after it. The Portland Cement Association publishes guidance on mortar curing in cold weather that explains why fall timing matters in Iowa's climate. Closer to Des Moines proper, many homes in adjacent neighborhoods are within our regular service area, and we see the same pattern there - homeowners discovering in spring what another winter has done to joints that were already marginal.
When you reach out, we will ask a few basic questions - what part of the house needs work, how long you have noticed the problem, and whether there is any visible water damage inside. We schedule an on-site estimate within a few days to a week, and the estimate is free.
We walk the exterior with you, inspect the mortar joints for depth of deterioration and any spalled or loose bricks, and check whether the existing mortar is a soft historic mix or a harder modern mix - this matters for choosing the right replacement material. You receive a written estimate breaking down scope and price.
The crew starts by grinding or chiseling out the failed mortar - the noisiest part of the job. Once the joints are cleaned out, they pack in fresh mortar by hand, tool it to match the original profile, and move section by section. They lay drop cloths and clean up debris at the end of each day.
When the job is complete, the crew cleans the brick face and does a final check of the joints. We walk you through the finished work before you sign off. Fresh mortar needs at least 24 to 48 hours before it gets wet - in cool fall weather, we may use curing blankets to protect joints from an overnight freeze.
Free on-site estimates. We respond within one business day. No obligation, no pressure.
(515) 706-9183Using mortar that is harder than the original can cause bricks to crack over time because the wall can no longer flex the way it was designed to. We assess the existing joints, check the hardness, and select or blend a product that is compatible - not just whatever is on the truck. This is the step most contractors skip, and it is the one that determines whether the repair lasts or fails within a few winters.
Many of the homes we work on were built before 1980, and the mortar from that era behaves differently from modern pre-mixed products. We have worked on homes throughout West Des Moines's established neighborhoods and know how to read what the existing mortar is telling us before we order materials. The result is a repair that blends in and does not create new problems.
Sometimes the joints are failing but the bricks and structure are fine - repointing is the right call and we will say so. Other times, spalling or hidden water damage means repointing alone will not solve the problem. We tell you honestly which situation you are in and what it will take to fix it, so you can make a decision with the full picture.
One of the biggest fears homeowners have is getting a low estimate and watching the price climb once work starts. We assess the full scope before we quote - including checking for hidden damage behind the surface mortar - so the number we give you at the start is the number you pay at the end. You can budget and plan without uncomfortable mid-project conversations.
The detail work on mortar matching and honest scoping is what separates a repair that holds for 25 years from one that looks fine in the spring and starts cracking again by the following winter. We are a small crew that does this work every week across West Des Moines - and our work has to hold up, because our customers are neighbors.
When water from failed mortar joints has already reached the foundation, addressing the structural damage alongside the pointing work prevents the same moisture from causing new cracks.
Learn MoreWhen spalled bricks, cracked lintels, or broader structural deterioration have gone beyond what repointing alone can address, full masonry restoration covers the complete repair.
Learn MoreWest Des Moines contractors book up fast before winter - lock in your spot now so the mortar is cured and sealed before the first hard frost hits your walls.
