Looking for a home makeover?
Tuckpointing is a great way of making your bricks look more beautiful. It increases the lifespan of your brick home. However, you might worry about the cost of tuckpointing.
You might ask, “is the tuckpointing cost worth my time?”
In this guide, we’ll answer that question and more. Read on and learn:
The Average Cost of Tuckpointing
Tuckpointing will cost anywhere between $500 and $2,500 per 100 square feet. It translates to $5 and $25 for each square foot. The location and accessibility of your area can affect the price.
For example, if the tuckpointing cost for a 20 square feet wall is $500, the materials will account for $300 while labor is about $200. Some areas have higher labor costs, meaning a 10% increase makes the total price $520.
Good masons can tuckpoint about 10 square feet per hour. If it’s chimneys and other hard-to-reach areas, it takes longer.
What Affects the Cost of Tuckpointing
To get a good idea of tuckpointing prices, get a detailed breakdown from masonry companies. It helps you understand the things you’re paying for. In most cases, owners are too busy with work to cover the budget.
Prevent it from happening by knowing the things you’re paying for. It ensures your tuckpointing project is on schedule and budget. Here are some factors:
1. Labor
Any contracting job will often cite labor as its most expensive component. Like other industries, the quality of a tuckpointing task varies for each company. Find a reputable tuckpointing masonry company through research.
Read online reviews and ask for referrals. Once you get a shortlist of prospective companies, ask for client recommendations. If they can’t, ask for past work examples instead.
It’s difficult to have an average labor cost for tuckpointing. The location often determines the rates. If you live in big cities, expect higher costs than in rural areas.
If you don’t want to go in blind, various online tools exist to help. These will help calculate the estimated costs of masonry work per hour. With these estimates, you can extrapolate the tuckpointing cost.
In most cases, skilled masons charge premium rates if the project is at elevated heights. For example, you’ll pay more if you tuckpoint a rooftop chimney instead of interior walls. The premiums run anywhere between 40% and 100% of the usual costs
The type of tools the mason uses also affects the labor costs. Lots of companies get rid of old mortar joints manually. The process takes too long and costs a lot.
However, some businesses employ advanced tools. These work in bigger areas faster since the process is mechanical.
2. Materials
Mortar materials will have varying prices. Portland cement is less expensive since it’s the most common material for mortar joints. Higher-tier materials are 10% more expensive, like lime.
If you want to add more colors, expect a large premium on the tuckpointing project. Regardless, the price of materials will often match the labor costs.
3. Repair Costs
When you’re tuckpointing your home, you usually have some other repair work in progress. It means finishing these tasks before redoing the joints. When mortar joints crack and crumble, the surrounding brickwork is likely in the same condition.
Often, you must repair or replace the bricks before setting the new mortar joints. The repair costs will make the tuckpointing project more expensive. It varies depending on the severity of the damage.
If the wall only needs a few replacement bricks, the cost is low. Otherwise, a large crack running down its entirety will result in extensive repairs. Also, check the differences between tuckpointing and repointing since the two processes will cost differently.
4. Decorative Costs
Some people opt for tuckpointing for purely aesthetic purposes. Masons will add colors to the mortar to make them more appealing. Some tuckpointing processes use thin white borders on brickwork, especially lime.
Decorative tuckpointing is only possible through an expert mason. Often, these professionals will charge double the price of normal tuckpointing labor. If you want additional features like caulking, they can charge more.
As a property owner, consider the areas where you’ll get the most out of tuckpointing. If you skip some of the more obscure areas, you’ll reduce the total costs a lot. You can get visual benefits without covering each brick.
5. Weatherproofing
The climate will determine whether you’ll need weatherproofing. In wet climates, the mortar joints need waterproofing to make them last. Otherwise, it breaks down rapidly, making you pay more for tuckpointing.
Water penetration damages other bricks surrounding it. It’s better to pay $5 to $15 per square foot for waterproofing.
Miscellaneous Costs of Tuckpointing
Aside from these major factors, there are some minor additional costs for a tuckpointing project. Some of these will apply when hiring a mason.
1. Hard to Reach Areas
These masonry companies look at your property to give you a more definitive price quote. Some parts of your home are more difficult to work for. Some of these include chimneys and the areas around the windows.
Masons spend more time maneuvering around corners when they’re in these areas. It’s harder to scrape out old joints as well. It’s what makes work slower and more costly.
2. Safety
It takes longer if you’re ensuring a safe work environment. If your mason works with heavy materials or precarious places like rooftops, they must be more cautious. It’s frustrating as a homeowner, but it’s a necessity for workers.
Talk to your contractor about their safety measures. Discuss how it affects the project’s timeline and costs.
3. Initial Inspections
Managing the initial property inspection will impact the work’s quality and budget. Understand the work scope and each task’s purpose. Talk to your contractor if you have some concerns about the project.
Start Your Tuckpointing Project Now!
There are a lot of factors to consider when thinking about the cost of tuckpointing. Raise these factors before hiring a mason for your project.
Why stop here? Browse our other guides to learn more about home improvement tips.