Serving Conway, AR and surrounding areas. (501) 273-0789
Crumbling mortar lets water behind your bricks. We grind out the old material and pack in a fresh match - so your walls stay solid through every Conway winter.
Tuckpointing in Conway, AR removes deteriorated mortar from between your bricks and replaces it with a fresh mix matched to your wall - most residential jobs take one to three days, and a chimney-only repair is typically done in a single day.
The mortar between your bricks is softer than the bricks themselves by design - it absorbs movement and moisture so the bricks do not crack. In Conway, the combination of wet winters and hot, humid summers breaks that mortar down faster than homeowners expect. What looks like a cosmetic problem on the surface is usually water quietly working its way deeper into the wall.
If you have noticed white streaks on your brick after rain, soft or crumbling joints, or damp spots on interior walls, those are signs the mortar is no longer doing its job. Catching it early keeps the repair manageable. Left alone, failing joints can lead to structural damage that goes well beyond what tuckpointing can fix - and may require brick repair or more extensive work.
Stand back and look at the lines of mortar running between your bricks - they should look solid, smooth, and roughly the same depth all the way across. If you see gaps, crumbling edges, or spots where the mortar has pulled away from the brick face, the joints need attention. You can also run your finger along a joint: if mortar dust or small chunks come off easily, the material has broken down.
Those white streaks are called efflorescence. They happen when water moves through the wall, picks up salts from the mortar or brick, and deposits them on the surface as it evaporates. In Conway, where spring rains are heavy, this is a common early warning sign. It does not always mean the wall is in crisis, but it does mean water is getting in somewhere it should not be.
If your Conway home was built between the 1940s and 1970s and you have no record of tuckpointing being done, the mortar joints are likely at or past the end of their useful life. Conway's freeze-thaw winters push older lime-based mortars toward the shorter end of their lifespan. Even if nothing looks obviously wrong, a professional inspection is worth scheduling.
Water stains, soft drywall, or musty smells on interior walls that back up to an exterior brick surface are signs that water has found a way through. Conway averages around 50 inches of rain per year, and a compromised mortar joint does not need to be large to let meaningful water in over a wet season. Interior moisture damage always costs more to fix than the mortar issue that caused it.
Every tuckpointing job starts with proper removal. We use an angle grinder or oscillating tool to cut out the damaged mortar to a consistent depth - typically three-quarters of an inch - before any new material goes in. Skipping that step is the most common reason cheap tuckpointing fails within a year. Once the old material is out, we hand-pack fresh mortar and tool the joints to match your existing profile, whether that is a concave, flush, or struck joint.
For mid-century Conway homes, mortar matching is not optional - it is the difference between a repair that protects your bricks and one that damages them. Older walls were built with softer lime-based mixes, and packing them with a hard modern mortar creates stress that cracks the bricks rather than the joints. We also offer full brick pointing for walls where the joint deterioration is widespread, which takes a systematic approach to the entire surface rather than spot repairs.
Best suited for homeowners whose chimney mortar is crumbling or staining, and who want to protect against water getting into the flue or roof structure.
Ideal for brick homes with mortar joints that are recessed, cracked, or showing efflorescence on south- or west-facing walls that take the most weather exposure.
For homeowners who see mortar damage at or near grade level, where water pooling and soil contact accelerate joint deterioration faster than on upper walls.
A systematic approach for walls where deterioration is widespread, covering every joint rather than addressing isolated problem spots.
Conway sits in Faulkner County, where winter temperatures regularly dip below freezing and then climb back above it within the same week. That repeated freeze-thaw cycle is the single biggest enemy of mortar joints - water gets in, freezes, expands, and chips the mortar apart from the inside. Homeowners here often notice new joint damage every spring that was not visible the previous fall. Conway also averages around 50 inches of rainfall annually, which means there is no dry season long enough for neglected joints to simply dry out and stop causing problems. The underlying clay soil adds one more layer: as it swells and shrinks with the seasons, it puts constant low-level stress on brick walls and foundations. We see the effects of all three of these factors on jobs throughout Conway and neighboring Vilonia.
A significant share of Conway's residential neighborhoods - including older sections near downtown and along Oak Street - feature brick homes built between the 1940s and 1970s. Mortar from that era was often mixed with lime and sand in proportions that differ from modern mixes. Using the wrong modern mortar on these older walls can actually crack the bricks rather than protect them. The mason you hire needs to know how to match the mix to the age of your home. We have worked on mid-century brick throughout Conway and understand what those older walls need - not just a fresh surface, but a repair that works with the original materials rather than against them. For more information on masonry standards, the Brick Industry Association publishes the technical guidelines masons use when matching mortar to brick type and age.
We will ask a few quick questions about what you are seeing - type of structure, roughly how large the area is, and whether you have noticed any water getting inside. We reply within one business day and typically schedule a free on-site estimate within a week.
We walk the area with you, check how deep the damage goes, assess whether the existing mortar is a lime-based or modern mix, and flag any bricks that may need separate attention. Your written estimate specifies exactly which areas are being addressed - no vague line items.
We start by grinding or cutting out the old mortar to a consistent depth - this is the noisy part and will produce dust and debris. We hang plastic sheeting to contain the mess. Once the old material is out, we hand-pack fresh mortar and tool the joints to match your existing profile.
Before we leave, we walk the finished work with you and point out anything flagged during the job. Fresh mortar needs 24 to 48 hours before it can get wet and reaches full hardness over the following three to four weeks. We give you a plain-language list of what to avoid during that window.
Free estimate. No sales pressure. We show up, take a look, and give you a written quote - no obligation.
(501) 273-0789Grinding out the old mortar to the correct depth before packing in fresh material is the step most quick-turn contractors skip. It is also the step that determines whether the repair lasts two years or twenty. Every tuckpointing job we do starts with proper removal - that is not negotiable for us.
Many Conway homes were built in the mid-20th century with softer lime-based mortars. Using a hard modern mix on those walls causes bricks to crack rather than joints to flex. We assess the existing mortar before mixing anything new, so the repair works with your wall instead of against it.
We have worked on brick throughout Conway and the surrounding communities, so we know what central Arkansas winters and clay soils do to mortar joints firsthand. That local experience means we flag the right problems during the estimate - not just the obvious ones. The Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board verifies that our licensing is current.
Most homeowners have never hired a mason before and are not sure what questions to ask. Before we leave every job, we walk the finished work with you, point out anything we noticed during the job, and tell you plainly what to watch for going forward. You leave the conversation feeling confident about what you paid for.
When you combine proper mortar removal, the right mix for your home's age, and a local team that knows Conway's climate, you get tuckpointing that actually holds - not just a surface that looks good for one season.
When individual bricks are cracked, spalling, or hollow-sounding, we remove and replace them with matched material so the damage does not spread.
Learn MoreA systematic approach to mortar joint restoration across an entire wall surface, rather than addressing isolated problem areas one at a time.
Learn MoreTuckpointing now costs a fraction of what water damage costs later - call or get a free estimate today.
