Masonry & Brick Restoration in Chicago & Lyons, IL

Restoration vs. tuckpointing

Tuckpointing deals with the mortar joints. Restoration is for when the brick or the wall itself is damaged. On older Chicago buildings, that usually means years of water getting into the wall — through failed joints, a bad parapet, a leaking roof edge, or a missing flashing — followed by freeze-thaw cycles that break the brick apart from the inside.

Common problems we restore

• Spalled brick — faces flaking or popping off, leaving soft, exposed brick behind
• Cracked or displaced sections — stair-step cracks, bulges, or brick that has shifted out of plane
• Openings — cracked brick and sagging above windows, doors, and porch connections where the support has deteriorated
• Window and door infills — closing unused openings with brick tied into the existing wall
• Chimneys — loose brick, failed crowns, and leaks where the chimney passes through the roof
• Water-damaged wall bases — brick and joints breaking down where water sits against the wall

How we restore brick

Damaged bricks are cut out individually and replaced with brick matched as closely as we can to size, color, and texture. Where a section is too far gone, we take it down to sound masonry and rebuild it. Around openings, we expose the damaged area, repair or replace the support above, and rebuild the brick around it.

Matching matters on Chicago brick. We look at the existing brick and mortar and pick replacement materials and mortar that suit the older wall, rather than simply the hardest mix available.

Fix the water source too

Brick damage is almost always a water problem first. Restoring a wall without fixing the cause means paying for it again. Because we do roofing and masonry, we can trace the water back to a parapet, a roof-to-wall flashing, or a failing flat roof and include that in the same scope. If the roof is the issue, see flat roof repair or flat roof replacement.

What to expect from the estimate

We walk the building, photograph the damage, and write a quote that separates urgent work from repairs that can be planned for later. You get clear line items, not a single lump number. If something looks structural beyond ordinary masonry repair, we will say so and recommend you get it evaluated before work starts.