Tuckpointing, repointing and brick repairs across Sydney
Mon–Fri 7am–5pm · Sat 9am–3pmastutetp@gmail.com
Mortar joints · Sydney
We remove worn, crumbling mortar and renew the joints in a mix that suits your brickwork. Repointing for Sydney homes, fences, piers and chimneys.
Typical price$60–$100 per m² in cement mortar, GST included. What sets it
Why mortar fails
Repointing, also called brick pointing, replaces the worn outer mortar in a brick wall. Over time, weather and movement can leave joints sandy, recessed or open, allowing water in. Sound mortar is retained; failed mortar is removed and the joints filled again.
We repoint house walls, front fences, gate piers and chimneys, from a small worn section to a whole façade.
Damp and cracking can have other causes. We assess the wall before recommending a repair.
Our work · Repointing
The recessed joints around this window have been repointed. The original brick faces remain, with the new mortar forming the finished joints. No decorative tuck line has been added.
Tuckpointing over renewed joints: Mosman
Before
AfterHow it’s done
Failed mortar is removed carefully. The new mix, colour and joint profile are chosen to suit the brickwork already there.
From your photos, and in person if the job needs a closer look, we check how deep the damage goes, the brick and the existing mortar, and whether any bricks need replacing first.
Failed mortar is raked back to a sound depth by hand or with a fine cutter, taking care not to widen the joints or chip the bricks. The joints are cleaned of dust and dampened for the new mortar.
Mortar is packed in, finished to the profile and the wall cleaned down.
We assess the existing brick and mortar before choosing a compatible mix: lime or cement, as the next section explains.
The new mortar is coloured to suit the wall, especially where a repaired section meets older joints.
Joints can be flush with the brick, sloped to shed water (weatherstruck), curved inwards (ironed), or prepared for a decorative tuck line. The existing wall guides the finish.
Joint profiles
Low sun across a wall shows the shape of every joint. Choose a profile and move the light to see how each one catches it.
Lime or cement mortar?
Lime was the main binder in Australian mortar until the middle of the twentieth century; cement mortars took over after that. A repair mortar should suit the wall it goes into, and on a wall first built with lime mortar, that usually means lime again.
Typical price$80–$130 per m²GST included
Typical price$60–$100 per m²GST included
Repointing in lime is priced higher than in cement. Some newer walls also suit a lime-based mix, for example where salt or damp needs to dry out through the joints. We assess the existing brick and mortar before choosing.
Heritage Council of Victoria: repointing older buildings (opens in a new tab)Sandstone repointing
Plenty of Sydney homes sit on a sandstone base, and older streets are lined with sandstone front and retaining walls. Their joints weather like brickwork does, and the same rule applies: the mortar should be weaker and more permeable than the stone around it, so the joints wear rather than the stone.
We repoint sandstone as well as brick. These three jobs are ours: a rubble street wall in Cammeray, a bungalow’s base in Artarmon and a cottage wall in Balmain that had been hidden under failed render.
The stone courses under a brick house, which can be pointed and cleaned alongside the brickwork above.
Rubble and block sandstone walls along a street or a garden.
Sandstone uncovered when old, failed render comes off, then cleaned and pointed.
Typical prices
A small section or a whole wall: the right scope depends on the condition of the joints, access and the finish you want.
Tuckpointing and repointing cost in SydneyPrices include GST. Your quote follows a free inspection and a written scope for your wall.
Get a free quoteThe amount of wall and how far the failed mortar needs to be raked back.
Whether damaged bricks or cracks need attention before the joints are renewed.
Chimneys, upper walls, narrow passages and any scaffolding the work needs.
The appropriate mix, colour and joint profile, including any tuckpointing.
Yes. Brick pointing, pointing and repointing all mean renewing the mortar joints between the bricks. Tuckpointing is a decorative finish on top of that: the joints are filled in mortar coloured to the brick and a fine raised line is run along each one.
Check your property’s heritage status and your council’s requirements before work starts. State-listed properties may also need Heritage NSW approval or an applicable exemption. The route depends on the property and the proposed work; we can explain the repointing scope for your enquiry.
Yes. Repointing only the worst sections is common, and there is no minimum job size. The new joints are matched to the old so the patch does not stand out.
Raking out old mortar makes dust, so windows, doors, paths and garden beds near the wall should be masked or covered, and the wall cleaned down as the work goes. You can see it in our photos: tape round a window frame in Strathfield, a covered tiled verandah in Earlwood. Ask us how your job will be set up before the work starts.
Quotes can cover different work. One may rake out only the loosest mortar while another takes every joint back to a sound depth, and the mortar mix, how the finish is matched, access and scaffolding, and cleaning down all change the price. Compare quotes on the same area and finish, and ask each what is included and what is not. Any scaffolding your job needs is included in our quote.
We start as soon as we can once you accept the quote. As a guide, a small repair, a single lintel or most crack stitching takes a day or two, repointing a brick front fence one to two days, and tuckpointing a single-storey brick front about a week. Larger or higher walls, scaffolding and wet weather add time. Tell us about any renovation deadline when you enquire and your quote will give a realistic start date and duration.
Related services
TuckpointingWant the fine white lines? Tuckpointing adds a decorative line over coloured mortar.
Brick repairsDamaged bricks may need replacing alongside the mortar repair.
Crack stitchingCracks running through the wall need a closer look at the cause.Where we work
We work across the five regions below. Find service information, project examples and local heritage guidance for your area.
Find your suburbWhat happens next
The inspection and quote are free, and nothing is booked until you’ve said yes to the quote.
Call us, or send the form with your suburb and a few photos of the wall if you have them. We’ll call you back as soon as we can.
We look at your photos, and come out to inspect where the wall needs a closer look.
We explain the work, what the quote covers and the finish you’ll get, so you can decide.
Once you accept, we start as soon as we can and arrange any scaffolding the job needs. Most jobs take from a day or two to about a week, depending on the size of the wall and the weather. You don’t need to be home while we work.
Mortar smears and dust are cleaned off the wall as we go, so it’s left clean for you to check against the quote.
Free inspection & quote
Tell us about the joints and the suburb, or call to talk it through. A small section or a whole wall: there is no minimum job size.
0402 133 821Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm · Saturday, 9am to 3pm · Sunday closedastutetp@gmail.comSending photos? A whole-wall photo and a close-up of the worn joints help most.
