Mortar joints and brick face wear down over decades of NYC weather. Addressing it proactively is cheaper — and safer — than waiting for a facade inspection to flag it.
Call or email for a free estimate — no obligation.
If this is tied to a Local Law 11 / FISP inspection report, see our facade violation page for the paperwork side.
Mortar is designed to be the sacrificial material in a brick wall — deliberately softer than the brick itself, so it wears down first and can be repointed instead of losing brick. Freeze-thaw cycles are the main driver of that wear: water trapped in a mortar joint freezes and expands through the dozens of freeze-thaw cycles NYC sees each winter, gradually breaking the joint down from the inside.
One detail that matters more than most owners realize: older NYC buildings were often built with softer lime mortar, not the harder portland-cement mixes used today. Repointing an old lime-mortar wall with modern hard mortar reverses the sacrificial relationship — the joint becomes harder than the brick, so the brick itself starts absorbing the wear instead, which accelerates exactly the kind of spalling and face loss that tends to show up on a facade inspection report.
Call or email for a free estimate — we'll assess the masonry and tell you what it needs.