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Serving Richmond, CA and surrounding areas. (510) 660-6710
Cracked bricks, crumbling mortar, or earthquake damage - we find the problem, match your original materials, and repair it so the fix lasts and blends in.
Brick repair in Richmond, CA covers a range of fixes - from replacing cracked or spalling individual bricks to repointing worn mortar joints across a larger section of wall. Most residential jobs focus on specific problem areas: a damaged chimney, a section of garden wall that has seen too many winters, or spots where ground movement has opened gaps. Most small-to-mid repairs wrap up in one to three days.
Brick is durable but porous - it absorbs moisture. When water gets in and then dries repeatedly in Richmond's cycle of winter rain and summer sun, it gradually breaks the brick apart from the inside. The good news is that catching damage early means the brickwork can often be saved rather than replaced. Matching replacement bricks to your existing material in color, size, and texture takes extra care, but it is what keeps the repair from standing out as an obvious patch. When the problem is primarily in the mortar rather than the bricks, the fix is tuckpointing - removing the worn joints and repacking with fresh mortar.
The Brick Industry Association provides guidance for contractors on mortar compatibility and brick matching - both matter more on pre-1960 homes, where the original materials behave differently from modern products.
Chalky white staining - called efflorescence - means water is already moving through your brickwork and leaving mineral deposits behind. In Richmond's damp, bay-influenced climate this develops faster than in drier inland areas. It signals water is getting in somewhere and is worth getting assessed.
Run a finger along the joints between bricks. If the mortar feels soft or crumbles easily, or if there are spots where it has fallen out entirely, water has an open path into your wall. This is especially common in Richmond homes built before 1960, where original mortar has simply reached the end of its life.
The Bay Area gets small earthquakes regularly, and even a modest shake can open mortar joints or shift bricks slightly. If you noticed new cracks after a tremor - especially on a chimney or freestanding wall - get a mason out to assess it before Richmond's rainy season drives water deeper into those gaps.
If chunks of brick face are falling off or the surface looks rough and pitted where it used to be smooth, that is spalling. It means water has been penetrating the brick and breaking it apart from the inside. Richmond's year-round moisture, combined with occasional cold winter nights, can accelerate this process on older brick.
Our brick repair work covers chimneys, exterior walls, garden borders, retaining walls, steps, and any brick structure on your property where damage has gone beyond the mortar joints alone. We remove cracked, broken, or spalling bricks, source replacement units matched as closely as possible to your existing material in color and texture, and bed them with a mortar mix compatible with your wall. For pre-1960 Richmond homes - a large share of the city's housing stock - we use softer, more flexible mortar that works with the original materials rather than against them.
Brick repair and tuckpointing often go hand in hand - most jobs involve both replacing damaged bricks and repointing the surrounding joints. Where you need paving or hardscape work alongside masonry repairs, we also handle driveway pavers and related concrete work, so you have one contractor for the full scope.
Best for homeowners with cracked chimney crowns, shifted bricks, or visible gaps where the chimney meets the roofline - the most weather-exposed brick structure on most homes.
Suited to homes where specific sections of an exterior brick wall have damage from water, impact, or earthquake movement while the rest of the wall is in reasonable shape.
Right for freestanding brick borders and retaining walls where ground movement or persistent moisture has caused bricks to shift, crack, or work loose over time.
The most common approach - combining brick replacement in the damaged areas with full repointing of surrounding joints so the entire section is restored at once.
Richmond's location on San Francisco Bay gives the city a climate that is harder on brick and mortar than most homeowners expect. The combination of salt air, persistent coastal moisture, and a housing stock with a large share of pre-1960 homes means there is a steady supply of brickwork that has reached - or passed - the end of its original service life. Add in the Hayward Fault, and you have a city where minor ground movement is a routine background condition that slowly works masonry joints apart year after year. Homeowners in San Pablo and Oakland face similar conditions - older housing, seismic activity, and coastal weather that together accelerate the wear cycle.
Another factor specific to Richmond is the age and variety of the brick itself. Homes built during the World War II era used brick from that period - often darker, denser, and behaving differently from modern brick in terms of how it absorbs moisture and responds to mortar hardness. A contractor who has not worked on this type of brick before can inadvertently make the problem worse by using incompatible materials. We assess the existing brick before choosing a replacement and repair approach. The California Seismic Safety Commission provides context on how older masonry structures in the state are evaluated for earthquake risk - useful background for homeowners with pre-1970 brick.
We will get back to you within one business day. Describe what you are seeing in plain language - you do not need to know the technical terms. We will ask a few basic questions to show up prepared.
We inspect the damage in person and check the surrounding brickwork too, since problems often spread beyond the obvious area. For older Richmond homes, we look specifically for signs of earthquake movement or moisture intrusion. You get a written estimate before any decision.
We remove damaged bricks or mortar, source replacement bricks matched to your existing material, and bed everything with a compatible mortar mix. The work area stays contained - no debris scattered around your yard. Most jobs wrap up in one to three days.
New mortar needs 24 to 48 hours before it should get wet. We walk the completed job with you, point out the repaired areas, and flag anything else we spotted during the work that might need attention down the road.
Free written estimate with no obligation. We will tell you honestly what needs fixing and what can wait.
(510) 660-6710Older Richmond homes from the 1940s and 1950s need mortar that is softer and more compatible with their original brickwork. We assess the existing material before choosing a replacement mix, not after. Using the wrong hardness on an older wall can cause the bricks to crack - a mistake that costs more to fix than the original problem.
We do not just patch visible cracks and leave. After a tremor, we check whether the movement that caused the crack has been addressed, not just whether the surface looks filled. A patch on top of an ongoing structural issue is a temporary fix that will come back within a few seasons.
Mismatched brick color is one of the most visible signs of a rushed repair job. We take time to source bricks that match your existing material as closely as possible, so the finished repair blends into the wall rather than drawing attention to itself every time you look at your house.
You will know exactly what is being repaired, why, and what it costs before anyone picks up a tool. No surprise charges, no vague line items. This is standard practice with us because we think homeowners should never feel like they are guessing at what they agreed to.
Brick repair done correctly protects the underlying structure for decades. Done quickly with mismatched materials, it masks a problem that will resurface - often worse - after the next winter or the next tremor.
When the bricks themselves are solid but the mortar joints have worn down, tuckpointing removes the old material and packs in fresh, color-matched mortar.
Learn MoreBrick and paver driveways shift and crack over time in Richmond's clay soils - we reset, repoint, and replace damaged sections to restore a clean, level surface.
Learn MoreBrick damage in Richmond gets worse through every rainy season you wait. Call today for a free written estimate and get it fixed before the weather turns.