At Leonard & Sons, most people know us as being Chicagoland’s top chimney maintenance and repair company. However, we didn’t start out in the chimney business. In fact, our company started out as a tuckpointing business way back in 1966. Throughout the years, Leonard and Sons has evolved from specializing in just tuckpointing, into offering chimney and masonry services as well. Although we are well known for offering top-notch chimney services, we still offer tuckpointing services for all types of masonry, not just chimneys. We do this is because our company was rooted in tuckpointing home and business buildings and we still want to keep the tradition of preserving the brick buildings in our wonderful city alive. Leonard and Sons does this by offering services that help restore and strengthen Chicago’s beautiful older buildings.
What is tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing consists of removing old, loosened, and crumbling mortar from between bricks and replacing it with new mortar. We do this by having an experienced mason carefully grind away the old mortar and then fill in that gap with new mortar. Once the mortar has been placed, it will be smoothed and left to dry. The result is masonry that is both stronger and more aesthetically pleasing than it previously was. Tuckpointing also remediates a potentially hazardous situation by strengthening your masonry.
Do I need tuckpointing?
Your mortar is a binding agent that holds your masonry together. If your mortar is weakened, it can’t hold your brickwork together as well as it is supposed to. The result of this is potential for loose or falling brickwork as well as crumbling masonry. You mortar also helps to protect your masonry from moisture. If moisture is allowed to settle into your masonry, is can cause all sorts of issues with smells, stains, and weakening of your masonry. Tuckpointing brings new life into your masonry, strengthening it and protecting it from water.
Often times you can tell if your masonry is in need of tuckpointing by giving it a quick inspection. If you notice cracking, crumbling, or loose mortar joints, you probably need tuckpointing. If you are still unsure after your inspection, you can do something called the key test. Simply take a key and run it along your mortar. If it scratches off any white or gray powdery substance, it is probably time to consider tuckpointing.
Call Us Today!
One mistake a lot of people make is putting off masonry repairs until their masonry is in disrepair. When you put off mortar joint repairs it can quickly turn into a larger masonry issue. Although we here at Leonard & Sons can repair brickwork as well, this type of masonry work is more time consuming and expensive than tuckpointing. Wouldn’t you rather stop masonry issues before it’s too late?
If you think that you may need tuckpointing, Leonard & Sons are the experts you are looking for. Please call us today at 847-658-7659 or schedule an appointment online with one of our expert masons today.
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