Masonry Installation Services › Brick and Block Repair

Brick and Block Repair in Nashville, TN

Brick and block repair means cutting out what has failed — cracked mortar, spalled brick faces, shifted courses — and replacing it with material that bonds correctly and matches what was there. It is not patching over the surface. Done right, it stops water infiltration and restores the wall's ability to carry load. Done wrong, it fails within a couple of winters.

Call (629) 228-9821

When to Call

When You Need Brick and Block Repair

Mortar joints are crumbling or missing in sections of an exterior wall
Brick faces are flaking or popping off on south or west facing walls
A section of block foundation has cracked horizontally or shows offset
Water is getting into the basement through a brick or block wall
You see white mineral deposits forming on brick surfaces after rain
Step edges or chimney courses are loose or shifting out of plane

How It Works

Our Process for Brick and Block Repair

1

Assess the damage extent

We probe joints and tap brick faces across the affected area. Damage is rarely limited to what is visible. We mark out the full repair zone before quoting.
2

Cut out failed material

We grind or chisel out deteriorated mortar to a minimum depth that gives the new mortar a real mechanical bond. We do not skim coat over bad joints.
3

Remove spalled or cracked units

Brick faces that have delaminated or blocks that have cracked through are removed fully. A patch on a failing unit will not hold.
4

Repoint or rebuild

New mortar is mixed to match the original joint strength and color as closely as possible. Replacement units are sourced to match existing coursing and texture.
5

Tool joints and clean

Joints are tooled to match the profile on the surrounding original work. Mortar smear is cleaned from face surfaces before it cures hard.

What's included

Full removal of failed mortar to adequate depth before repointing
Replacement of any brick or block units that cannot be repointed
Mortar mix matched to approximate original joint strength
Joint profile matched to surrounding original work
Surface cleaning and debris removal on completion

What's not included

Waterproof coatings or sealers applied after repair — priced separately
Structural repairs where wall movement is caused by footing failure
Matching antique or discontinued brick exactly — closest available match only

Real Situations

Common Scenarios in Nashville

A homeowner in Sylvan Park has a 1955 brick ranch where the mortar on the north side of the house is coming out in chunks.

We grind out the deteriorated joints across the full north elevation rather than spot-patching. On older homes like this, mortar tends to fail in larger zones than it first appears. We repoint with a mortar that matches the softer original mix so it does not cause the surrounding brick to crack.

A homeowner notices the face of several bricks near the foundation are spalling off in layers after a hard winter.

We check whether the spalling is limited to a few saturated courses or is widespread. Brick that has absorbed water and gone through freeze-thaw cycles loses its face permanently. Those units come out and get replaced. We also check that the grade is directing water away from the base of the wall.

A Madison homeowner has a concrete block basement wall with a horizontal crack running near mid-height.

We look at the crack pattern and check for wall deflection. Horizontal cracks in block walls can indicate soil pressure. We repair the masonry but we also tell the homeowner honestly if the crack pattern suggests a drainage or structural issue that goes beyond what repointing will fix.

Nashville Context

Why this matters in Nashville

Nashville homes built before 1980 used softer lime-based mortars that were appropriate for the brick of that era. When those joints are repointed with modern high-Portland mortar — which is harder — the stress transfers to the brick face and causes spalling. This mistake is common in the area. Matching mortar hardness to the existing brick matters as much as matching the color.

Straight Talk

About pricing & scope

Repair cost depends heavily on how far the damage has actually spread, which is not always obvious until you start cutting out material. We give you our best assessment at the estimate, but we have found situations where one bad section opens up into three. We stop and talk to you before expanding scope, not after the extra work is done.

What This Fixes