Brick Repair & Tuckpointing – Historical Restoration

ARC in San Francisco provides expert comprehensive masonry repair. Unit masonry, such as brick or sandstone, tends to leak and deteriorate at the joints, particularly after aging and exposure to weather. We tuckpoint mortar and apply clear penetrating sealers and waterproof grout, which greatly improves the life and appearance of exterior masonry. We have provided masonry restoration for many high-profile projects in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.

Historical Restoration

Walk through most any historic downtown district in San Francisco and you’ll see it lined with brick structures that may be more than 100 years old. Commercial buildings like courthouses, libraries, churches, hospitals, hotels, etc. are often constructed with stone or brick masonry. In the case of the Cocoa Building in Ghirardelli Square in the photo above, over the decades, the mortar between bricks and stones had become compromised by moisture, mold, and other environmental elements. The ARC team employing a technique called tuckpointing, used routers to remove damaged mortar at all elevations of the building (using personal protective equipment dust suppression systems to help minimize the risks associated with fine dust particles). Mixing new mortar matched to the brick the routed areas were filled, followed by cutting thin strips down the middle of the joints to form grooves. A final coat of mortar matching the original mortar color was used to an fill in the thinner grooves and the newly tuckpointed bricks were sealed with Siloxiane sealer.

Architectural Restoration & Waterproofing is a historical restoration masonry and tuckpointing contractor. Serving San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.