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AM&S Masonry & Tuckpointing

With decades of combined experience, our team has become a trusted name in masonry and tuckpointing throughout Arlington Heights. We specialize in restoring and strengthening both historic and modern buildings, from brick repairs and facade restoration to full tuckpointing and chimney rebuilds. Our mission is built on craftsmanship, honesty, and long-term value. By combining proven techniques with modern tools, we deliver precise and durable results on every project. Whether it’s a residential home or a commercial property in Arlington Heights, we approach every job with professionalism, transparency, and a commitment to quality.

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Brick by Brick, We Build with Precision and Purpose

Comprehensive Masonry & Tuckpointing Services

Tuckpointing

Masonry

Pressure Washing

Brick Chimney Repair

Brick Fireplaces

Lintel Repair

PREVENTIVE MASONRY CARE

The Best Time to Understand a Wall Is Before the Repair Becomes Obvious

Masonry buildings provide warning signs, but those signs are easier to interpret when someone knows what changed. A crack photographed three years ago and found at the same width today tells a different story from one that has visibly extended across several courses in a single season. Preventive maintenance is largely about comparison. Instead of waiting for loose brick, interior staining, or major displacement, the building is reviewed repeatedly for small changes in joints, openings, drainage details, and exposed masonry. The goal is not to invent repairs. It is to recognize developing patterns while the cause is still easier to isolate.

Create a Visual Record

Photographs taken from the same general positions make changes in cracks, mortar erosion, and staining easier to compare over time.

Inspect After Seasonal Exposure

Spring can reveal damage after winter moisture and freezing conditions, while later inspections may show how walls dry and respond during warmer months.

Watch Repeating Locations

The same corner, sill, lintel, or parapet showing repeated distress deserves more attention than an isolated cosmetic imperfection elsewhere.

Plan Repairs by Condition

Condition-based maintenance helps separate work that should be addressed soon from masonry that can remain in service and continue to be observed.

Preventive masonry care is less dramatic than emergency repair, and that is precisely the advantage. A building does not need every crack chased or every aged joint replaced. It needs a reliable history of how its walls are behaving. Once changes are documented, repair decisions can be based on movement, moisture, and material deterioration rather than guesswork. That makes maintenance more precise and helps preserve more of the original masonry.

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THE LIFE OF A MASONRY WALL

Tuckpointing Extends Wall Life by Renewing the Part Designed to Be Renewed

Brick masonry lasts because the wall is made of individual components that do not all age at the same rate. Brick units may remain serviceable for generations while the mortar between them gradually loses material. That difference is not a flaw in the system. In a compatible masonry assembly, joints can be renewed without dismantling the entire wall. Tuckpointing becomes important when mortar has reached the point where it can no longer maintain a sound joint profile. The process restores that replaceable layer and gives the existing brickwork a better chance to remain in service.

The Brick Remains in Place

Many masonry units can continue performing long after the exposed mortar surface begins to weather. The first task is determining whether the brick itself is still sound enough to preserve.

Aged Mortar Is Removed Selectively

Repointing is not a coating applied over the facade. Deteriorated joint material is removed to sufficient depth so new mortar can be packed against a sound surface.

The Joint Is Rebuilt

Fresh compatible mortar is placed in controlled lifts and compacted into the joint. Proper filling matters because a thin surface layer has little connection to the deeper joint behind it.

The Wall Returns to a Maintainable Cycle

Years later, exposed mortar may weather again. A masonry wall that can be inspected and selectively repointed remains easier to preserve than one allowed to deteriorate until brick units and concealed components are involved.

The real value of tuckpointing is not that it makes old masonry look new. It allows an existing wall to continue aging in a controlled and repairable way. Good maintenance preserves the durable portions of the building while renewing material that has reached the end of its useful condition. Seen from that perspective, mortar joints are not a minor cosmetic detail. They are one of the reasons a brick wall can remain serviceable for such a long time.

One of Brick's Greatest Environmental Advantages Is the Building That Keeps Standing

Sustainability discussions often focus on new products, but existing masonry introduces another question: how much usable building material is already in place? A brick wall that remains structurally sound contains units that have already been manufactured, transported, and assembled. Keeping those walls in service can reduce the need to remove and replace large portions of the exterior simply because selected joints or masonry units require repair. Brick is particularly suited to this kind of long-term thinking because many repairs can be localized. Deteriorated mortar can be repointed. Individual damaged units can be removed and replaced. Salvaged brick may sometimes be retained for compatible repair where its condition and properties are suitable. This does not make every old brick building automatically sustainable or worth preserving unchanged. Water problems, structural defects, and incompatible alterations still require technical evaluation. The larger point is that durability and repairability create options. A wall capable of remaining in use through successive maintenance cycles may avoid the material turnover associated with shorter-lived exterior systems.

Existing Material Stays in Service

Preserving sound masonry allows large portions of the original exterior wall to remain rather than being removed solely because isolated areas have deteriorated.

Repairs Can Be Selective

Individual brick replacement makes it possible to address damaged units while leaving neighboring masonry undisturbed when it remains serviceable.

Salvaged Brick May Have a Second Use

Where suitable material is available and compatible with the existing wall, carefully salvaged masonry can sometimes support restoration work rather than becoming immediate waste.

Long Service Life Changes the Calculation

A material that remains in service for decades and can be periodically maintained should be evaluated differently from an exterior system designed around frequent full replacement.

SUPPORT ABOVE OPENINGS

A Lintel Problem Is Ultimately a Question of What Is Holding Up the Masonry

Look at an uninterrupted brick wall and each course is supported by masonry below it. Place a window in that wall and the load path changes. Brick can no longer continue straight downward through the opening. A lintel creates a bridge, carrying masonry across the gap and transferring forces toward the sides. That makes lintel deterioration different from ordinary surface weathering. Corrosion is important, but so are deformation, loss of steel section, inadequate bearing, and movement in the brickwork above. A crack near an opening may be the first visible evidence that support conditions are changing. Simply replacing cracked mortar does not answer the structural question. Repair decisions should begin with the load path. Is the steel still capable of performing its role? Are the ends properly supported? Has the lintel moved or deflected? Is the masonry above stable during the work? In more advanced conditions, temporary support may be required before brick is removed and the existing steel can be replaced safely.

Follows the Load Path

The investigation starts with how masonry above the opening transfers weight toward the supporting wall at each side.

Evaluates Structural Steel

Visible rust is only one observation. Section condition, deformation, and the ability of the lintel to continue supporting masonry are more important to the repair decision.

Considers Stability During Repair

Removing brick or structural steel changes the support condition temporarily. The repair sequence must account for the masonry that remains above the opening.

Looks Beyond the Crack

Cracking, displacement, and recurring joint failure are evaluated in relation to the opening rather than treated as isolated mortar defects.

From First Brick to Final Inspection

A Clear and Trusted Approach to Masonry Excellence

What Clients Are Saying About Our Masonry Work

The team was professional, punctual, and truly skilled. They restored the brickwork on our historic home beautifully — it looks brand new and solid.

I appreciated their clear communication and attention to detail throughout the tuckpointing project. The results exceeded my expectations and really improved the building’s durability.

From start to finish, the process was smooth and transparent. The crew treated my property with respect and delivered excellent craftsmanship. Highly recommended!

AM&S Masonry & Tuckpointing

Ready to Restore or Upgrade Your Masonry?
Reach Out Today for a Free, No-Obligation Estimate