Chicago is often cited as one of America’s greenest cities.  Buildings with lower operating costs and better indoor environmental quality are more attractive to a growing group of corporate, public and individual buyers. Sustainable building materials and high performing building features will increasingly enter into tenants’ decisions about leasing space and into buyers’ decisions about purchasing properties and homes. Brick, a staple of Chicago architecture, remains one of the most sustainable building materials in the world.  When looking at sustainability, it is important to evaluate a product’s life cycle from a number of perspectives.  Factors might include energy efficiency, recyclability, fossil fuel depletion, habitat alteration, ozone depletion, water intake, human health and more.

With an average life of 100 years, brick has clear advantage over vinyl which last 50 years, or wood, which lasts 20-25 years. According to the Brick Industry Association, manufacturers have reduced the energy required to manufacturer brick to 1,239 BTU per pound from the approximately 4,000 BTU per pound required in the past.

Very little waste is produced in manufacturing and building because bricks are inherently recyclable.  Once water is extracted, a pound of clay material yields almost a pound of brick once water is extracted. During the manufacturing process, any materials that are left over after one run of bricks has been fired can simply be re-mixed into the next run. On the construction site, brick debris can be incorporated into the landscape or used for other projects.

The materials used to manufacture brick are abundant and readily available. The Brick Industry Association reports that most brick is manufactured from materials that are an average of 15 miles away from the plant.  There are two or more plants within 500 miles of 49 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas within the United States.

Brick walls are heavy and dense, so they absorb heat and slow down its transfer through the wall.  This moderates temperature changes, slowing down heat gain in summer, and storing heat in winter. This is called its ‘lag time’.

Tuckpointing Chicago Brick Buildings

Outside of tuckpointing once every 30 years or so, very little maintenance is required on brick buildings.  Shamrock Tuckpointing helps building owners identify problem masonry joints so they can be tuckpointed to keep water from penetrating and deteriorating the brick. During the tuckpointing process, joints are cleaned and new mortar is put in place. This ensures a full 100-year-life.

As a building owner, you can feel confident promoting the green nature of brick. Contact us for tuckpointing and brick repair on your Chicago-area buildings to ensure maximum sustainability.

You may be surprised that the state of Illinois does not require masonry or tuckpointing contractors to have a license. Instead the decision to license or not is left up to individual municipalities.  This makes it even more important to do your due diligence when hiring a  contractor to tuckpoint your  buildings. A few strategic questions help you make an informed choice.

1) How long have you been in business?

Should you have a question or problem with your job six months or a year from now, you want a company that’s going to be around to answer your call. Hiring your nephew’s friend who has been laid off from his job may save a couple of bucks, but where will he be in a year?  It’s also easier to check the references and ratings of a long-standing business  vs. someone just picking up a side job.

2) Is your company insured and bonded?

A contractor with employees is required to have workman’s comp insurance  to provide coverage in case someone is hurt or injured on the job.  If a worker is injured while performing the work on your property and the contractor doesn’t have insurance, you could be financially liable to pay for injuries and rehabilitation.

A bond is an insurance policy that guarantees that the contractor will meet his obligations. If a contractor us unable to complete a job, or performs substandard work, the bonding company would provide payment. Most government agencies only work with bonded contractors. Some bonds are designed to protect you against substandard work that does not meet with local building codes.

3)Can you provide references?

It’s shocking how many people hire a contractor without ever checking references. A contractor should be able to produce a list of customers you can call to ask about the quality of the work, timeliness, and other important factors. Online references or reviews maybe useful, but evaluate them in total rather than getting hung up on one negative review.

4)Who will be on the job site?

It is important to know who is doing the work and what their experience level is. Will the job be subcontracted out to another firm? Who will supervise the job site?

5) What’s the timetable for completing the work?

Weather can sometimes play havoc on tuckpointing schedules, but it’s important to find out how long the job will take and when you can expect it to be completed. You want as little disruption as possible. If you need workers to come in off-peak hours to avoid inconvenience to customers, be sure to let the contractor informed.

6) Do you need a permit for tuckpointing? If so, who will obtain it?

In the city of Chicago, permits are required for most tuckpointing work, and the work must be performed by a licensed masonry contractor. Here’s a list of what types of masonry work don’t require a permit in Chicago. Check with your local municipality to determine the rules for your particular job. Before work begins, ensure that you have all the permits you need to proceed.

Choosing the right contractor doesn’t have to be a a time-consuming chore. If you have your questions organized it should be easy to get the information you need. Click here to learn more about Shamrock Tuckpointing.

The state of Illinois considers building maintenance essential service. Shamrock Tuckpointing is available to perform tuckpointing, chimney repairs and other masonry work to protect your investment.

Contact-free estimates

We are able to communicate with customers via email and phone, and in most cases can inspect your property for an estimate without any customer contact. If contact is required, we will follow recommended guidelines for social distance.

On the jobsite our workers will follow recommended guidelines for social distancing and hand washing to protect them from COVID-19. Building owners are free to inspect the jobsite as long as social distancing is maintained.

Deteriorating mortar and bricks are best addressed promptly to avoid water damage as well as mold issues. We look forward to providing tuckpointing, chimney repair and other masonry services.

Illinois was the wettest state in the nation in June with 8.97 inches of water falling – breaking the record set back in 1895. Chicago’s Midway airport recorded more than 10 inches of rain. July is also shaping up to be wetter than normal.

With so much rain, issues with damp walls that may have quickly disappeared in the past, can persist. While no one is  happy to have to contend with a water issue, taking care of the dampness before it becomes a bigger problem is always the best strategy.

Water that seeps through walls at any point is called  penetrating damp vs. dampness in the lower part of ground floor walls which is called rising damp. Tuckpointing, brick repair and caulking can often help prevent penetrating damp. A penetrating damp patch may appear when strong winds derive rain against the house and disappear after the rain.  If a whole wall is damp, it may be that the brick has become porous with age.  Telltale signs of penetrating damp includes blotchy patches on the wall, wet and crumbly plaster, mildew on the walls or even water on the surface. Check out the common symptoms and cures.

If you live in Chicago, Orland Park, Downers Grove, LaGrange or other Chicago suburbs take advantage of our free estimates. For smaller jobs you can also snap a picture and upload it right to our site via our contact form. A cure for damp brick walls may be closer than you think.

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Downers Grove Tuckpointing
Orland Park Tuckpointing
LaGrange Tuckpointing

Older brick homes have withstood many forces of nature. Temperature fluctuations cause the brick to expand and extract. After many years of aging the mortar joints begin to deteriorate. Tuckpointing or repointing when done correctly restores the home’s physical integrity as well as its visual appeal.

Improper mortar mixture is the biggest mistake made when tuckpointing older brick homes. Such a mistake can damage a brick home. Ironically, too strong of a mortar mixture can be harmful. That’s because in old homes (pre-1890) the bricks were weaker and mortar was used not as a glue to hold brick together but as a joint to absorb moisture and allow brick movement. The mortar should be as soft or softer than the original because it will absorb water and act as an expansion joint allowing the wall to give, relieving stress. It is important to get it right to prevent damage. The amount of Portland Cement in a mortar mix can determine its softness or hardness.

Fortunately, a visual inspection by an experienced tuckpointer can provide most of the information needed to use the right mortar mix. He should assess the strength and permeability of the existing mortar. The mortar mix doesn’t have to contain the exact mix as that used in the original. In fact, that would be impossible. The goal is to come close so that old and new mortar co-exist and match closely.

Historically, bricklayers used lime and sand to mix mortar. It is the sand in the mixture that influences color and texture. Vapor permeability is another critical factor. It’s a measure of how much water vapor passes through the mortar. In older brick homes the new mortar should be as vapor permeable and as soft as the old mortar. This prevents damage to the masonry by relieving stresses to the wall. Careful attention to these mortar attributes helps prevent premature cracking of the mortar and spalling brick.

A narrow tuck-pointing trowel may be all that’s needed to scrape the fresh mortar into a joint of an older brick home, but it is an experienced tuckpointer’s observation, along with a spray mister, that keeps the mortar moist and prevents early drying.