Oxnard · Masonry Services
Brick Laying
New brick work and repair: veneer, patios, walls, columns, porches, fences, tuckpointing, sealing and cleaning.
Brick Laying · Oxnard
New Brick Work and Brick Repair
Brick masonry covers two very different jobs. One is new work: brick wall construction, a brick patio, a brick fence along a property line, brick columns at a gate, a brick porch or a brick facade laid as veneer over a framed wall. The other is repair, which is most of what the older streets of Ventura, Santa Paula and Oxnard need. That side is tuckpointing and brick repointing where mortar joints have eroded, individual brick replacement, brick steps repair, brick cleaning and brick sealing, and brick staining where a repair needs to disappear into an eighty-year-old wall. We do both, and we treat matching as part of the work rather than an afterthought, because a repair that reads as a patch has only solved half the problem. Brick pairs naturally with the rest of the hardscape, so a brick walkway often gets quoted alongside Stucco repair on the same wall or a Stone Masonry cap on the same run.
What Makes Our Brick Work Different
Mortar is the part most contractors get wrong. It has to be softer than the brick it holds, so that seasonal movement is absorbed by the joint rather than by the brick face. Modern portland mortar packed into a pre-war soft brick wall is harder than the brick, and within a few years the faces start popping off. We match mortar by strength, color, sand and joint profile, and on historic work we mock up a section and let you look at it in daylight before we carry on. That care carries across everything we do at Oxnard Masonry, but it matters most here.
- Mortar matched by strength and color, with lime mixes on pre-war brick.
- Joints raked by hand to consistent depth before repointing, never surface-smeared.
- Brick sourced to match existing size, color and texture, including reclaimed stock.
- Repointing done in sections so a wall never loses bearing across its length.
- Cleaning done with the gentlest method that works, starting well short of high-pressure water.
- Structural cracking diagnosed before it is filled, since filling it alone fixes nothing.
Reasons to Call a Brick Mason
Brick tells you it needs attention well before it fails. The signs worth acting on:
Mortar joints are soft, sandy or missing
Run a key along a joint. If it digs out easily, the mortar has weathered past its life and water is getting into the wall. Tuckpointing at that stage is straightforward. Left another decade, it becomes a rebuild.
Brick faces are spalling or flaking
Faces popping off usually mean water is getting in and freezing or salting behind the surface, or that a previous repair used mortar harder than the brick. Both are fixable, but the cause has to be corrected or the new brick fails the same way.
You want brick where there is none
Brick veneer over a framed or block wall gives you the look and durability of solid masonry at a fraction of the weight and cost. Same for a brick facade on a chimney chase, a set of brick columns at a driveway or a brick porch replacing a tired concrete stoop.
A chimney or porch has moved
Older Ventura County chimneys were often built without ties to the frame. If a chimney is separating from the house, or porch steps have settled away from the entry, the fix is structural and worth doing before the next winter rather than after it.
The brick is stained, painted or mismatched
Brick cleaning lifts efflorescence, soot and organic growth. Brick staining evens out a patched wall or shifts the color of a whole facade without the trap of paint, which seals brick shut and traps moisture inside it.
You want an outdoor space in brick
A brick patio laid on a proper base is one of the longest-lived surfaces you can put in a yard, and it works well alongside a built-in cooking area. We handle that side under Outdoor Kitchens when the two are built together.
Photograph the wall straight on and again at a low angle, and we can usually tell you over the phone whether you are looking at repointing or a rebuild. Call: 805-301-6837
How We Work
From the first walkthrough to the final cleanup, the same crew is on your property.
1. Assessment and matching
We look at the whole element rather than the failure you called about, identify whether the cause is water, movement or a previous repair, and take a sample of the existing mortar and brick. Matching happens before pricing, because a wall needing custom-matched brick prices differently from one we can serve out of standard stock.
2. Preparation and layout
On repairs, joints are cut and raked to depth and the wall is cleaned and dampened so it does not pull water out of the fresh mortar. On new work, footings go in, the first course is laid dead level, and the bond pattern is set out so cuts land where they are least visible.
3. Laying, pointing and finishing
Brick goes up to a line, with joints tooled to match the profile of the original. Repointing is done in sections. When the mortar has cured we clean the face, seal it where exposure justifies it, and leave the site swept and the surplus material hauled away.
Brick Work We Take On
The brick jobs we are called for most often around Ventura County:
Tuckpointing and brick repointing
Cutting out failed mortar and replacing it with a matched mix. Brick pointing restores the weather seal and the strength of the wall, and done in time it is the cheapest structural repair in masonry.
Brick veneer and brick facade
A single wythe of brick tied back to a framed or block wall over a drainage plane and flashing. Brick veneer gives a house the mass and texture of solid masonry without the foundation a solid wall would need.
Brick patio, walkway and steps
Brick laid in running bond, herringbone or basketweave on a compacted base, with edge restraint that keeps the pattern tight. Brick steps repair is a regular job on older homes where treads have settled or the risers have lost their mortar.
Brick wall construction and fencing
Garden walls, property-line brick fences, screen walls and brick columns, reinforced and footed properly so they stay plumb. Pier and panel construction keeps cost down on longer runs.
Brick columns, porches and entries
Structural or decorative columns at a gate or carport, and brick porch rebuilds where the original has settled. Both usually involve concrete work underneath, which we cover under Concrete.
Brick cleaning, sealing and staining
Gentle cleaning first, then a breathable sealer where exposure justifies one. Brick staining is the honest way to change color, because unlike paint it soaks in and lets the wall keep drying outward.
What Affects the Cost of Brick Laying
Brick pricing depends on whether we are laying new work or fixing old work, and on how much of the wall is involved:
- New brick work is priced per square foot, typically $10 to $45 installed depending on the brick, the bond pattern and the amount of cutting.
- Tuckpointing runs about $5 to $25 per square foot. A full home exterior generally lands between $2,000 and $8,000 depending on how far the mortar has gone.
- Matching drives cost on older homes. Standard modern brick is cheap and available; reclaimed or custom-matched brick is neither.
- Height and access. Anything above single-storey reach needs scaffold, which adds setup days before a mason lays a brick.
- Bond pattern. Running bond is quick. Herringbone, basketweave and soldier courses all take more cutting and more time.
- Structural repair underneath. If a lintel, footing or chimney tie has failed, that gets fixed first and is priced separately so you can see it.
Estimates are free and written flat-rate. If a wall turns out to need more than the surface suggests, you hear it before we proceed, not on the final invoice. Brick work often gets quoted alongside Pavers when a patio and a walkway are being done in the same season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can cracked brick be repaired?
Yes. Brick repair methods include tuckpointing to replace deteriorated mortar joints, individual brick replacement, and crack stitching where movement has opened a line through the wall. Early brick repair prevents water damage and structural issues, and it is far cheaper than the rebuild that follows if the wall is left another ten years.
How much does tuckpointing cost?
Tuckpointing typically costs $5 to $25 per square foot. A full home exterior runs $2,000 to $8,000 depending on the extent of mortar deterioration, the height of the walls and whether scaffold is needed. Spot repointing of a single elevation or a chimney is considerably less.
How often does brick need maintenance?
Brick itself lasts 100 years or more, but mortar joints may need repointing every 25 to 30 years. An annual look over the wall by a brick mason catches early deterioration before it becomes costly. On coastal properties in Oxnard and Port Hueneme, salt air shortens that interval, so we suggest checking joints more often within a mile of the water.
Planning masonry work in Ventura County?
Send a few photos and rough measurements and we will come back with a written estimate at no charge.
Or call us now: 805-301-6837