Tuckpointing Foundation Walls in Colorado

TUCKPOINTING: The service life of many older foundations, constructed from native stone, may often be greatly extended with proper maintenance. This maintenance process is known as "tuckpointing".

If you'd like a free foundation tuckpointing quote, contact Peak Structural of Colorado today!  We serve Greeley, Brighton, Northglenn, Denver, Fort Collins, Wheat ridge, Littleton, and many areas nearby.

How do you know if your stone foundation could benefit from this process?

Simple, if the mortar between the stones on your older foundation is brittle or crumbles when you apply light to moderate pressure with a blunt object, or if you see voids where mortar has already crumbled and fallen out over time, then you can be certain that the mortar has reached the end of its service life and needs to be replaced. This is where tuckpointing comes in.

Tuckpointing Foundation Walls

The idea of tuckpointing is really rather simple, and consists of three steps. First, old stone mortar is physically removed from the joints between the stones by scraping.

Second, the joints between the stones are cleaned with compressed air or hand brushing.

Thirdly, new mortar is injected under force into these voids, and the surface of the new mortar joints is smoothed and finished.

Another benefit to tuckpointing is that it's considered to be a non-structural process. This means that you don't have to worry about open holes or large construction issues.

Tuckpointing is most appropriately used when a stone wall is not significantly bowed or showing other signs of significant structural distress, and generally does not require a building permit or inspections by the building authorities.

In many cases, proper tuckpointing can enhance the performance and extend the useful life of a stone foundation for many years without robbing your vintage home of its charm and unique construction.