Specialty · Stone Pointing
What we offer
Whole-front façade pointing on a 1900s row home. Cut out every failed joint to proper depth, repoint with a color and texture-matched mortar mix, sponge clean. The visual result reads like the original wall, not a patch job.
Failed sections only, the cracked joints around a window opening, the corner where water has tracked, the band course over the front door. Targeted mortar repair when full-façade pointing is overkill.
Both brick and stone façades. Different stones (Wissahickon schist, Pennsylvania bluestone, brownstone) need different mortar mixes. We assess on site and match what was originally on the wall.
Chimney joints take the worst of Philly weather, constant freeze cycles, no protection from rain. We point chimney joints from staging or boom lift, including crown work where needed.
Wrong-color mortar in a stone pointing job is more visible than the failed joint was. We mix to match the original mortar, lime ratio, sand color, joint profile (concave, raked, struck). Match the wall, not a generic recipe.
Painting an old façade? Failed mortar pulls paint off the wall after a season or two. We point first, cure properly, then turn it over to your painter so the new paint actually sticks.
From our neighbors
“A short story…we needed someone who could do an emergency sidewalk repair in center city Philadelphia during the holidays! Impossible? Well, Marcello made it possible. He called back when he said he was going to call back. He showed up exactly when he said he'd show up. He arrived at…”
“A short story…we needed someone who could do an emergency sidewalk repair in center city Philadelphia during the holidays! Impossible? Well, Marcello made it possible. He called back when he said he was going to call back. He showed up exactly when he said he'd show up. He arrived at our center city address, got out of his truck and fixed the problem. He really cared about getting it right. And…all that happened for a reasonable price. Personable, honest, man-of-his word. He's been added to my short list of trusted Philly vendors.”
“I contracted with Marcello Family Concrete to replace my driveway, sidewalk, and steps/walkway from the driveway to the front door. The Marcello crew was AMAZING. They showed up on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up as they went along. The owner and his father are wonderful people. Besides, being professional,…”
“I contracted with Marcello Family Concrete to replace my driveway, sidewalk, and steps/walkway from the driveway to the front door. The Marcello crew was AMAZING. They showed up on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up as they went along. The owner and his father are wonderful people. Besides, being professional, honest, and dependable, they're true craftsmen who take tremendous pride in their work. It shows in the quality of the product they produce. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY.”
A family contractor
Marcello and his father pour every job themselves. The hands that quote your work are the hands that hold the trowel. No project-manager handoff, no subbed-out crew, no surprises.
What to expect
No call center. No answering service. Most days it’s Marcello himself on the line. We’ll talk through the project and schedule a free walk-through.
We measure, talk through what you’re looking for, and walk the existing condition with you. You’ll get a written quote with a clear scope, no pushy sales.
We confirm the start window with you, line up materials and equipment, and walk you through what to move (cars, hose reels, anything along the work line) before the crew arrives.
Cut out failed joints to depth, repoint with matched mortar, tool the joint profile, sponge the wall clean, mist over the cure window. Spot pointing wraps in a day; full-façade row home stone pointing runs 3–5 days plus cure.
FAQ
Stone pointing (or repointing) is the process of cutting out failed mortar joints between stones or bricks and replacing them with fresh mortar. It’s mortar repair work for façades and walls, not the stones themselves. The mortar is what holds the wall together and keeps water out; when it fails, the joints get pointed.
Visible signs: crumbling mortar joints you can scrape with a fingernail, missing mortar between stones or bricks, water staining on the wall after rain, efflorescence (white powder on the surface), spalled stone faces, paint failing on a stone or brick wall.
If you’re seeing any of those, your façade is past due for stone pointing. The longer you wait, the more expensive the repair.
Close, not perfectly identical. We sample the existing mortar, mix to match color and texture, and tool the joint to match the original profile. From sidewalk distance, the repair is usually invisible. Up close, you can sometimes see a fresh joint, it darkens to match over the first year.
If absolute color match matters more than cost, full-façade pointing gives the best result because the whole wall reads as one fresh job.
No, this is the most common DIY mistake on a Philly row home. Old walls (pre-1930) were built with lime-rich mortar that flexes with seasonal movement and breathes (lets moisture out). Modern Portland cement is too rigid; it traps water inside the wall and pops the stone face off in freeze cycles.
We mix lime-based mortars matched to the wall’s actual age. It’s the difference between mortar repair that lasts 80 years and one that destroys the wall in five.
Spot pointing on a small section: 1 day. Full-façade row home stone pointing: 3–5 days, plus a cure window. Whole house (front, sides, rear): 1–2 weeks. We don’t rush the cut-out depth or the mortar mix, that’s where bad pointing fails.
Depends on façade size, scope (spot vs. full), access (ground-level vs. needing a lift), and how much cut-out depth the existing joints require. Old, deeply failed joints take longer to clean than recent surface failure.
Free on-site estimate, written quote with a single number. No square-foot pricing because mortar repair varies too much by wall condition for a flat rate to be honest.
Other services
Closely related
Free-standing garden walls, stone façades, retaining walls, stone wall repair, partial rebuilds, and full reconstructions when the wall is past saving. Pennsylvania bluestone, Wissahickon schist, and field-stone work by the family concrete contractor since 1997.
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Closely related
Chimney mortar joint repair, crown work, brick rebuilds, partial reconstruction. The exterior masonry work that takes the worst of Philly weather, done right by the family concrete contractor working old row-home chimneys since 1997.
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Closely related
Crack chasing, spalling repair, joint sealing. Residential concrete repair work, with an honest call on what needs repair versus what needs replacement.
View ServiceGet a Free Estimate
Free walk-through. Written quote with a clear scope. No call center, no sales script, Marcello will pick up the phone himself.
