The Problem
The owner of a 1948 brick bungalow in Central Grayslake noticed several mortar joints along the north elevation were hollow when tapped. The north and west faces showed the most visible deterioration - joints recessed 3/8 to 5/8 inch depending on the course, with open voids near the foundation line where mortar had fallen out entirely.
The original face brick is a warm buff typical of late-1940s Lake County residential construction. It is soft by modern standards and needs compatible mortar. A roofing contractor working on the home two years prior had caulked two open joints along the north parapet. One side had already separated and the other was cracked - neither addressed the underlying joint loss.
The south and east elevations were approaching the 1/4-inch recess threshold across multiple courses, making all four elevations worth addressing in one mobilization.
Our Solution
We raked all four elevations to 3/4-inch depth with depth-limited diamond blades. On the soldier courses below the window openings, we switched to a narrower blade and hand tools at the brick edges to avoid chipping the vertical faces. The caulked parapet joints were cleared entirely and treated as new open joints.
The replacement mortar was a Type N lime-blend matched to the original composition. We sampled from beneath the south windowsill overhang, where the original mortar had retained its color and aggregate structure, and used natural buff sand to match the warm joint tone. A test section on the south elevation cured 48 hours before we committed to the full job.
Each joint was moistened, packed in two lifts, and tooled concave to match the surviving original joints in sheltered areas. The parapet joints received a final check for full back-of-joint contact, where open voids carry the highest risk.
The Result
All four elevations show uniform concave joint depth. Mortar color matches the original buff tone in sheltered areas, and the brick reads consistently across all elevations rather than showing a patchwork of eras. The hollow north joints are now solid, and the caulked parapet is correctly mortared.
Related: Tuckpointing Services | Grayslake Service Area
