Stone pointing in Philadelphia and Delaware County

The joints between stones are irregular, deep and wide, so pointing them takes far more mortar and far more hand work than a brick wall of the same size. Failed mortar is cut back, loose stone is reset, and the new mortar is packed in layers and tooled back. On the schist, fieldstone and Wissahickon mica walls common through Delaware County and northwest Philadelphia the correct mix is lime-based. A previous owner’s hard cement pointing, often smeared proud of the stone face, is one of the most common things a mason is called to undo.

• Deep joints that have washed out, sometimes far enough to see daylight or put a hand in
• Mortar crumbling to sand when touched
• Hard grey cement pointing standing proud of the stone, cracked away at the edges
• Damp or efflorescence on an interior stone wall
• Small stones working loose out of the wall face

Any number given over the phone without seeing the wall is a guess. These are the things that change the price, and the questions Mortarook asks you so that the masons who see your project can quote it properly.

• Photographs close in on the joints and wide on the whole elevation
• What the stone is: grey fieldstone, sparkling schist, or cut block
• Whether a previous repair used cement
• How many elevations, and how high
• Whether the wall is a house wall, a foundation, or a garden wall

Stone pointing is slow, and the honest price per square foot is several times a brick wall. A contractor quoting stone at brick rates is either going to smear cement over it or walk off the job. This is the trade where a specialist and a generalist produce visibly different walls.

You describe the job once: the service, your ZIP code, a few words about what you are seeing, and photographs if you have them. Mortarook writes your description back in trade language so you can check it, then matches you with a maximum of three local masonry contractors whose registered services, service area and project size fit.

Every contractor listed as a Verified Pro has had their Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration checked against the Attorney General’s public registry, and has a certificate of insurance on file with us. Your phone number and street address are seen only by the pros who accept your project. We do not sell your information and there is never a fourth contractor.

These are the towns and neighborhoods in our service area whose housing stock generates this work most often.

• Media→
• Drexel Hill→
• Havertown→
• Swarthmore→
• Lansdowne→
• Broomall→
• Wallingford→
• Manayunk→
• Chestnut Hill→