How Much Does It Cost to Tuckpoint a Chimney? [2025 Data]

What Is Tuckpointing?

Tuckpointing is when a chimney professional removes damaged mortar from a chimney’s joints and replaces it with new, fresh materials. Chimney technicians will color-match the mortar to maintain a uniform appearance and fill it in with narrow lines of putty in a contrasting color. This process is key for strengthening a chimney’s structural integrity and lengthening its lifespan. Keep in mind that tuckpointing doesn’t always fix extensive damage.

Average Cost to Tuckpoint a Chimney

Tuckpointing mortar prices range from $300 to $1,600 when you're covering an 8-by-8-foot wall area. Tuckpointing a chimney costs about $10 per square foot. For example, a chimney covering 20 square feet would cost $200.

Labor is a major expense in a tuckpointing project bill due to the expertise and detail needed for application. Expect to pay between $180 and $800 when having an 8-by-8-foot wall tuckpointed. A typical home with 2,600 square feet will have roughly 2,000 square feet of space for tuckpointing. Homeowners are often paying between $10,000 and $50,000 when tuckpointing entire houses.

Chimney Tuckpointing Cost Factors

Some factors may take you outside the scope of routine estimates.

Height

One of the biggest factors impacting project price is structure height. Contractors generally raise rates for tuckpointing on brick above a certain height. In many cases, the threshold is 8 feet. However, this varies by contractor. Expect to see your quote rise to between $10 and $25 per square foot for higher surfaces.

Damage

When mortar damage has impacted a chimney's structure, you may need to address your chimney's integrity before you can move forward with tuckpointing. While some contractors will recommend tearing out the chimney for a rebuild if the brick is in bad shape, others may be able to repair the chimney. While a typical chimney repair costs between $750 and $1,000, a full chimney rebuild costs between $1,500 and $4,500.

Location

Depending on the chimney's location on the home, additional time, safety measures, and equipment may be necessary to repair it. Chimneys located on sloped roofs or in tight spaces are examples of those that may come with increased tuckpointing costs.

Scope of Repair

As the scope of the damage being repaired increases, so does the cost. For example, minor repairs to small cracks and eroded areas will cost less than severe damage requiring more time and material.

Time of Year

The ideal temperature for mortar to set and cure is between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Tuckpointing should also be completed during dry conditions with low humidity. For these reasons, late spring and early autumn are the best times of year to tuckpoint a chimney. If you contact a contractor to tuckpoint your chimney in the dead of winter, they may charge more or even refuse to complete the repair.

Labor

The cost of tuckpointing labor can vary for many reasons. Labor costs more in urban areas with a higher cost of living. If there's a particularly high demand for masonry work in your area, you'll also experience higher costs. Expect to pay more for labor if you have a particularly tall or large chimney or one with intricate brickwork.

Cost to Tuckpoint a Chimney Yourself

With a DIY tuckpointing job, materials represent your biggest cost. You'll need to calculate the average price of $300 to $1,600 for tuckpointing mortar for an 8-by-8 foot surface based on the area you need to cover.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

While DIY tuckpointing is possible, it's important to understand just how much labor-intensive work is involved. Extreme precision is needed to ensure that you don't create a "crooked" appearance by failing to make mortar joints appear level.

It’s a good idea to have a tuckpointing pro near you take a glance at your bricks to rule out any structural issues. Keep in mind that tuckpointing cannot actually fix cracking bricks, crumbling bricks, or wall cracks that are caused by your foundation shifting. If your chimney has cracking or crumbling, book a chimney inspection ASAP.

Chimney Repointing vs. Tuckpointing

Most masons use the term tuckpointing to refer to the process of repointing. While the two terms are commonly used interchangeably, these practices are technically distinct.

Repointing

Repointing means removing and replacing old mortar in an existing structure to repair damage and seal it from moisture. The goal of repointing is simply to make the brickwork structurally sound. Repointing a chimney can cost anywhere from $3 to $15 per square foot.

Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing is more involved than repointing. After removing damaged mortar, this process involves blending the new mortar and color-matching it to the brick. Once the joints are filled in, a groove is cut through the center of the mortar lines and filled with another mortar of a bright, contrasting color.

This process creates the look of sharp, straight lines and requires much more time and skilled labor. Tuckpointing a chimney costs between $5 and $25 per square foot.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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