Brick and mortar work for Northwest Side bungalows and two-flats.

Tuckpointing, brick replacement, chimney rebuilds, retaining walls, concrete flatwork and glass block. A crew of four led by Piotr Zielinski, working out of 4100 N Pulaski Rd since 2009. Written, itemized estimates within the week, no charge to look.

Chicago Masonry Contractor License, B Card, #MC-5120. Insured. Certificate of insurance goes out with every written estimate.

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Two masons laying brick on a wall in Chicago

Finishing a fresh concrete pour with a float

What we do

Six things, done the same way every time. Every job gets a written scope, a mortar match, a start date and a clean-up. If a job is not on this list, we will tell you who to call instead.

Tuckpointing	Grind the old joints out to a full three-quarter inch, blow them clean, and repoint with a mortar matched to the brick in strength and color. Spot pointing for a single wall or a full grind of every elevation. Parapets and lintels included in the scope. Typical timeline: 2 to 5 days per elevation.
Brick replacement	Cut out spalled, cracked or bowed brick and relay with matched units. We keep a stock of salvaged Chicago common and source face brick by sample. Includes new lintels where the old steel has rusted and lifted the course above. Typical timeline: 1 to 3 days.
Chimney repair and rebuild	Rebuild from the roofline up, new poured crown with a drip edge, new flashing set into a reglet, and a stainless cap. Flue liner inspection before we quote. Partial repairs where the brick above the roof is still sound. Typical timeline: 2 to 4 days.
Retaining walls and steps	Block or brick retaining walls on a footing below frost, with drainage tile and weep holes so the wall does not push out in the spring. Front steps in poured concrete or limestone treads, with handrail sleeves set in the pour. Typical timeline: 3 to 7 days.
Concrete flatwork	Sidewalks, garage aprons, gangways and patios. Compacted stone base, four inch pour with wire mesh, broom finish, control joints cut the same day. City sidewalk work follows the Chicago public way spec. Typical timeline: 2 to 3 days, plus a week before you park on it.
Glass block windows	Basement and gangway windows in mortared glass block, with a vent or a dryer hood where you need one. Old sash and frame removed, opening squared, block set in mortar with a perimeter seal. Typical timeline: 1 day for up to six windows.

Why Chicago brick fails

Most of the brick on the Northwest Side went up between 1900 and 1930, laid in soft lime mortar. Lime mortar bends a little when the wall moves and it lets water dry out through the joint. Chicago winters freeze and thaw that wall dozens of times. When someone repoints those joints with hard Portland cement, the joint is now stronger than the brick, so the water has nowhere to go but into the brick itself. It freezes, it swells, and the face of the brick pops off. That is the spalling you see on chimneys and parapets all over Portage Park. So we match the mortar to the brick, a lime blend or Type N for old common brick, Type S only where the wall carries load and the brick can take it.

Recent work

Fresh red brick coursework with tooled joints — **Rear wall rebuild, Irving Park**Two-flat on Kildare. 340 face brick relaid over a new steel lintel, joints tooled concave to match the front. Four days, May 2026.

Buff brick garden wall with new mortar joints — **Buff brick tuckpointing, Norwood Park**Full grind and repoint of a 1926 bungalow, all four elevations plus the garage. Mortar tinted to the original buff. Nine working days, June 2026.

Concrete block retaining wall under construction — **Retaining wall and steps, Jefferson Park**Block wall on a 42 inch footing with drain tile, faced in brick to match the house. Six days, August 2026.

Piotr Zielinski on a job site in Portage Park

Piotr Zielinski, owner

I started Pulaski Brick and Stone in 2009 after eleven years laying brick for other outfits on the Northwest Side. There are four of us. I am on every job, and I write every estimate myself after I have been up the ladder and put a screwdriver in the joints. You will not get a number over the phone from us, because the number would be wrong.

We work within a few miles of the shop on Pulaski so we can get to you fast, and so we see our own work again ten years later. I would rather turn down a job in the suburbs than do a rushed one on Irving Park Road.

Piotr Zielinski

What neighbors say

Marta K.Portage ParkMarch 2026, Google

They repointed the north wall of our two-flat on Byron and you cannot tell where the new joints stop and the old ones start. Piotr showed me the mortar sample against the brick before they started. Done in three days, gangway swept every night.
Dennis O.Jefferson ParkMay 2026, Google

Our chimney was leaning and dropping brick onto the garage roof. Two other guys said tear the whole thing down. Piotr rebuilt it from the roofline up, six courses, new crown and cap, two days. Estimate was itemized and the invoice matched it.
Luis R.Albany ParkJuly 2026, Google

Four glass block basement windows in one day, one with a dryer vent. They pulled the old rotted frames and squared up the openings first. Price was what he said on the written estimate. Would hire again for the front steps.

Read all reviews on Google

Where we work

Portage Park
Irving Park
Jefferson Park
Albany Park
Norwood Park
Elmwood Park

Chicago Masonry Contractor License, B Card

#MC-5120

Licensed with the City of Chicago Department of Buildings and insured for general liability and workers compensation. We pull the permit when the job needs one, and we hand you the certificate of insurance with the estimate, not after you ask.

Founded 2009. Crew of four. Shop at 4100 N Pulaski Rd.

Get a written estimate

Fill this in and Piotr will call you back the same business day to set a time to come look. Or call (773) 555-0188.

Pulaski Brick and Stone
4100 N Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60641
Monday to Saturday, 7am to 6pm
(773) 555-0188