Masonry restoration is the process of getting old or damaged masonry back into great condition. Repointing is one of the most common parts of the process. Repointing is removing some mortar from a joint and replacing it with new mortar. This is often only done once throughout the lifespan of a building. If done properly and maintained well, many buildings will never even need masonry restoration.

While many buildings just have masonry veneers on the outside, they may still need masonry restoration to repair the mortar between bricks. In a masonry building, repointing helps to repair the structure of the building. In a building with a masonry veneer, it is mainly done for waterproofing purposes.