How much does crack stitching cost?
Last reviewed October 2026
Crack stitching is the standard repair for cracked brickwork: stainless steel bars are bonded into the mortar joints across the crack to tie the wall back together, then hidden behind matched mortar. Here’s what decides the cost, and how to tell whether your crack needs it.
The short answer
It depends on how many cracks there are, how long they are, how high up the wall they run and whether any bricks need replacing. A single crack at ground level is a small job; several cracks on a two-storey elevation that needs scaffolding is a bigger one. Send us a photo with something in shot for scale and we’ll give you an honest steer, then a fixed written quote.
What affects the cost
Every job is different, so we don’t put a figure on this page that we’d then have to caveat. These are the things that move the price up or down. The only accurate number is a measured written quotation, which we give for free.
Length and number of cracks
Stitching bars go in every few courses along the full height of the crack, so a long crack takes more bars and more time than a short one. Several cracks on the same wall can often be done in one visit, which is better value than tackling them one at a time.
Height and access
Cracks within reach from the ground are straightforward. Anything above that needs a tower or scaffolding, which is a real part of the job, especially on a two-storey gable end.
Damaged bricks and matching
Where a crack has split the bricks themselves, those bricks are cut out and replaced with matched ones. Matching the mortar colour and joint finish takes care, but it’s what makes the repair disappear rather than leaving a visible scar.
Whether the movement has stopped
Stitching is only worth doing once whatever caused the crack has stopped. If the ground is still moving, through subsidence, a leaking drain or a nearby tree, that has to be dealt with first, or the wall will simply crack again.
Common questions
- How do I know if a crack in my wall is serious?
- Hairline cracks in the mortar are usually nothing to worry about. Cracks wider than a few millimetres, cracks that run through the bricks, diagonal stepped cracks near doors and windows and any crack that is getting bigger are worth having looked at. A simple check is to mark the ends of the crack in pencil and date them, then see if it grows.
- Is crack stitching a permanent repair?
- Yes, once the cause of the movement has been dealt with. The stainless steel bars tie the brickwork back together as one piece and won’t rust, and the wall is as strong as it was before the crack.
- Will I be able to see the repair?
- Done properly, no. The bars sit inside the mortar joints and are pointed over with mortar matched to the rest of the wall, and any cracked bricks are replaced with matched ones.
- How long does crack stitching take?
- Most domestic crack stitching is done in a day or two. Larger jobs, or ones that need scaffolding, take longer, and we’ll give you a timescale with the quote.