Masonry chimneys begin to deteriorate over time. Wear and tear, water damage, and moisture-freezing inside of the porous brick causes the brick to spall. The moisture can speed up this process which then leads to structural damage. Though deteriorating is inevitable, our team provides a wide variety of maintenance and repair services to keep your chimney in its most efficient and operable condition.
A critical part of keeping the interior of your chimney in its best condition and potentially halting major damage is by adding a cap and/or crown to the top of your chimney. These are both the first structures to be exposed to rain and freezing weather. This will cause water to run off the overhang of the crown, preventing it from entering the chimney, your attic, or your house. We can also add mesh netting to prevent critters from entering your chimney when they decide to try and make it their home.
Tuck-pointing involves removing cracked or crumbling mortar joints and replacing it with new mortar. Mortar typically has a smaller lifespan than the surrounding brick. Everyday weathering will cause it to continuously erode. Tuck-pointing is an important step to avoid water penetration that can cause a serious amount of unseen damage and restore the structural integrity of the chimney.
“Spalling”, or deterioration of the brick occurs when moisture penetrates the bricks and mortar. Visual evidence of spalling bricks includes cracking, splitting, and crumbling/flaking of the brick onto your roof. If this is the case, then they need to be replaced. This is done by grinding out mortar joints and carefully removing the damaged bricks. These bricks are then replaced with a new brick and fresh mortar is applied. If the issue at hand is caught just in time, it may save you some time and money from having to completely tear down the chimney and having it re-built from the ground up.
Sometimes the damage is too extensive for brick replacement and tuckpointing to suffice and a complete or partial rebuild is needed. We then work with your specific needs to find the best brick fit for your budget and project. Finally, we top off the brick with a brand new crown providing an overhang on all four sides creating a water drip edge.
Keep an eye out for these warning signs:
A chimney crown is the concrete or stone slab that sits on top of the chimney. Its job is to seal the top of the chimney and slope away from the flue to push water off and protect the masonry below. Chimney caps are covers sitting on top of the flue opening itself. It’s usually made of metal and has mesh sides to keep rain, debris, birds, and other animals from getting into the chimney.
A repair is a smaller, more focused fix. This might be tuck-pointing, which is restoring crumbling mortar joints, or replacing a few cracked bricks. It’s for problems that are only in one or two spots. A complete rebuild is necessary when the damage is widespread and the chimney’s structure is no longer safe. This might be needed if the chimney is leaning or if the bricks and mortar are deteriorating all the way through the structure.
Tuck-pointing is a repair process restoring the strength and look of your chimney. Over time, the mortar between bricks wears away faster than the bricks themselves. In tuck-pointing, a professional carefully removes the old, crumbling mortar and replaces it with fresh mortar. This simple fix can stop water from getting into the chimney and prevent more serious and expensive structural damage.
The time it takes depends on the type of repair. A minor repair, like tuck-pointing a small section, can take only a few hours. More complex jobs, such as a partial or full rebuild, can take several days or even weeks to complete. The key here is that the work is done carefully and correctly to ensure the chimney is safe and lasts for a long time.
