Repairing cracked chimney brickwork in Little Haiti
Each masonry repair is named on its own line, so you can see what changes and what stays.
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- Available for same-day service
- Fully licensed and insured
- Family owned and run
Chimney masonry damage you can see
- White deposits spreading across the brick
- Paint peeling off chimney brick
- A gap opening at the house wall
- Brick dust on the patio below
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Repairing chimney masonry in the right order
Bricks, joints and the stack they form
Chimney masonry works as three things at once. The bricks carry the load and face the weather. The mortar joints bind them and give movement and moisture a place to go. Together they form a stack that must stay plumb, tight to the house and sound at the top.
A repair that looks only at one of the three can miss the problem. Replacing a broken brick does little if the joints around it are failing, and new joints do little if the stack is moving. We look at all three before we suggest which one needs the work.
The sloped shoulders of the chimney
Where a chimney narrows above the fireplace, the step or slope between the wide and narrow parts is called the shoulder. Its surface faces the sky, so rain lands on it rather than running past it.
The brick industry's chimney guidance favors a solid surface of uncored brick or a mortar wash that fills each step. Exposed brick cores or a wash that bridges over the steps can hold water. We check the shoulder surface and the joints below it, and list any reshaping as its own item.
Hand tools where edges are fragile
Power grinders are quick at cutting mortar, but they can nick brick edges and cut into the face of soft units. Near corners, on fragile brick or on narrow joints, hand tools are the safer choice.
We decide on tools joint by joint rather than using one method for the whole chimney. This affects the time a repair takes, and it is part of the reason careful repointing costs more than a quick pass. Ask us how the old mortar will be removed on your job and we will explain the choice.
Earlier masonry repairs tell a story
Tell us what you know about earlier work on the chimney: who did it, roughly when and what was done. Invoices, estimates and even an old note help, and so does a memory of when a problem first appeared.
Earlier repointing in a hard mortar, patches over broken faces or a top section relaid in the past all shape how we plan the new repair. A repair that failed quickly tells us something about the cause. We check earlier work in place rather than assuming it is sound.
Line items for chimney crack repair
- Cut-out and replacement of broken units
- Written record of the repaired areas
- Hose water test where the job needs it
- Base courses and ground contact checked
Masonry repair, asked and answered
Will the new mortar match the color of the old joints?
We aim for a close match and compare samples wet and dry before the work. Weathered mortar can be hard to match exactly, so we show you the likely result before you approve.
Why did an earlier masonry repair on my chimney crack again?
Common reasons are water still reaching the masonry, continued movement or a repair mortar harder than the brick. We look for the reason before repeating anything, so the new repair addresses it.
Will you look at the crown and flashing during masonry work?
Yes. Water from a cracked top or a failed roof junction often causes the masonry damage in the first place. We note what we find there and list any repair to those parts as its own item.
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Local service. Careful repairs. A fireplace worth coming home to.
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Chimney & Fireplace Brands We Work With
DuraVent 
Olympia Chimney and Venting 
Copperfield Chimney Supply 
Rutland 
Heatilator 
Heat & Glo