Chimney brick spalling repair from local pros in Apopka

Physical properties matter as much as appearance

A replacement brick can look right and still behave differently from its neighbors. Brick specifications classify units by physical properties such as strength and durability, and BIA Technical Note 46 asks for new units to match physically as well as visually.

We avoid setting a very hard, dense unit into a wall of softer brick, or the reverse, when a closer match is available. The goal is a repaired area that takes on and gives up moisture in a similar way to the rest of the chimney. The estimate names the brick we intend to use.

Loose or spalled brick in the top courses

The courses just below the crown take a lot of weather and can show damage first. Water running off a crown without a proper drip edge or overhang can keep these bricks wet.

Brick Industry Association Technical Note 19B notes that when a chimney cap does not overhang the face, the top courses should be corbeled out to form a drip. When we replace units near the top of your Apopka chimney, we also look at the crown edge, because new brick under a top that still sheds water onto it faces the same conditions.

The crown's drip edge and the brick below it

The Florida Building Code, Residential, section R1003.9.1 calls for a masonry chimney's top to be sloped to shed water and to have a drip edge. A drip edge sends water off the crown clear of the brick face.

If the crown has no drip edge or has broken back, water can run down the upper courses every time it rains. We note that during the brick inspection and quote crown work separately. Replacing spalled brick while that water keeps coming leaves the new units exposed to the same cause.

Questions to ask before approving brick replacement

A good estimate answers these questions in writing. If one is missing, ask before you approve the work, whoever is quoting it.

• How many units will be replaced, and how were they chosen?
• What is thought to be causing the damage, and is it addressed?
• Which brick will be used, and how close will the match be?
• Which mortar type and color approach will be used?
• How will extra damaged units found during removal be handled?
• What cleanup and protection of the roof and yard are included?