Chimney brick repair for Horizon West homeowners

Matching the shape of the joints

Mortar joints are tooled to a profile, such as concave, flush or raked, and the profile affects both appearance and how water runs off. Brick industry guidance calls for the final layer of repointing to be tooled to match the original profile.

A repair with the wrong profile looks patched even when the color is right. We identify the existing profile during the inspection and tool the new joints to match it. On older chimneys the profile has sometimes weathered away, and we match what the sound joints around the repair still show.

Joint-only work has its own service

When the brick is sound and only the mortar joints have worn, the job is repointing, often called tuckpointing, and it has its own service with its own scope.

Chimney masonry repair is for the broader job, where joints, cracked units, loose sections or cracks through the masonry need attention together. We tell you which describes your chimney, so the estimate matches the work rather than a label. The distinction also matters for price, because a mixed repair includes brick work and crack repair that a joint-only job does not.

What a masonry estimate should list

Our written masonry estimates list the parts of the job that decide price and result, so you can compare them fairly with any other proposal.

• The repair area, marked from sound to sound masonry
• The mortar type and how it matches the existing joints
• Replacement brick, if any, and the expected match
• Removal of old patches, sealant and loose material
• Access, roof protection and cleanup
• Separate lines for crown, flashing or other work

Mortar grit inside the house

Sand or grit on the hearth, or mortar pieces in the firebox, can come from joints deteriorating inside the chimney, around the smoke chamber or at the firebox itself.

We trace where the material is coming from before recommending anything. Chimney masonry, smoke chamber repair and firebox repair are separate jobs, and the right one depends on where the grit started. Keep a sample of the grit if you can. Whether it is sandy mortar, brick dust or firebrick tells us a good deal before we look up the flue.