Family-owned stone chimney repair serving Killarney

Cleaning manufactured stone the gentle way

Dirt on cast stone needs a light touch. The instructions we follow say it can be removed with granulated soap or detergent in water and a bristle brush, rinsed right away with fresh water. They rule out wire brushes, acid or acid-containing products, power washing and sandblasting.

Those methods can strip the colored surface of cast stone and leave marks that do not come out. We clean with the gentle method first and never reach for pressure or acid on manufactured stone.

• Detergent, water and a bristle brush
• Rinse right away with fresh water
• No wire brush, acid, pressure or blasting

Brushing joints after tooling

After tooling, excess mortar at the edge of a joint can be brushed away with a natural bristle or nylon brush, according to the brief, which also says metal bristle brushes should never be used on historic masonry.

Metal bristles scratch stone and leave steel fragments that rust into stains. Our crew carries soft brushes for every stone job and brushes at the right point in the set, so the stone faces stay clean.

What we look at on a stone chimney

We start at ground level with the whole chimney, the base, the screed and clearance on veneer and the runoff around it. From the roof, where access is safe, we check the cap, the upper stones, the joints and the flashing.

Stones within reach are tapped for hollow spots. Stains, white deposits, flaking and earlier patches are noted. Nothing is taken apart at this stage, and the written estimate follows from what we find.

Drainage gaps behind stone veneer

Some wall systems add a small drainage gap, a rainscreen, behind the veneer. The maker's instructions we follow describe it as optional in general and required by some building codes, with a space of 3/16 inch to 3/4 inch and materials that resist corrosion and rot.

Where a chase is being re-clad, we discuss whether a drainage gap makes sense for your chimney and what it adds, and we follow the local requirement for your address.

A yearly look at a stone chimney

NFPA 211 expects every chimney, fireplace and vent to be inspected yearly at the least. For a stone chimney, that yearly visit covers the flue and the stonework together.

We tap the stones, check the joints and look at the cap, flashing and base each time. Most years the answer is a routine note. The written record helps spot small changes early, before a loose stone becomes a missing one.