Chimney crack repair in Lake Fredrica

When joints need to be cut out and repointed

Five conditions, listed in brick industry guidance, call for repointing rather than surface treatment. We check for each of them during the inspection, joint by joint, on every face of the chimney we can reach.

• Mortar eroded back more than about a quarter inch
• Mortar that crumbles when scraped
• Voids in the joints
• Hairline cracks in the mortar
• Cracks between the brick and the mortar

What paint and patches can hide

A painted chimney or one covered in patches can look uniform while the joints and brick behind the surface fail. The finish itself may be trapping moisture.

We look closely for hollow sounds, bulges, cracking in the paint and damp staining at the edges. Where the surface does not reveal the condition beneath, the estimate says what limited removal would show, so you are not paying for a cosmetic patch over an unknown. Painted brick that is sound can stay painted. The decision depends on what the paint is and what it covers, and we explain it either way.

Keeping the chimney wall its proper thickness

Section R1003.10 of the Florida Building Code, Residential, builds masonry chimney walls from solid units, or hollow units filled solid with grout, no thinner than 4 inches nominal.

When a section is rebuilt, that wall thickness has to be restored, not thinned to save material or to make room for something else. We check the existing wall where it can be seen and lay any rebuilt courses to the same solid construction. Where the existing wall is thinner than the code expects, we note it and explain what it means for the repair and for any future liner work.

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