Your chimney crown repair team in Monterey

Peeling coatings from an earlier repair

If an earlier coating is peeling, bubbling or flaking, water has already gotten underneath it. Brushing another coat over the top traps that water and eventually peels off along with the old layer.

We remove loose coating down to sound material and check the concrete underneath before recommending anything. Sometimes the crown under an old coating is fine and only needs a proper recoat. Sometimes the coating was hiding a crown that needs replacing, and we tell you which.

Knowing what the earlier coating was helps a lot. If you have a receipt or a can label from the last repair, keep it for the inspection. Some products need a specific cleaner or primer before a new coat will stick, and the label saves guesswork.

Crown clues you can spot from the ground

You can learn a lot about a crown without climbing. Stand back far enough to see the top of the chimney. Look for dark streaks below the top, broken edges, a leaning cap, plants growing up top or a crown that looks paper thin at the corners.

Tell us what you noticed when you call, even if you are unsure what it means. It helps our technician plan the visit. The inspection itself happens up close, from the roof, and costs you nothing.

Binoculars help a lot. From the street or the far side of the yard, they show cracks, broken corners and staining the naked eye misses. If you spot something you are unsure about, describe it to us and we will know where to look first.

What a full crown rebuild includes

A crown rebuild covers the whole top of the chimney. The old crown comes off, the top brick is checked, forms go up, reinforcement goes in, and a new sloped crown is cast with an overhang and drip.

After it cures, the flue joint gets its sealant and any cap is refitted. Our written estimate lists each of those steps, and at the end of the job we walk you through them so you know exactly what you paid for.

A rebuild also includes protecting the flue during the work and checking it afterward, so no debris is left inside. If the cap needs replacing, it is fitted once the crown has cured. Everything is listed, so you can see what the rebuild includes and what it leaves out.

• Old crown removed down to sound masonry
• Forms, reinforcement and a sloped pour
• Bond break and sealant at each flue

Workmanship warranty on the new crown

The crown work our crew does is backed by our workmanship warranty. It covers the repair we performed, and the terms are written on your estimate before you sign off.

If a crack reopens or the sealant pulls away within those terms, call the office and we send a technician back. Keep the estimate and handover sheet with your house papers so the details are easy to find.

Warranty coverage depends on the work being cared for as intended. A coating, for example, needs its recommended cure time before rain or fires, and we write those conditions on the handover sheet so nothing catches you off guard.