Our Work

Cutting out and resetting chimney bricks in Astor Farms

Dampening the surrounding brick

Dry brick pulls water out of fresh mortar too quickly, which weakens the bond. Brick industry guidance advises dampening the surrounding brickwork before the new unit is placed, while letting the masonry absorb all surface water so the mortar still bonds well.

It is a small step that is easy to skip on a hot day. Our specialists judge it brick by brick, since sun, shade and the age of the brick all change how thirsty it is. If the wall is soaked from recent rain, we wait for it to dry back instead.

Tooling the joints to match the original

The shape of a mortar joint affects both appearance and how water runs off the wall. The same brick industry guidance advises tooling the new joints when the mortar is thumbprint hard, so they match the original profile.

We look at the existing joints first, whether they are concave, flush or another shape, and tool the new ones to the same profile. A mismatched joint catches the eye long before a slightly different brick does. Our specialists match the tool to the joint width as well as the shape, so the new lines sit at the same depth as the old ones.

Finding a replacement brick that fits

A replacement brick has to match in size first, so it sits in the course without oversized joints, and then as closely as practical in color and texture. Older chimneys can have brick that is no longer made, which limits the choice.

Our specialists bring samples to compare against your chimney in daylight. Sometimes a sound brick from a hidden spot can be reused on a visible face. We tell you before ordering how close the match on your Astor Farms chimney is likely to be, so the result holds no surprises.

Spalling under paint

A painted chimney can hide spalling until the paint lifts off in sheets with the brick face attached. Paint behaves like the film-forming coatings the Brick Industry Association warns about, holding moisture that has nowhere to go.

When we replace bricks on a painted chimney in Astor Farms, we explain the options for the finish, from matching the paint on the new units to leaving the repaired area for a later decision. We also point out any other faces where the paint is bubbling, since that often marks the next bricks to fail.