Chimney Services
Inside a tuckpointing job in Fern Park
Raking chimney joints to a sound depth
Old mortar has to come out deep enough for the new mortar to hold. Brick Industry Association Technical Note 46 has joints raked to an even depth of at least twice their width, usually about 3/4 inch, or deeper where needed to reach sound mortar. The National Park Service repointing brief gives a similar rule of 2 to 2 1/2 times the joint width.
Depth is the part of tuckpointing a homeowner never sees once the job is finished. A shallow cut leaves a thin skin of new mortar sitting on weak old mortar, and that skin can pop out. Our crew cuts every joint in the agreed area back to sound material, so the repair on your Fern Park chimney is locked into the wall.
When the brick itself has failed
Repointing renews mortar. It does not repair a brick whose face has flaked away or cracked through. Technical Note 46 treats replacement of heavily spalled or broken brick as a separate procedure, with the damaged units cut out and new brick set in fully buttered mortar joints.
On many chimneys both repairs are needed side by side. Our estimate lists joint repointing and brick replacement as separate lines, with the number of bricks and the joint area described, so you can see what each part of the work covers and why it is included.
Undoing an earlier repair made with hard mortar
A patch made with hard, cement-rich mortar can look solid while it harms the brick around it. The Park Service brief says repointing mortar should be softer or more permeable than the brick and no harder than the historic mortar, and it shows a wall where moisture trapped behind hard joints eventually pushed the faces off soft brick.
If your chimney shows that pattern, our specialists point out the joints involved and explain the fix, which is careful removal of the hard mortar and repointing with a compatible mix. Where brick faces have already been lost, that brick work is priced as its own line.
Your roof and yard during the work
Cutting out mortar creates dust and a steady fall of grit. Before work starts, the roof around the chimney, the gutters, plantings and anything stored below are covered or moved, and windows near the chimney are kept closed while joints are cut.
When you book, mention any fragile roof coverings, solar panels, an air conditioning unit or a pool area near the chimney. Our family-owned crew plans access and protection around them, and the site is cleaned before we leave. Keep children and pets clear of the area below the chimney while we work.
