Our Work
Cutting out and resetting chimney bricks in Gabriella
Matching the mortar color
Fresh mortar dries lighter or darker than it looks when wet, so matching an old joint takes care. The Brick Industry Association recommends comparing wet samples with the wetted existing mortar and dry samples with the dry mortar, using mineral oxide pigments where color is needed.
We mix and compare samples before the new bricks go in, and we tell you when an exact match is not possible. In Gabriella as anywhere, a joint that blends is part of what makes a replacement look like repair instead of patchwork.
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 Gabriella, 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.
How deep old mortar is removed
New mortar needs a deep enough joint to hold. The National Park Service calls for raking old mortar out to at least 2 to 2 1/2 times the joint's width, which ensures an adequate bond and keeps new mortar from popping out.
Shallow raking leaves a thin skin of new mortar over old, weak material, and it fails early. Our crew rakes the joints around the replaced bricks to the proper depth by hand, taking care not to chip the edges of sound brick.
Cleaning the brick without damaging it
Brick next to a repair often needs cleaning, but the method matters. The Brick Industry Association warns that excessive water pressure can damage brick surfaces, erode mortar joints and remove finishes, and that abrasive or high-pressure cleaning can etch the joints. Those methods can do more harm to old brick than the dirt they remove.
We clean around the new bricks gently, brushing off mortar and dust and using water at low pressure where it is needed. The goal is clean brick with its fired face intact, since that face is what keeps the next rain out.
