Chimney Services
Chimney mortar repair in Kolokee, in detail
Matching the original chimney mortar
For the best match, the Brick Industry Association recommends duplicating the original mortar's ingredients and proportions, and where the type is unknown, sending samples to a testing laboratory. ASTM C1324 is the test method generally used to examine hardened mortar and estimate its proportions.
Most homeowners do not need a laboratory report to repoint a chimney. Where the brick is old, soft or unusual, though, an analysis can be the safer route, and we will say so and explain how it affects the schedule. Either way, the mortar decision is made before the first joint is cut.
Cleaning brick after repointing
New joints stay vulnerable for a while after they look finished. The Park Service brief says fresh mortar does not fully cure for several months, that it should be fully hardened before a repointed wall is cleaned, usually after about thirty days, and that metal bristle brushes should not be used on historic masonry.
We brush excess mortar off the brick as the joints are tooled, so a separate cleaning step is rarely needed afterwards. If other cleaning is planned for the chimney, tell us, and we will schedule it so the new joints are not harmed.
A damp patch indoors, traced to the joints
A stain on the wall or ceiling beside the chimney can come from open joints, a failed crown, loose flashing or a missing cap. Repainting the stain changes nothing until the entry point is found and repaired.
During the free inspection our specialists follow the water back from the stain to its likely source. If failed mortar is the path, the joints involved are marked for repointing. If the water is coming in somewhere else, you get that answer instead, with the right repair on the estimate.
Scheduling repointing around storm season
Atlantic hurricane season covers June 1 through November 30 each year. Wind-driven rain pushes water into any joint that has opened, and a chimney with failed mortar takes that water into the brick and toward the house.
Booking the free inspection early in the year leaves time to repoint before the season, when the schedule and the weather both allow. Repointing booked within 72 hours of that inspection is 10% off.
