Our Process
How chimney joints are repointed in Markham
Matching mortar color on a repointed chimney
Mortar color comes mainly from the sand and any pigment in the mix. Technical Note 46 recommends comparing new mortar samples with the existing joints both wetted and fully dry, since mortar changes shade as it dries, and it calls for metallic oxide pigments rather than organic colorants.
Where only part of a chimney is repointed, color is what the eye catches. We compare samples against your joints before work begins and show you the one we plan to use. A slight difference at first is normal, because new mortar is matched to unweathered mortar while the old joints have aged in the weather.
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.
Mortar joints that hold the flashing
Where a brick chimney meets the roof, the counterflashing is usually set into a mortar joint. BIA Technical Note 19B describes it inserted 3/4 to 1 inch into the joint and mortared solidly in place, lapping the base flashing below. When that joint erodes, the flashing can loosen and let water in behind it.
Repointing near the roofline therefore includes a close look at the flashing joints. If the metal is sound, the joint is repointed around it. If the flashing itself is bent, rusted or too short, we price flashing repair separately so you can see both lines.
Chimney tuckpointing for a home sale
Home inspection reports often mention deteriorated or missing chimney mortar in a single line. That line can stall a sale when nobody knows how large the repair is or what it should cost to put right.
Which joints need repointing is confirmed at a free inspection, and the written scope gives the joint area, the method and the price. Buyers, sellers and agents can all read the same document, and the work can be scheduled around a closing date when the calendar allows.
