Our Work
The details of a brick replacement in Midway
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 Midway as anywhere, a joint that blends is part of what makes a replacement look like repair instead of patchwork.
Finding the water before replacing the brick
The first maintenance rule in brick industry guidance is to investigate and determine the moisture source before making repairs. On a chimney, water usually enters at the top or at the roofline, through a cracked crown, a missing cap, open joints or failed flashing.
Our specialists check each of those points on your Midway chimney during the free inspection. The estimate lists the brick replacement and any related repair separately, so you can see which work stops the water and which work repairs the damage it caused. Replacing bricks without that step tends to bring the same damage back to the same courses.
Repairs first, then a repellent only if needed
A clear water repellent cannot replace a spalled or cracked brick. The Brick Industry Association says repellents are not recommended in place of removing and replacing bricks with spalled faces or cracks through the face, and suggests letting several months pass after repairs before deciding whether one is needed.
Often the repairs alone solve the moisture problem. If a repellent still makes sense on your Midway chimney, we explain that it is not permanent and will need reapplying, and we price it as an optional line. Our specialists would sooner see a chimney dry out on its own after repairs than seal moisture in too early.
Why a sealer cannot close a crack
According to the brick industry's note on clear coatings, water repellents cannot prevent water from penetrating cracks wider than 0.02 inch. A crack through a brick or along a joint therefore stays a path for water whether or not the surface has been treated.
The fix for a cracked brick is replacing it, and the fix for a cracked joint is repointing. On a chimney in Midway we show you which cracks run through the brick and which follow the mortar, because the two are repaired differently. Our specialists mark each crack on the estimate so you can see how it will be dealt with.
