Our Process

Spalling brick repair on Slavia homes

Setting the new brick with full joints

Water finds the gaps in a half-filled joint. Technical Note 46 from the Brick Industry Association describes buttering the surfaces of the surrounding brick and of the replacement completely with mortar, centering the new brick in the opening and pressing it into place, then pointing around it to make full head and bed joints.

Our crew follows that sequence on Slavia chimneys. The replacement ends up bedded on every side, which keeps it tight in the wall and gives rain no open path around it. Excess mortar is struck off with the trowel before it can smear the face of the surrounding brick.

Finding a replacement brick that fits

A replacement brick has to match in size first, so it sits in the course without oversized joints, and then as closely as practical in color and texture. Older chimneys can have brick that is no longer made, which limits the choice.

Our specialists bring samples to compare against your chimney in daylight. Sometimes a sound brick from a hidden spot can be reused on a visible face. We tell you before ordering how close the match on your Slavia chimney is likely to be, so the result holds no surprises.

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 Slavia 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.

When a home inspection notes spalling

Home inspectors often note spalled or cracked chimney brick because it is visible from the ground. The note tells you there is damage, though it rarely says how many bricks are affected or why.

Our team inspects the chimney free and provides a written scope and price that buyers and sellers can both read, including any related moisture repair. If the work has a closing date attached, tell us when you call so it can be planned around it. Our specialists can also explain the findings to the other party if that helps the sale move forward.