Chimney Services

Inside a tuckpointing job in Slavia

Joint profiles that shed rain

The shape of the finished joint matters on an exterior chimney. Technical Note 7B names concave, V and grapevine joints as the profiles that best resist water penetration in exterior brickwork, because tooling presses the mortar against the brick and leaves a dense, weather-tight surface.

Repointing normally matches the existing profile so the repair blends in. If the existing joints are a raked or flush style, which the same note lists for interior masonry, we discuss whether matching them or switching to a concave or V profile suits the repointed area. The choice is yours, and it goes on the estimate.

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.

The brick courses just below the crown

The top courses of a chimney stand in the open on every side, and any water that gets past the crown runs straight down into them. The crown and cap sit on this part of the brickwork, so loose joints here are worth repairing before they spread.

Our crew repoints the upper courses with the crown and cap in view. If the crown is cracked or the cap is letting water in, new joints below it will be soaked again, so those findings are priced as separate repairs next to the joint work.

What tuckpointing will and will not fix

Repointing restores the mortar joints, and Brick Industry Association guidance notes that water usually gets into brickwork at cracks and separations between brick and mortar. Repointing does not straighten a leaning stack, replace a cracked crown, seal a rusted cap or mend broken brick.

Knowing those limits up front keeps the recommendation straight. We tell you which of your concerns tuckpointing will address and which need a different repair, so the price you approve matches the problem you called about.