Chimney masonry repair in Forest Hills
The brickwork looked over free, damaged areas marked and the masonry price on paper for your chimney in Forest Hills.
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Contents
Our Services
Our Method for Masonry Chimney Repair in Forest Hills
What our chimney masonry specialists check, choose and repair on a chimney in Forest Hills.
When bricks and mortar joints fail together
Mixed damage is the usual case on an older chimney. Joints erode and let water behind the brick faces, and damaged bricks let more water into the joints around them.
Repairing one without the other tends to be short-lived. Replacing a cracked brick in a wall of crumbling joints leaves the new unit surrounded by weak mortar. A sound repair treats the wall as one surface, so the new brick and the new joints shed water together.
Our masonry crew prices the brick work and the joint work as separate lines, so you can see how the combined repair is built up.
What the path of a crack says about the chimney
Cracks are read by where they run. BIA's maintenance guidance treats cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks, and stepped or diagonal cracking as possible signs of a structural problem.
A single hairline crack in one joint is a different matter from a stepped crack running down a corner. The first is usually a joint repair; the second can point to movement.
Our specialists record the pattern and width of each crack before recommending work, and say so when a structural opinion should come first.
The mortar types used on chimney masonry
Masonry mortar is classified under ASTM C270 into Types M, S, N and O, from strongest to weakest. BIA describes Type N as the general all-purpose mortar, Type S as stronger, Type M as very strong but hard to work, and Type O as a low-strength mix for interior and restoration work.
For chimneys, BIA recommends Type N, with Type S as the alternate. BIA points to Type M where masonry is in contact with the earth, and keeps Type O mostly for interior and restoration work.
Our masonry crew names the mortar type on your estimate and explains why it suits your chimney.
Repairing the sloped shoulders of a chimney
Where a chimney steps in above the fireplace, the brick forms a sloped shoulder that collects rain. BIA recommends setting uncored or paving brick on a bed over that slope for weather resistance.
A mortar wash is the alternative, and BIA notes it may be less durable. When one is used, it should fill each step individually instead of bridging across the slope. Water that gets through a cracked wash runs straight into the core of the chimney below.
We check the shoulders for open joints and cracked washes, and explain which repair suits yours.
On any service we offer
Ask about the 10% off when you book masonry work within 72 hours of the visit.
Free Inspection
Checked Before Any Brick or Mortar Work in Forest Hills
- Mortar joints checked course by course
- Joint profile and color match agreed in advance
- Chimney ties and separation from the wall
- Structural signs that call for an engineer first
Our Services
More Help for Your Forest Hills Fireplace
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More about chimney masonry repairEverything we do in Forest Hills
Specialized Services
Individual chimney masonry repair Jobs
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Arrange Chimney Masonry Repair in Forest Hills
Masonry prices agreed in writing before work, after a free inspection of your Forest Hills chimney.
Your request is confirmed
Our team will contact you to arrange the appointment.