Chimney Tuckpointing & Repointing Repair
The forces of nature and the elements can do plenty of damage to a home, especially over time. One of a chimney’s greatest enemies is water. After years of exposure to weather and moisture, the brick and mortar of a chimney can start to deteriorate. As the mortar starts to crumble, moisture can seep into the chimney and begin to cause damage. Pieces of the bricks can even start to break and fall off the chimney, which is a problem called “spalling.” Tuckpointing is the process by which mortar is repaired. Any gaps or damage to the mortar of a chimney should be repaired or replaced before more serious damage can occur.
Mercer County Chimney Services is capable of providing the tuckpointing needs of any chimney. We are certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), and you can trust our team of licensed, trained, and insured technicians to handle any chimney problems you may be having, including tuckpointing. Tuckpointing involves scraping out the deteriorating or compromised mortar before replacing it with fresh mortar. This process will restore the original condition of your masonry. Your chimney will be able to last for many more years just because of this simple process, for new mortar will stop water from seeping into the masonry and prevent cracks or spalling.
Chimney Leak Repair With Tuckpointing
While spalling is an obvious symptom of bad mortar, another symptom is rain water entering the interior of the chimney. Water can cause damage to the chimney, especially as it freezes and thaws in the changing seasons, and it can rust chimney liners. Water can also seep from the chimney into attics, ceilings, and adjacent walls, causing water damage to the rest of the house. Part of waterproofing a chimney is ensuring that the mortar is sound. Our technicians are able to replace bad mortar lines with new mortar, making sure all the joints are filled in and restoring the appearance and functionality of the chimney.
Tuckpointing is a process that stems from a masonry technique dating back to the 19th century. The process was created in order to make cheaper, uneven bricks look just like the top-tier, high-quality bricks of the time. Their goal was to make the bricks look perfectly aligned using a less expensive brick with a red mortar that matched in order to create the illusion of perfectly aligned bricks at a less expensive cost. Today, this process is used to repair damaged bricks and mortar to make the masonry look like it has a perfect, brand new construction. More than just appearance, this process repairs the structure to hold the bricks together and keep water from entering the chimney. The terms “tuckpoint,” “point” and “repoint” are all used to describe similar processes.
In masonry, mortar can typically last around 25 years before it breaks down. Bricks, on the other hand, can last well over a hundred years. Therefore, it is obvious that mortar will need to be replaced in the masonry a few times during the chimney’s life. In order to keep a chimney functioning for years, it is critical to ensure that mortar joints are repointed whenever there are signs of degradation. This will save the masonry and prevent water from entering the chimney, keeping your chimney functioning for many years.
If you have a chimney that is in need of tuckpointing, call us at 609-802-5288 for professional chimney repair that you can trust. Mercer County Chimney Services operate in cities across the county, including Hamilton NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, West Windsor NJ and East Windsor NJ.
