If you’ve never owned a brick chimney or if you’ve never paid any attention to the one that you have, you may not know what tuckpointing is. But if your chimney has started to crack, lean or deteriorate, you may have started to hear about tuckpointing. We thought it would be helpful for our customers in St. Paul to learn more about this process and why it is necessary for chimney repairs. Below we’ve put together a brief description of what tuckpointing is and why you need it for your chimney repairs.
What is Tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing is the process of repairing the mortar joints between bricks. While the actual bricks in your chimney can last up to 100 years, the mortar joints between them can last around 25 years or more. The tuckpointing process involves routing out the old mortar and then replacing it with new, fresh mortar. Here is how the process works for a typical red brick chimney:
- The old mortar is ground or routed out at a uniform depth.
- After that, red mortar is filled in to the newly routed grooves.
- Thin strips are cut out down the middle of the red mortar to form thin grooves.
- A contrasting color of mortar, normally white, is then filled into the grooves.
In this way, the original clean shape of the bricks and the mortar are recreated.
Why You Need Tuckpointing On Your Chimney
As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to cause some serious problems.
- Water proofing – As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to let water into your home. You might not even detect this water which could cause mold, mildew and wood rot.
- Structural stability – Obviously, if the mortar joints start to deteriorate, your chimney won’t be as sturdy.
- Avoid rebuilding – If you let the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate too much, you may have to end up tearing it down and rebuilding it.
Chimney Maintenance
Your chimney should be inspected and maintained every 2 to 3 years. With proper maintenance and repair, including tuckpointing, your chimney should potentially have a long life.
If you have any questions about tuckpointing or chimney repair, call the experts at 2nd Generation Chimney. If you think that your chimney needs tuckpointing, call us and we’ll send one of our technicians out to your home to take a look. about this process and why it is necessary for chimney repairs. Below we’ve put together a brief description of what tuckpointing is and why you need it for your chimney repairs.
What is Tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing is the process of repairing the mortar joints between bricks. While the actual bricks in your chimney can last up to 100 years, the mortar joints between them can last around 25 years or more. The tuckpointing process involves routing out the old mortar and then replacing it with new, fresh mortar. Here is how the process works for a typical red brick chimney:
- The old mortar is ground or routed out at a uniform depth.
- After that, red mortar is filled in to the newly routed grooves.
- Thin strips are cut out down the middle of the red mortar to form thin grooves.
- A contrasting color of mortar, normally white, is then filled into the grooves.
In this way, the original clean shape of the bricks and the mortar are recreated.
Why You Need Tuckpointing On Your Chimney
As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to cause some serious problems.
- Water proofing – As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to let water into your home. You might not even detect this water which could cause mold, mildew and wood rot.
- Structural stability – Obviously, if the mortar joints start to deteriorate, your chimney won’t be as sturdy.
- Avoid rebuilding – If you let the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate too much, you may have to end up tearing it down and rebuilding it.
Chimney Maintenance
Your chimney should be inspected and maintained every 2 to 3 years. With proper maintenance and repair, including tuckpointing, your chimney should potentially have a long life.
If you have any questions about tuckpointing or chimney repair, call the experts at 2nd Generation Chimney. If you think that your chimney needs tuckpointing, call us and we’ll send one of our technicians out to your home to take a look.