Crumbling Brick Chimney Repair

By the diy experts of the family handyman magazine.

Crumbling brick chimney repair.

Refacing or rebuilding a spalling brick chimney costs 1 000 to 3 500 from the crown down to the roofline. You will need to make sure that your roof can hold you before you climb on safety first. A damaged brick can soon let damp seep through into your walls. This process must be conducted with great attention to detail and the proper tools as well as mortar and brick that match original materials.

Repairing brick chimneys costs 175 to 1 000 on average. The chimney repair diy. Then you can use a chisel to break away the old mortar. Crumbling mortar in brick walls and chimneys has to be cut out and replaced to avoid structural and water damage.

In addition to a cap on the top it should have good draining fill gravel along the backside and weep holes along the bottom to relieve water pressure when the soil becomes saturated. More extensive damage could run upwards of 4 000 and a total chimney replacement is about 10 000. If your chimney is to the point of major deterioration and is crumbling then it is time to rebuild because the bricks and mortar have crossed their survival limit. So act quickly with this fast setting hard wearing repair compound.

Brick chimney work might cost less if the location for repairs is closer to the ground. Sliding out a single brick is easy once you break the old mortar off and away. It is completely possible for you to do minor repairs to your crumbling brick chimney yourself. Damp proofing the backside of the wall will also help keep water out.

As long as the issue isn t past repair an experienced mason can typically address the issue by cleaning out damaged bricks and replacing them with new bricks and well matched mortar. Tuckpointing cleaning out and remortaring the joints is easier than it looks if you have the right tools. In most cases a crumbling chimney means the mortar between the bricks has degraded the bricks have cracked or both. Mix one 2 5kg sachet with 400ml water until it s stiff enough to.

There are many different kinds of masonry sealers on the market. Keep in mind some contractors may charge more for projects above 10 feet. Brickmasons charge 40 to 60 per square foot or 20 to 30 per brick that s removed and replaced. If you have your brick wall rebuilt make sure it s designed to minimize water intrusion.

Repairing a chimney that has started to crumble is a task most homeowners can.