If you’re like most people, then you regularly ignore the masonry of your chimney. It’s easy to forget that they’re like other property structures that require maintenance and timely repairs to preserve their lifespan, especially those made with mortar. Mortar joints can be easily exposed to several damages due to weather changes; end enters a deterioration process. While rebuilding the chimney eliminates the faults, it’s not a feasible or cost-effective process to carry out. This is where tuckpointing comes in – it’s the ideal solution for damaged mortar chimneys. It’s much a much cheaper alternative to replacement and does a great job of extending the chimney’s lifespan.
When Is Tuckpointing Required
Moisture inside mortar structures spells danger. Water can find its way into the chimney when the mortar is failing. While you may easily observe cracks and flakes, there’s a wide range of severe faults that may nor be obvious like mildew, mold, and rotting wood. The moisture in the chimney may also lead to staining in the wallpapers around the chimney and fireplace. In moments like these, tuckpointing is the way to go. Not only is it a more cost-effective process than replacement, but tuckpointing also requires a far lesser time to complete. You should note that fresh tuckpointing over old mortar is always apparent until it weathers to blend.
The Tuckpointing Process
Tuckpointing involves restoring the original shapes of the damaged mortar with fresh mortar. The crumbling mortar joints to be cleaned out before the recreation process begins. While the process of doing this is possible by yourself, it’s usually not advised. Some of the tools needed for the job (like diamond-bladed angle grinder) require training and experience to be able to handle them effectively. They are also expensive and could cause severe injuries if mishandled. The process requires safety and expertise to complete thoroughly. By hiring a professional masonry service to carry out tuckpointing on your chimney, you can be sure that you’ll get a great job done and in no time at all. These experts usually start by grinding the horizontal joints before using a rotary hammer to knock out the mortar. Using appropriate brushes, they move on to sweeping the joints before expertly mixing the mortar and applying it to fill the joints. After a careful process of ‘tooling’ the joints, they’ll then clean them out.
Our Reliable Masons
If you look around in Atlanta, GA, you won’t find a more motivated and certified team of masons to handle your tuckpointing jobs. They’re equipped with state of the art technology which they combine with their experience to extend the lifespan of your damaged chimney. So if you notice any signs of stress in the structure on the head of your windows or doors, you should give us a call. One of our customer care agents will be eagerly waiting to answer your call and advise you on our best solutions for your chimneys.