You won’t be able to miss our distinctive company vehicles as they travel on their way to deliver tuckpointing & chimney repointing services for residents in the Greater West Hartford region, including towns like Bristol, New Britain, Newington, Wethersfield, Cromwell, Granby, Collinsville, and Hebron.
What is Tuckpointing?
The brick and masonry material of your chimney is constantly exposed to the elements. After years of enduring harsh weather conditions and regular usage, your chimney’s mortar will begin to deteriorate. This will leave your chimney susceptible to excessive moisture which is why it’s imperative to repair or replace the mortar before serious and expensive damage happens.
For severely worn chimneys, our qualified chimney specialists will perform tuckpointing, which involves scraping out deteriorating or ineffective mortar and then replacing it with fresh mortar in order to recreate the original condition of your bricks and mortar. This simple process can actually add years and years on to the life of your chimney since it stops water from entering your vulnerable chimney masonry, preventing cracks or spalling.
If you notice that your chimney has lost the ability to stop rain and water from entering the brick chimney wall, then it’s time to call us for a tuckpointing service. Our techs are dedicated craftsmen that are highly trained on a number of different masonry techniques, and are able to rake out bad mortar lines with specialized hand tools and grinding blades, then perfectly fill in the empty joints with white mortar, restoring a perfectly-presented appearance.
Tuckpointing Can Prevent Further Damage
If handled at first sign of deterioration, a tuckpointing job can prevent further damage from occurring and causing serious hazards or structural problems. If left unattended, water will seep into cracked mortar causing extensive damage that could require an entire chimney rebuild so contact us at the first sign of crumbling mortar joints.
Stemming from a masonry technique that started back in the 1800s, tuckpointing was created to make cheaper, uneven bricks appear as if they were the coveted high-quality rubbed bricks from that time period. The goal was to have the bricks appear perfectly aligned and early tuckpointers were able to use a less expensive brick in combination with a match red mortar to generate the appearance of perfectly aligned rubbed bricks without the high price tag. Today, the terms “Point”, “Repoint”, and “Tuckpoint” are often used to describe similar processes, all with varying styles and materials.
The average lifespan of mortar is generally around 25 years, or a quarter of a century. Since bricks are capable of lasting well more than 100 years, it goes to stand that the mortar will need to be replaced a few times during the life of the chimney. The key to extending the useful life of your chimney is to ensure that mortar joints are repointed at first sign of degradation. By preventing water from entering the masonry material, your chimney will have a long, healthy life.
Poorly-completed repointing jobs can devalue your home and even lead to future problems, so the best bet is to hire a professional. Our chimney sweeps have spent decades performing this simple procedure that has save homeowners thousands of dollars in future repairs. Call us today if you have concern for the condition of your chimney masonry and mortar joints. We will gladly visit your home and make the necessary recommendations to keep your chimney in tip-top shape.