There are few features that look better on a house than a well-designed chimney - assuming the chimney’s well-maintained. That’s the good news. Since chimneys tend to be constructed of brick, maintenance is actually a pretty simple affair, and doesn’t have to be done too often.

But chimney repair does still have to be carried out occasionally.

Harsh weather can cause a lot of damage to mortar joints in any brickwork, especially chimneys. Over time, rain causes mortar to weaken and erode, while low temperatures during winter can cause freezing, and even cracking. To address this damage (and to prevent further damage) tuckpointing is the perfect solution.

A critical maintenance task on any structure that incorporates brickwork, tuckpointing involves removing and replacing weakened or damaged masonry. This strengthens the connections between the bricks in a chimney, while also sealing them against potential water damage. By combining tuckpointing with the laying of additional bricks, you accomplish a few things:

• You restore the structural integrity of the chimney.
• You stop further corrosion of the mortar joints.
• You prevent water from entering the chimney system, ensuring its easier to maintain the fireplace.
• You restore the chimney’s masonry to its original state, through a process that’s much more cost-effective than a complete tear-down and rebuild.

Now, at this point it’s worth mentioning that tuckpointing is a complex process - if you’re set on doing it yourself, check out our step-by-step guide, and bear in mind that chimney tuckpointing involves a few additional challenges:

• It’s advisable that you sweep your chimney out before performing the tuckpointing procedure. Though there are specialized tools for this purpose, it can still be quite difficult.
• Rather than working on flat, solid ground, you’ll be on your roof - there’s the constant risk of injury through falling.
• As opposed to a brick wall, a chimney is a far more challenging tuckpointing project, with tight corners and likely irregularly-shaped sections.

You can try to tackle this yourself - but you don’t need to. With Bald Eagle Construction, you’ll have one of the best contractors in the Chicago area at your side. No matter what’s happened to your chimney, it’ll be good as new once we’re done. Give us a shout today for a free consultation!