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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Lake Forest Park, WA
Cracked or crumbling crown on a Lake Forest Park brick chimney? Poured, sloped, overhanging rebuilds starting at $299.
- Serving Lake Forest Park & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Lake Forest Park
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crowns on Lake Forest Park's mid-century brick chimneys were typically built the quick way: a thin wash of mortar troweled over the top course, flush with the brick and with no overhang. That style has been catching water on the wooded slopes above Bothell Way for decades, and by now most of them have cracked through, pulled away from the flue tile, or crumbled at the edges. Once the crown is open, every storm sends water down between the tile and the brick, which is where the mortar joints go soft and the liner starts to separate.
We remove the failed wash and pour a proper crown, reinforced and a few inches thick, sloped away from the flue with an overhang and drip edge so water clears the brick below, and with a bond break around the tile so it can move without cracking the crown. Crown rebuilds start at $299 and the quote is free. Lake Forest Park is about 35 minutes from our Renton office. If you have another bid, we price match and take 10-25% off. If you are not happy, we are not done.
Symptoms
Signs Lake Forest Park homeowners notice
- Pieces of concrete or mortar missing from the top edge of the chimney
- Cracks wide enough to see daylight or fit a coin into
- The crown is flat or dished in the middle so water pools on it
- No overhang: the slab ends flush with the brick faces
- The top two or three courses of brick are spalling or loose
- A previous crown sealant is peeling off and the cracks underneath have reopened
Lake Forest Park Conditions
Why this happens in Lake Forest Park
Crowns in Lake Forest Park fail for the same reason the rest of the masonry does: water that never dries. The Sea-Tac 1991-2020 normals put October through March at about 29.65 inches of rain, roughly 73 percent of the annual 40.34, and November, December and January alone carry about 17.8 inches. A flat mortar crown under the tree canopy near Lyon Creek or on the north-facing slopes off Ballinger Way stays saturated for most of that season.
Then it freezes. The area sees about 60 days a year at or below 32F, with winter lows averaging 37-38F, so a wet crown freezes at night and thaws by midday many times each winter. The Brick Industry Association documents that saturated masonry under repeated freeze-thaw cracks and spalls, and a thin mortar wash has no reserve to absorb that. A poured, sloped crown sheds the water instead of holding it, which is the entire point of the rebuild on a shaded Lake Forest Park stack.
How It Works
Our chimney crown rebuild process
Remove the failed crown
We break out the old slab or mortar wash down to solid brick, protecting the flue opening so debris does not fall into the chimney.
Repair the top courses
Any loose or spalled brick in the top courses is reset or replaced so the new crown sits on sound masonry.
Form with overhang and slope
We build a form that projects past the brick faces on all sides and slopes the surface away from the flue so water runs off instead of sitting.
Pour and finish
The crown is poured in a single placement with a bond break around the flue tile so heat expansion does not crack it, and a drip edge is formed on the underside of the overhang.
Cure and seal
Once cured, we apply a breathable water repellent and, where useful, a flexible sealant at the flue joint. A new cap goes on if the old one is damaged.
Full details, options and pricing factors on the main Chimney Crown Rebuild page.
Need chimney crown rebuild in Lake Forest Park?
Call now or request a free quote — we confirm by phone or text.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Crown Rebuild in Lake Forest Park — FAQ
Can you just seal the cracks in my crown instead of rebuilding it?
If the crown is thick and the cracks are hairline, a flexible sealer can buy years, and we will say so. But the thin mortar-wash crowns typical of Lake Forest Park's older brick chimneys usually have no thickness left to seal, and a coating over crumbling mortar fails in the first wet season. The free quote visit tells us which you have.
When is the best time of year to rebuild a crown in Lake Forest Park?
Summer, when the pour can cure dry. July and August are the driest months at 0.60 and 0.97 inches, and a crown poured then is fully set before the October storms. We do crowns in the wet season too, with a covered cure, but if you have noticed a crack in spring, booking it for summer is the best path.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Lake Forest Park?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Lake Forest Park and the rest of King County.
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