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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Tacoma, WA
Eroded crown on a pre-war Tacoma brick chimney? Crown rebuilds starting at $299, free quote, same-day often available.
- Serving Tacoma & Pierce County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Tacoma
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
On a Tacoma chimney the crown is usually the oldest and weakest part of the whole structure. Tacoma's median home dates to 1967 and a large share of the city was built before 1940, so the crowns we see are often a mortar wash that has eroded to bare brick, a thin slab that has split into pieces, or a crown that was patched with roofing tar a couple of owners ago. Once the crown fails, rain runs into the top courses of brick, and that is where Tacoma chimneys start shedding mortar and losing brick faces. A rebuild removes the failed material, resets any loose top-course brick, and forms a new concrete crown with an overhang, drip edge, slope, and a bond break around the flue liner.
Our crown rebuild starts at $299. The quote is free, and if a Tacoma company already quoted you a full chimney rebuild, ask for our free second opinion, because a crown rebuild and repointing often solves it. We price match plus 10-25% off written quotes. Our office is in Renton, about 35 minutes from Tacoma, and same-day service is often available. If you're not happy, we're not done.
Symptoms
Signs Tacoma 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
Tacoma Conditions
Why this happens in Tacoma
Tacoma crowns have taken more weather than most. At 40.34 inches of rain a year, concentrated October through March, with November alone at 6.31 inches, a crown that was poured in the 1920s or 1950s has absorbed a century or half-century of wet seasons. The damage mechanism is freeze-thaw: the Sound touches 32 degrees on roughly 60 days a year but only stays frozen all day on about 4, so a wet crown freezes and thaws repeatedly through the winter. The Brick Industry Association ties that cycle in saturated masonry to cracking, crazing, and spalling, and a flat Tacoma mortar-wash crown is the most saturated surface on the house.
Tacoma's tree cover matters too. North End and Proctor chimneys on the shaded side of the roof typically hold moss from October through April, and moss keeps the crown wet when a sunny crown would dry. Part of every Tacoma crown rebuild is clearing that growth and giving the new crown an overhang so water drips clear of the brick.
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 Tacoma?
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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Tacoma — FAQ
My Tacoma chimney's top row of bricks is loose along with the crown. Is that still a crown rebuild?
Usually yes, with a small amount of masonry work added. On older Tacoma chimneys the top course often loosens because the failed crown has been feeding it water for years. We reset or replace those bricks, repoint the joints, and then form the new crown on a solid base. We tell you in the free quote whether it is one course or several. Crown rebuilds start at $299.
Will a new crown stop my Tacoma chimney from leaking by itself?
If the crown was the entry point, yes, and it usually is on Tacoma's older masonry. If the joints below it are also open after years of water, we recommend repointing at the same time so the new crown is not sitting on brick that leaks on its own. We check crown, joints, and flashing together before quoting, so you get one honest answer. Free quote.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Tacoma?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Tacoma and the rest of Pierce County.
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