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Chimney Brick Repointing in Seattle, WA
Old brick needs the right mortar, not the hardest one. We match strength and color to your chimney's brick. Free quote, price match plus 10-25% off.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
Request a Free Chimney Brick Repointing Quote
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Brick repointing is repointing done with the brick in charge. On any chimney, the mortar should always be softer than the units it holds, so that movement, moisture and freeze-thaw stress go into the joint, which is cheap to renew, instead of the brick, which is not. Much of the housing in Seattle, Tacoma, Shoreline and Edmonds was built before 1970, and a good share of those chimneys were laid with soft, low-fired brick and lime-rich mortar. Repoint that brick with a stiff, cement-heavy modern mortar and the joint becomes the strongest part of the wall. The brick then does the flexing, and within a few winters the faces start to spall along every new joint.
That mistake is why this page exists separately from general repointing. Before we repoint a brick chimney we assess the brick's hardness and absorbency, look at what the original mortar was made of, and mix a mortar that is compatible: often a lime-based or lime-blended mix on pre-war brick, a moderate cement-lime mix on mid-century brick. Then we match the color and joint profile so the work disappears into the chimney.
Free quote, free second opinion on any repointing quote you already have, and we price match plus 10-25% off.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney brick repointing
- Brick faces flaking or spalling right next to hard, bright, intact mortar from a past repair
- Original mortar that is soft, pale and sandy with visible lime flecks or shell fragments
- A pre-1940s home where the chimney brick is irregular, hand-molded or soft to the touch
- Joints patched with dark gray cement mortar that stand proud of eroded brick
- Cracks passing through bricks rather than following the joints after a previous repoint
- Mortar joints eroded to a groove while the brick itself is still sound
Common causes
- A past repoint with Portland-heavy mortar that is harder than the brick it surrounds
- Hard mortar trapping moisture inside soft brick, so water exits through the brick face when it freezes
- Original lime mortar simply reaching the end of its service life after many decades
- Water from a failed crown or cap soaking the top courses and washing out the binder
- Thermal and moisture movement concentrated in the brick because the joints cannot give
How It Works
Our chimney brick repointing process
Brick repointing starts by reading the brick. We test how hard it is and how fast it absorbs water, and examine the original mortar to judge whether it was lime-based or cement-based. We probe the joints to map where repointing is needed and check for any brick already spalled by a previous hard-mortar repair, which is a brick replacement item rather than a joint item. The crown, cap and flashing are inspected so the cause of the wetting is dealt with too. The written quote names the mortar we will use and why, along with the scope and color matching.
Free quote and brick assessment
We identify the brick's hardness and absorbency and the makeup of the original mortar, then map the failed joints and any spalled units.
Specify a compatible mortar
We select a mortar softer than the brick: lime-based or lime-rich on soft pre-war brick, a moderate cement-lime blend on harder mid-century brick, and explain the choice in writing.
Match color and profile
Sand and pigment are chosen to match the weathered original, and a sample joint is tooled to the existing profile before the main work begins.
Cut out with care
Failed mortar is removed to sound depth using methods suited to soft brick, often hand raking rather than aggressive grinding, to avoid widening joints or chipping arrises.
Repack, tool and cure
Mortar is packed in layers, tooled to match, and kept damp while it cures so the lime carbonates properly and the joint does not dry too fast and crack.
Options
Repair and service options
The mortar and the finish are the choices that set brick repointing apart:
- Lime-based repointing: for soft pre-war brick and any chimney originally laid in lime mortar. Slower to cure, far kinder to the brick, and the right choice on most Craftsman and bungalow chimneys in Seattle and Tacoma.
- Cement-lime repointing: a moderate-strength blend for harder mid-century brick that can tolerate more cement, still kept softer than the unit.
- Color and profile matching: sand selection, pigment and joint tooling to match the existing weathered joints, so a repointed section does not read as a patch from the street.
- Removing incompatible past repairs: cutting out hard gray cement patches that are damaging neighboring brick and replacing them with compatible mortar.
- Repointing plus brick replacement: where a hard-mortar repair has already spalled some units, we combine compatible repointing with matched brick replacement.
If you need to know whether your chimney needs spot or full repointing in the first place, the repointing page covers that decision. For the period-home approach to the whole chimney, see chimney restoration.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Mortar type: lime-based mixes cost more in material and curing time than standard mortar
- Extent of repointing, spot or full, from the joint map
- Removal of incompatible hard-mortar patches from earlier repairs
- Degree of color and profile matching required on a visible or period chimney
- Number of spalled bricks needing replacement alongside the joints
- Chimney height, roof pitch and access
- Crown or cap work needed to stop the water that eroded the joints
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
Repointing soft brick is slow, careful roof work, and we do it from staging with fall protection and dust control. Please leave the inspection to us; the free quote includes photos of the brick and joints up close.
If a previous hard-mortar repoint has left bricks spalled near the top of the stack, those units can loosen and fall. Keep people and cars away from that side of the house until we have looked. NFPA 211 recommends an annual chimney inspection, and on an older brick chimney that visit is when mortar compatibility problems are caught before they cost bricks.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Mortar compatibility matters more here than in a dry climate because our brick is wet so much of the year. Sea-Tac's normal annual precipitation is 40.34 inches, with the October-March wet season delivering about 29.65 inches of it. The Brick Industry Association explains that moisture in saturated brick pores expands when it freezes, and repeated freeze-thaw of saturated masonry causes cracking, spalling and disintegration; Building Science Corporation's work on clay brick adds that damage risk depends on saturation plus freezing, so keeping the brick able to dry is the controlling factor. Hard, dense mortar does the opposite and holds water in soft brick, and with about 60 days a year at or below 32F and winter lows averaging around 37F, that water freezes and thaws over and over.
Tacoma's median home was built in 1967, Shoreline's in 1969, Edmonds' in 1974 and Seattle's in 1976, so soft-brick chimneys from the first half of the century are everywhere we work.
Our Work
Chimney Brick Repointing in action
Repoint your brick with mortar that protects it
Call 206-453-2045 or send a photo of the brick and joints. Free quote, free second opinion, price match plus 10-25% off. If you're not happy, we're not done.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Brick Repointing FAQ
Why does mortar hardness matter for an old brick chimney?
Mortar is supposed to be the sacrificial part: softer than the brick, so stress and moisture move through the joint and the joint is what eventually needs renewing. When a repair uses mortar harder than soft old brick, the roles flip. The brick takes the movement and holds the water, and its face spalls off along the new joints within a few winters.
Do you use lime mortar?
On soft pre-war brick, or any chimney originally laid in lime mortar, yes: a lime-based or lime-rich mix that is compatible with the brick. On harder mid-century brick we use a cement-lime blend kept softer than the unit. We choose by testing the brick and examining the original mortar, and the written quote says which mix we are using and why.
Can you match the mortar color on a street-facing chimney?
Yes. Color comes mostly from the sand, with pigment for fine adjustment, and we tool a sample joint to the existing profile for you to approve before the main work. Fresh mortar reads lighter for the first year and weathers in. On a very visible chimney we may recommend a full repoint of the face so everything ages together.
A previous company repointed my chimney and now the bricks are flaking. What happened?
Most likely the repair used a mortar harder than your brick. The joints are fine; the brick around them is failing because it has become the weak point. The fix is to cut out the incompatible mortar, replace any bricks that have already spalled, and repoint with a compatible mix. We give a free second opinion on exactly this situation.
Is lime mortar repointing more expensive?
Somewhat. Lime mixes cost more, cure more slowly, and need to be kept damp while they set, so the visit takes longer. The trade-off is that the brick stops being damaged by its own joints, which saves brick replacement later. We quote both the mortar and the scope in writing, free, and match any written competitor quote with 10-25% off.
My chimney brick is hard modern brick. Do I still need this page?
Not necessarily. Hard, dense post-1970s brick tolerates standard mortar well, and general repointing is the right fit. The compatibility question matters on soft, older brick. If you are not sure what you have, the free quote includes a brick assessment and we will point you to whichever service fits.
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