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Chimney Repointing in Seattle, WA
How much of your chimney actually needs repointing? We survey every joint and quote spot or full, honestly. 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 Repointing Quote
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Chimney repointing is the renewal of the mortar joints that hold a chimney together. Mortar is the sacrificial part of masonry: it is meant to weather, erode and eventually be replaced, while the brick stays. Repointing removes the joints that have reached that point and fills them with fresh mortar bonded to clean brick. Tuckpointing is the related technique most people have heard of; on our tuckpointing page we cover the joint-by-joint craft of grinding and repacking. This page is about the bigger question that comes before the grinder starts: how much of the chimney needs it?
That is where most repointing quotes go wrong in one of two directions. Some companies repoint a few visible joints on a chimney where the whole weather side is gone, and the homeowner is back in two winters. Others quote a full repoint on a chimney with a dozen bad joints near the top. We survey every reachable joint, map where the failure actually stops, and quote spot repointing or a full repoint above the roofline based on that map, not a guess.
The quote is free, and so is a second opinion on a repointing quote you already have. We price match and take a further 10-25% off.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney repointing
- Joints on the weather side of the chimney recessed noticeably deeper than the sheltered side
- A band of eroded joints in the top several courses, with sound joints below
- Mortar that crumbles when pressed, in more than a handful of places
- Fine sand or mortar grit washing into the gutter below the chimney every rain
- Visible daylight or gaps between bricks near the top of the stack
- Brick faces still flat and intact, which is what makes repointing the right job
Common causes
- Ordinary weathering: decades of rain slowly washing the binder out of exposed joints
- Water freezing in joints already softened by saturation, pushing mortar out a little each winter
- A crown or cap that has let water run down the stack, so the top courses erode first
- Joints that were under-filled at construction and never had full depth to begin with
- Moss rooted in open joints on the shaded side, holding water against the mortar
How It Works
Our chimney repointing process
The survey is the heart of a repointing quote. We work the chimney in sections, probing joints with a pick and noting which ones are hollow, recessed or sandy, so we can see where the failure starts and stops. Failure confined to the top courses and the weather side gets a spot repointing quote; failed joints scattered across most of the exposed stack get a full repoint quote, because chasing them one at a time costs more over two visits than doing the face once. We confirm the brick is sound, check the crown, cap and flashing, and put the joint map and scope in writing.
Free quote and joint map
Every reachable joint is probed and the failed ones recorded by section, so the scope is based on what is there rather than what is visible from the driveway.
Decide spot versus full
Using the map, we quote spot repointing if failure is confined, or a full repoint above the roof if it is widespread, and explain the reasoning.
Cut out the failed mortar
Joints are ground or raked to a depth that gives the new mortar a proper grip, with dust control and without chipping the brick edges.
Flush, dampen and repack
Dust is flushed out, the joint is dampened, and mortar matched in strength and color is packed in layers so there are no voids.
Tool, cure and protect
Joints are tooled to match the original profile, allowed to cure, and we recommend a breathable repellent so the new work is not eroding again by spring.
Options
Repair and service options
Repointing scope is the decision, and we quote it in clear tiers:
- Spot repointing: only the failed joints, typically the top courses and the weather side. Right when the joint map shows failure confined to one area and the rest of the mortar is still hard.
- Full repoint above the roofline: every joint on the exposed stack is cut out and renewed. Right when failed joints are scattered, when past patches have already fallen out, or when you want the whole face to age evenly.
- Full repoint plus crown: if the joints failed because the crown let water down the stack, we pair the repoint with crown repair or a crown rebuild starting at $299, so the new mortar is not fed the same water.
- Brick-compatible repointing: on older soft-brick chimneys we match mortar hardness to the brick. See brick repointing for why that matters.
- Smaller than repointing: a handful of cracked joints or one loose brick is a mortar repair, not a repointing job, and we will say so.
If the survey finds spalled or loose brick, repointing alone will not hold and we quote masonry repair instead.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Spot repointing versus a full repoint above the roofline
- Total joint length and face area being renewed
- Depth the old mortar must be cut out to reach sound material
- Mortar matching for color, profile and hardness
- Chimney height, roof pitch and staging needed
- Whether crown, cap or flashing work is added to stop the water source
- Distance from Renton for outlying Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap addresses
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 is roof work with grinders, dust and staging. We control the dust so it does not end up in your flue or your house, and we work with fall protection. Please do not climb up to test your joints; we probe them for free and send photos with the joint map.
Open joints can let heat and flue gases out of the chimney toward framing. If you see daylight between bricks near the top of the stack, or smell smoke in rooms away from the fireplace, pause using it until we have looked. NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection, which is where joint erosion usually gets caught while spot repointing is still enough.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Joints fail from water, and the Puget Sound supplies it in a pattern that matters for repointing. Sea-Tac's normal annual precipitation is 40.34 inches, and November alone averages 6.31 inches; November through January together deliver roughly 44% of the year's total. That is why the weather side and the top courses, which take the most wind-driven rain, are nearly always where the joint map shows failure first. The Brick Industry Association notes that improperly filled joints lead to leaky walls and that water penetration followed by freezing and thawing causes cracking and disintegration; Seattle's roughly 60 days a year touching 32F against winter lows averaging about 37F mean wet joints freeze and thaw repeatedly.
On the shaded side, Western Washington moss spreading October through April lodges in open joints and holds water in them, which is why a north face often needs repointing before the sunny side does.
Our Work
Chimney Repointing in action
Find out how much of your chimney needs repointing
Call 206-453-2045 or send a photo of the 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 Repointing FAQ
Is repointing the same thing as tuckpointing?
Around Seattle the two words are used for the same repair: cutting out failed mortar and packing in new. Tuckpointing strictly refers to a decorative version with a thin contrasting line. We use repointing to describe the overall job and its scope, and our tuckpointing page to describe the joint technique itself. Either way, it is a full-depth renewal, not a surface smear.
How do you decide between spot repointing and a full repoint?
By the joint map from the free quote. If failed joints are confined to one area, usually the top courses and weather side, spot repointing is enough and we quote it. If failed joints are scattered over most of the exposed stack, or earlier patches have already fallen out, a full repoint above the roof costs less over time than coming back for the next batch.
Does the whole chimney need repointing, or only the part above the roof?
Almost always only the part above the roof. The stack is what takes the rain, wind and freeze-thaw; the masonry inside the attic and house stays dry and its mortar usually lasts the life of the home. We check the interior masonry on the inspection, but the repointing scope is normally the exposed stack.
How long does chimney repointing take?
Spot repointing is usually a single day. A full repoint above the roofline is typically one to two days depending on chimney size, joint depth and weather, since the mortar needs reasonable conditions to cure. We schedule around the forecast in the wet season and tell you the plan in the written quote.
Will repointing stop water from coming into the house?
Only if the joints are the entry point. Most chimney leaks come through the crown, the flashing or the cap, and fresh joints will not fix those. During the quote we check the whole top of the chimney and tell you what is actually leaking. See our chimney leak repair page if water is your main concern.
How much does chimney repointing cost in Seattle?
The scope drives it: spot repointing on a few courses is a modest job, a full repoint above the roof is larger. We do not quote by phone because the joint map decides which one you need. The on-site quote is free and itemized. If you have a written quote from another company, we match it and take 10-25% off.
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