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Chimney repair in University Place
Brick and mortar are strong in compression and helpless against standing water. Around here, water is the whole story. This page covers the masonry repairs we handle most: repointing washed-out mortar joints, replacing spalled brick, rebuilding damaged upper courses, and correcting the failures that let water in to begin with.
Repointing and tuckpointing
Mortar is the sacrificial part of a chimney. It weathers so the brick does not, and after decades of Pacific Northwest winters the joints erode into channels that pull water straight into the stack. Repointing grinds the failed joints back to sound mortar and repacks them with a mix matched to the original in hardness and color. Matching matters: modern mortar that is too hard makes old brick shear instead of the joint, trading a cheap repair for broken brick later.
Spalled brick replacement
When brick faces flake or pop off, the clay body has been absorbing water and breaking apart from the inside. Individual bricks are cut out and replaced. When spalling covers whole faces, the honest answer is usually a partial rebuild of the affected courses rather than cosmetic patching that fails in two winters.
Partial rebuilds
The top few feet of a chimney live in the worst weather and fail first. A partial rebuild takes the stack down to sound masonry, then rebuilds with new brick, fresh flue tile where needed, and a properly sloped crown. Done once, done right, a rebuilt top outlasts the roof it stands on.
Common questions
How do I know if my mortar joints have failed?
Run a key across a joint you reach from the ground. Sound mortar resists. Failed mortar powders or flakes out. Visible gaps, washed-out lines, or plant growth in the joints settle the question.
Is chimney repair worth doing on an older home?
Usually, yes. A mid-century brick chimney with a failed top rebuilds for a fraction of full demolition and replacement, and a sound chimney is a selling point during inspection when the home changes hands.
Do you match the existing brick?
As close as manufacturing allows. Northwest brick from the 1950s through 1970s came from a handful of regional yards, and salvage or near-match options exist for most of it. You approve the match before work starts.